Publication of an application for registration pursuant to Article 6(2) of Regulation (EEC) No 2081/92 on the protection of geographical indications and designations of origin

(2002/C 275/04)

This publication confers the right to object to the application pursuant to Article 7 of the abovementioned Regulation. Any objection to this application must be submitted via the competent authority in the Member State concerned within a time limit of six months from the date of this publication. The arguments for publication are set out below, in particular under 4.6, and are considered to justify the application within the meaning of Regulation (EEC) No 2081/92.

COUNCIL REGULATION (EEC) No 2081/92

APPLICATION FOR REGISTRATION: ARTICLE 5

PDO (x) PGI ( )

National application number: 02/2002

1. Responsible department in the Member State Name: Ministero delle Politiche agricole e forestali

Address: Via XX Settembre, 20, I-00187 Roma

Tel. (39) 06 481 99 68

Fax (39) 06 42 01 31 26

e-mail: qualita@politicheagricole.it

2. Applicant group 2.1. Name: O.P. Consorzio Euroagrumi

2.2. Address: Via Cristoforo Colombo, I-95033 Biancavilla (CT)

Tel. (39) 09 568 87 87

2.3. Composition: producers/processors (x) other ( )

3. Type of product: Class 1.6 - Fruit, vegetables, cereals, whether or not processed

4. Specification (summary of requirements under Article 4(2))

4.1. Name: Ficodindia dell'Etna

4.2. Description: The Opuntia ficus-indica cultivars in the area in question are: the yellow, also known as Sulfarina or Nostrale, the red, also known as Sanguigna and the white, also known as Muscaredda or Sciannarina. Other ecotypes are permitted, up to a limit of 5 %. The Trunzara and Pannittera named varieties of the white, red and yellow cultivars are especially prized.

The fruit are differentiated by their ripening period:

- Agostani or Latini (first flowering)

- Scozzolati (second flowering)

Cultivars: Yellow, red, white

Weight of fruit: not less than 95 g.

4.3. Geographical area: The Ficodindia dell'Etna production area is located in the province of Catania (CT). It covers an area lying between 150 and 750 metres above sea level in the municipalities of Bronte, Adrano, Biancavilla, Santa Maria di Licodia, Ragalna, Camporotondo, Belpasso and Paternò.

4.4. Proof of origin: There are some documentary references to this fruit. The historian Denis Mack Smith in his "History of Sicily - Medieval Sicily 800" - 1713 notes that in the late sixteenth century the Spanish introduced new and important plants to Sicily such as the tomato from Peru and maize and tobacco from Mexico. The most commonly used plant was the prickly pear from tropical America (the West Indies as Christopher Columbus called them). The prickly pear, (Indian fig, or prickly pear cactus) transformed the Sicilian countryside and, because it was able to withstand long periods without water and spread easily in crevices of the rocks, it was deliberately planted to break down the lava on the fertile slopes of Mount Etna. This admirable hedge plant and its fruit contributed to the daily diet of rich and poor Sicilians alike.

In his "Pictures from Sicily" (1853), W. H. Barlett says that of all the plant production on the lower slopes of Etna, the prickly pear was perhaps the one that grew best and reproduced surprisingly quickly.

References to prickly pears (fichi opunzia) "in the cultivated area of Etna" as defined in Spallanzani's time (1792) can also be found in the works of P. Bembo, Borelli, Stoppani, Brydone etc. It is also referred to in S Coppoler's "Del ficodindia, sua coltivazione in Sicilia e modo di ottenere i frutti tardivi (scuzzulari)". Saggio storico - agrario (1827).

In "Notizie economico - statistiche", Mortillaro compiled the areas under "Ficheti d'India" based on the Sicilian land registers for 1853.

Jacini's "Atti della Giunta per l'Inchiesta Agraria" (1884) sets out the area under "Ficheti d'India" cultivation in Sicily.

To ensure the traceability of the production process, both Ficodindia dell'Etna growers and the land parcels on which the plant is cultivated will be recorded in appropriate registers maintained by the inspection body referred to in point 4.7 below. That agency, accredited by the Ministry for Agriculture and Forestry Policies, will conduct checks to ensure that this PDO product satisfies the conditions laid down in the specifications.

4.5. Method of production (Cultivation techniques)

The soil must be of a coarse or medium texture, to prevent standing water (surface rocks are acceptable).

(Ground preparation)

The land for new plantations must be levelled, to facilitate water run-off, cultivation operations and fertilisation.

(Plantations)

Plantations can be either solely of prickly pears or of mixed crops and the maximum planting density, depending on the type of plantation, is 400 plants per hectare. Alongside the free-standing forms of plant cultivation (vaso libero (goblet-trained) or a cespuglio (bush), other kinds of training are permitted, to facilitate harvesting and cultivation.

To assist new growth, fertilising and irrigation are allowed after first flower removal, known as la scozzolatura (which involves picking the flowers, barely attached small fruit and young cladodes (pads)).

This operation takes place between the end of May and the first half of June, depending on the production area and the weather.

(Harvesting)

Depending on the production area and weather, harvesting takes place during the second ten days of August for first flowering fruit (Agostani) and from September to December for second flowering fruits (Scozzolati or Bastardoni). After harvesting, the fruit must be stored in suitably dry and ventilated premises. The product can then be refrigerated.

Harvesting begins when the fruit changes colour and is done in such a way that a small portion of the cladode (pad) remains at the base of the fruit. The spines must be removed after harvesting, so that the fruit can be marketed as spine-free.

4.6. Link: The prickly pear has found on the south-western slopes of Mount Etna the ideal conditions for becoming a characteristic feature of the landscape.

The production area enjoys a semi-arid, subtropical Mediterranean climate, with long, dry summers, rains concentrated in the autumn and winter and significant changes in temperature between the day and night.

The volcanic soils, the dominant winds, the humidity and in particular the exposure to the sun all endow the fruit with quality characteristics (colour, preservability and texture) that are hard to achieve in other production areas or elsewhere on Etna.

4.7. Inspection body Name: Check Fruit

Address: Via Cesare Boldrini, 24

I-40121 Bologna.

4.8. Labelling: Once it has been washed and its spines removed, the product is put up for sale in new packaging made of wood, carton or plastic, in accordance with the legislation in force. The three different kinds of cultivar can traditionally be put up in the same container.

The packaging must clearly bear the name Ficodindia dell'Etna in indelible ink and distinguishable from any other wording. The term Cactus Pear can also be used.

The packager's name, company name and address and the original gross weight must also appear on the packaging, as well as the names of the holdings from which the fruit has come, if available. Indicating the product's week of harvest and the terms Agostani or Latini and Scozzolati or Bastardoni referring to the ripening period are optional additions.

The identification label bears the words D.O.P. DENOMINAZIONE D'ORIGINE PROTETTA, with an image of Mount Etna immediately below, two pads bearing four fruit and the words "Ficodindia dell'Etna" immediately below, with the logo D.O.P. CEE to the right.

4.9. National requirements: -

EC No: IT/00241/2002.05.22.

Date of receipt of the full application: 22 May 2002.