EN Official Journal of the European Union C 57/28

Publication of an application pursuant to Article 50(2)(a) of Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012 of the European Parliament and of the Council on quality schemes for agricultural products and foodstuffs

2013/C 57/11

This publication confers the right to oppose the application pursuant to Article 51 of Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012 of the European Parliament and of the Council (1).

SINGLE DOCUMENT

COUNCIL REGULATION (EC) No 510/2006

on the protection of geographical indications and designations of origin for agricultural products and foodstuffs (2)

‘PECORINO DI PICINISCO’

EC No: IT-PDO-0005-0859-28.02.2011

PGI ( ) PDO ( X )

1. Name:

‘Pecorino di Picinisco’

2. Member State or Third Country:

Italy

3. Description of the agricultural product or foodstuff:

3.1. Type of product:

Class 1.3. Cheeses

3.2. Description of the product to which the name in (1) applies:

‘Pecorino di Picinisco’ is a cylindrical cheese with straight sides, made of raw milk and with a raw paste.

‘Pecorino di Picinisco’ PDO, which is marketed as ‘scamosciato’ (‘chamois-like’) and ‘stagionato’ (‘matured’), has the following characteristics:

— Scamosciato: Maturing: 30 to 60 days; Diameter of the cheese: from 12 cm to 25 cm; Height of the heel: from 7 cm to 12 cm; Weight: from 0,7 kg to 2,5 kg; Rind: thin and rough, tending towards straw-coloured; Body: compact with some holes; Colour: white, tending towards straw-coloured; Moisture content: below 45 %; Fat content of the dry matter: below 55 %; Flavour: mild with a marked aroma of mountain pasture. No ‘farmyard’ aroma.

— Stagionato: Maturing: more than 90 days; Diameter of the cheese: from 12 cm to 25 cm; Height of the heel: from 7 cm to 12 cm; Weight: from 0,5 kg to 2 kg; Rind: thin and rough, tending towards straw-coloured; Body: compact with some holes; colour: straw yellow; Moisture content: below 35 %; Fat content of the dry matter: below 55 %; Flavour: strong, full-bodied, becoming sharp with age, with a marked aroma of mountain pasture. No ‘farmyard’ aroma.

— Production period: all year round

3.3. Raw materials (for processed products only):

The milk used to produce ‘Pecorino di Picinisco’ comes exclusively from breeds typical of the production area: Sopravissana, Comisana, Massese or crosses with at least one of these breeds. A maximum of 25 % goats' milk may also be used, from the local flocks of Capra grigia ciociara, Capra bianca monticellana and their crosses. Goat's milk from one of these breeds has always been used because a minimum number of such goats has traditionally been kept in the flock. Only raw whole milk from one or more milkings may be used for ‘Pecorino di Picinisco’ PDO.

The other raw materials used also comply with the criteria of respecting local tradition: solid kid or lamb rennet from lactating animals raised in the production area described in point 4 is used to coagulate the milk.

3.4. Feed (for products of animal origin only):

At least 70 % of the feed for the sheep and goats must come from the production area.

It must be based on natural pastures and fresh forage taken exclusively from the production area.

The minimum annual grazing period is eight months.

It is permitted, throughout the year, to supplement this feed with raw materials such as cereals, protein crops and by-products of the grain-milling and oils industry, fed singly or mixed on the holding, with a maximum of 30 %/head/day.

The use of hay, legumes and natural grasses, which represent the prevalent forage quota in autumn and winter, is also permitted, while that quota must not exceed 15 %/head/day in spring and summer.

The feeding of pre-wilted silage and silage is allowed, except for lactating animals.

3.5. Specific steps in production that must take place in the defined geographical area:

The whole production process (cattle rearing, milk production, coagulation, processing of the curds, forming, draining, salting and maturing of the cheese) must take place within the area indicated in point 4.

3.6. Specific rules concerning slicing, grating, packaging, etc.:

—

3.7. Specific rules concerning labelling:

In addition to the EU graphic symbol and the information required by law, the whole or portioned product must carry on the label the following indications in clear and legible print:

— the name ‘Pecorino di Picinisco’ followed by the words ‘Denominazione Origine Protetta’ or the acronym DOP,

— the product logo,

— the indication of whether it is ‘Scamosciato’ or ‘Stagionato’,

— the name, business name and address of the producing or packaging undertaking.

4. Concise definition of the geographical area:

The production area of ‘Pecorino di Picinisco’ cheese is the entire Comino valley, in Frosinone province.

5. Link with the geographical area:

5.1. Specificity of the geographical area:

The production area of ‘Pecorino di Picinisco’ DOP cheese, which is particularly suited to pastoralism and the production of sheep and goat cheeses, is situated in the Comino valley (61 535 ha), a basin in the Southern Lazio region, in Frosinone province, a few kilometres to the north of Cassino and to the east of Sora, in the western section of the Meta-Mainarde mountain range.

The whole area comprises 20 municipalities and is over 61 535 ha, partially within the Abruzzo, Lazio e Molise National Park, and is characterised by limestone hills of high environmental value and a huge area devoted to pasture, which is the main source of fodder for the sheep and goats kept there.

The area's climate is mostly temperate, with an average annual temperature ranging from 14 °C on the valley floor to 5 °C in the higher zones of the mountain ranges. Rainfall is very abundant — annual averages range from 1 460 mm at the Atina (520 m above sea level) and Picinisco (740 m above sea level) measuring stations to more than 1 600 on the mountain tops.

The area's streams feed the river Liri and are therefore part of this hydrographic basin. It is possible to distinguish four basins from north to south: the Sora plain with the Lacerno stream and the river Fibreno, the Comino Valley with the river Melfa and its tributaries, the Cassino plain with the river Rapido, and finally the Chiaro and la Rava streams which, although only of marginal importance for the area, feed the river Volturno. All water bodies in the area amount to less than 100 ha. The absence of drought in the summer, which confirms the climate's temperate nature and distinguishes it from that of the Mediterranean, means that the zone's natural grasses and pasture-grasses, comprising many of the spontaneous species typical of the area, can be used as fodder for the sheep and goats; these species include the legume Bromus erectus, the common fescue (Brachypodium pinnatum), Sesleria tenuifolia, sedges (such as Carex kitaibeliana, Carex pairaei, Carex ovalis, Carex fusca, Carex hallerana and Carex pallescens) and pulses (such as Anthyllis montana, Anthyllis vulneraria and Vicia hybrida), Polypodium cambricum, Asplenium onopteris, Asplenium fissum, Dryopteris pallida ssp., Cerastiun cerastioides, Lychnis flos-cuculi, Sedum cepaea, Aphanes arvensis, Mespilus germanica, Astrantia tenorei, Seseli montanum, Grafia golaka, Ammi visnaga, Aster alpinus, Taraxacum glaciale, Reichardia picroides, Juncus compressus, and the dwarf juniper (Juniperus nana).

These particular environmental features of temperature and rainfall permit typical mountain species of grasses and pasture-grasses to develop.

In this geographical context there is a historical and cultural element in the local social roots which is of primary importance for the product's characteristics, i.e. transhumance; this traditional practice allows the animals to graze the mountain pastures to escape the heat and the possible environmental and nutritional pressures they might endure on the valley floor during the summer.

The human factor's contribution to the product is essentially the cheesemaker's skill during the production process. When making ‘Pecorino di Picinisco’ cheese particular attention is required to the processing of the milk. The production method involves the coagulation of raw milk, without any additional milk enzymes, and the maintenance of the coagulation temperature during the cutting of the curds.

5.2. Specificity of the product:

‘Pecorino di Picinisco’ cheese is characterised by its taste, which gradually changes from sweet to intense and full-bodied, finally becoming sharp when it is fully ripe, with a marked aroma of mountain pasture, but no ‘farmyard’ aroma. The body is compact and straw-coloured.

5.3. Causal link between the geographical area and the quality or characteristics of the product (for PDO) or a specific quality, the reputation or other characteristic of the product (for PGI):

‘Pecorino di Picinisco’ is the result of the combination of specific elements linked to the area of origin and its climatic conditions, to the skills of the sheep and goat herders and cheesemakers, as well as to the capacity to uphold tradition and preserve the countryside.

The temperate climate and the herders’ traditional practice of transhumance are elements which, over time, have allowed the pastures to be exploited and the sheep and goats to be kept using a technique based on high-quality fodder, mainly pasture-grass species. The animals' long grazing period increases the milk's content of carotenoids, terpenes and polyunsaturated fats, substances which contribute greatly to Pecorino di Picinisco's straw-yellow colour and its strong aroma of pasture.

There are other aspects which are important for the quality of ‘Pecorino di Picinisco’, linked to the production method, such as the use of raw milk, the non-addition of milk enzymes, and the use of solid lamb and kid rennet, as well as the wealth of skills shown by the cheesemakers.

The use of raw milk preserves some of the aromatic and microbiological components from the lactating animals fed on pasture-grass species in the area.

The cheesemakers' skills in processing the raw milk, the fact that no milk enzymes are added, and the correct maintenance of the coagulation temperature during the cutting of the curds preserves the milk's specific microflora, thus enhancing the cheese's typical flavours.

Checking the coagulation temperature during the cutting of the curds not only preserves the aromas but also helps limit the loss of whey so that the cheese body is less dry, making it soft and compact when fully ripe.

The traditional use of solid rennet from lambs or kids raised in the defined production area, only fed their mothers' milk, and slaughtered after being weaned, further increases the aromatic and microbiological component from livestock and cheese production. This type of rennet is very different from liquid and powdered calf rennet due to its lipolytic enzymes, which are practically not present in the other two types.

All these elements linked to the natural environment and to the traditional production method sets ‘Pecorino di Picinisco’ apart from other local and regional sheep or goat cheeses.

The historical tradition of ‘Pecorino di Picinisco’ is borne out by the presence of a series of writings (by Castrucci in the 1600s, and the 1811 ‘Statistica Murattiana’), as well as by the many documents preserved in the Picinisco town hall archives — invoices, retail and wholesale licences, and tax-payment certificates. The large number of sheep and goats kept in the area of production, particularly in Picinisco itself, as shown by the livestock censuses carried out between 1875 and 2000, confirms the area's link with pastoralism and thus with cheese production. Moreover, the town of Picinisco and the villages of Fontitune and Valleporcina are staunch guardians of the pastoral tradition and the production of the Pecorino cheese which today rightly bears its name.

‘Pecorino di Picinisco’ cheese has a great influence on local cuisine, as it is a basic ingredient in many of the area's traditional recipes.

Numerous rural festivals, feasts and popular events revolve around pastoralism and Pecorino cheese, above all in the area where ‘Pecorino di Picinisco’ is produced. Examples of this are the annual festival of pastoralism in Picinisco, the mountain festival, the festival of history, the sheep festival and the celebration of Abbuoto wine and Pecorino cheese. ‘Pecorino di Picinisco’ is the area's symbolic product in all these festivals.

Today ‘Pecorino di Picinisco’ is well-known and appreciated by local and regional consumers, so much so that it has been awarded several prizes for its undoubted quality and tradition, for example the San Giorgio Bianco Prize for the ‘cheese of 2012’, awarded by the Rome and Lazio delegation of the Accademia di San Giorgio; it also participated in the ‘Alma Ceseus’ competition in Parma, in the cheeses section, and in the ‘Salone del Gusto di Torino’. ‘Pecorino di Picinisco’ has also featured in numerous Italian public and TV shows on food and wine.

The ‘Pecorino di Picinisco’ denomination has strengthened over the years, as attested by invoices, labels, advertising and publications.

Reference to publication of the specification:

(Article 5(7) of Regulation (EC) No 510/2006 (3))

The Ministry launched the national objection procedure with the publication of the proposal for recognising ‘Pecorino di Picinisco’ as a protected designation of origin in Official Gazette of the Italian Republic No 283 of 3 December 2010.

The full text of the product specification is available on the following web site:

http://www.politicheagricole.it/flex/cm/pages/ServeBLOB.php/L/IT/IDPagina/3335

or by going directly to the home page of the Ministry of Agricultural, Food and Forestry Policy (http://www.politicheagricole.it) and clicking on ‘Qualità e sicurezza’ (at the top right of the screen) and finally on ‘Disciplinari di Produzione all’esame dell’UE’.

(1) OJ L 343, 14.12.2012, p. 1.

(2) OJ L 93, 31.3.2006, p. 12. Replaced by Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 21 November 2012 on quality schemes for agricultural products and foodstuffs.

(3) See footnote 2.