EN Official Journal of the European Union C 160/7

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 160/05

This publication confers the right to oppose to 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)

‘MOHANT’

EC No: SI-PDO-0005-0424-29.10.2004

PGI ( ) PDO ( X )

1. Name

‘Mohant’

2. Member State or third country

Slovenia

3. Description of the agricultural product or foodstuff

3.1. Type of product

Group 1.3. Cheeses

3.2. Description of product to which the name in point 1 applies

‘Mohant’ is a soft cheese of a whitish yellow, beige or pale buttery colour, with a distinctive piquant, sharp, pungent and very marked smell and taste. The surface of the cheese is smooth, even, dry and malleable. The paste is uniform, smooth, partly elastic, hard to spread to spreadable, kneaded and can be slightly lumpy. Given the traditional method of skimming the milk, mature ‘Mohant’ must contain at least 35 % fat in dry matter, at least 17 % protein and 0,5 % to 2,5 % salt.

3.3. Raw materials (for processed products only)

‘Mohant’ is made from raw cow’s milk produced in the geographical area.

3.4. Feed (for products of animal origin only)

The dairy cows are fed mainly forages and roughage (pasture, hay and silage), produced in the geographical area, which must account for at least 75 % of the dry matter of the daily ration. Vitamin and mineral supplements are also permitted.

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

The milk must be produced and the ‘Mohant’ must be made in the defined geographical area.

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

‘Mohant’ is ripened in large casks under anaerobic conditions. After ripening, it is soft and spreadable, without any rind to protect it from drying and oxidation. To preserve the characteristic organoleptic properties of ‘Mohant’ after it has ripened, the cheese must be placed straight from the large casks into its packaging. During anaerobic ripening, gas is produced which causes air pockets to form inside the cheese; it is therefore extremely important that care be taken when placing the cheese into its packaging, and pockets of air, which could cause microbiological deterioration of the product, must be pressed out immediately.

‘Mohant’ is kneaded and cut up immediately before it is packaged. After packaging, the jar and lid must be fastened with a sealing label, which proves that the packaging has not been opened.

Only packaging ‘Mohant’ in the geographical area ensures that it is packaged as soon as possible, thus preserving its specific organoleptic properties as well as its microbiological safety.

3.7. Specific rules concerning labelling

‘Mohant’ must be labelled with the name ‘Mohant’, the logotype ‘Samo eden je Mohant, Bohinj’ (‘There is only one Mohant, Bohinj’), the indication ‘protected designation of origin’ and the national quality symbol.

4. Concise definition of the geographical area

The geographical area where the milk is produced and ‘Mohant’ is made is situated in the heart of the Julian Alps within the boundary running from the summit of Kobla across Bohinjsko Sedlo to the Pečana mountain pasture, to Rovtarica in the direction of Soteska, to Kranjska Dolina across Pleša in the direction of Mrzli Studenec to Debela Peč, to Rjavina across Triglav into the valley of the Triglav Lakes, across Zgornja Komna to Lepa Komna, across Tolminski Kuk to Vogel, across the Raskovec mountain pasture via Črna Prst to Kobla.

5. Link with the geographical area

5.1. Specificity of the geographical area

The geographical area in which the milk is produced and ‘Mohant’ is made is located within the Triglav National Park and a Natura 2000 site. It is surrounded on three sides by high hills, the valley opening only towards the east, where the river Sava Bohinjka has cut a deep channel.

An Alpine climate, with relatively harsh cold winters and short summers, prevails in the geographical area. Rapid changes in the weather, with large amounts of rainfall in the form of downpours, are typical. The average annual temperature in the valley is 7,7 °C and 3,6 °C on the mountains. The warmest month is July, and the coldest month is January in the valley, but February in the mountains.

Such pedoclimatic and weather conditions have a direct bearing on the native Alpine flora of the pastures and grasslands in the geographical area. The alpine limestone flora in the geographical area is amongst the richest in Europe, as over a thousand different plant species grow there, including some groups of plants that do not flourish elsewhere. Many of them are also protected.

The proximity of the Mediterranean can be seen in the thermophilous vegetation on the southern slopes of the Lower Bohinj mountains and of Pršivec. The plants have adapted to the harsh conditions, displaying a dwarf or prostrate habit, rapid development and perennial reproduction, with thickened, often hairy, leaves. Long roots enable them to obtain a firm grip in the soil and their flowers are more colourful.

Alpine dairy farming in the geographical area, and the cheese-making associated with it, date back to the 13th century. The lack of arable land, the long winters and the short summers explain why the inhabitants have long focused more on rearing livestock. The people of Bohinj have developed it to a fine art. In spring the shepherds started to graze livestock on the hay-field slopes, which were the lowest-lying pastures, then they would drive the animals up to the medium-altitude and high-altitude mountain pastures, bringing them back down to the valley in autumn.

Right up to the middle of the 19th century, each mountain dairy farmer would process milk into dairy products on the mountain pastures. At that time ‘Mohant’ had already acquired a special place amongst the dairy products produced by the farmers on the mountain pastures.

Various written and oral sources attest to the history of making ‘Mohant’ and the use of the name ‘Mohant’ in the geographical area. Dr Marko Snoj states in the Slovenski etimološki slovar (Slovenian Etymological Dictionary), published in 2003, that the name ‘Mohant’ dates back to the 18th century. The production of ‘Mohant’ in Bohinj is mentioned in a lengthy chapter on this subject in Anton Pevc's book Sirarstvo (Cheese-making), published in 1925. The traditional way of making ‘Mohant’ was also described by Anka Novak in the Bohinjski zbornik of 1987. Two stages of the traditional production method are particularly distinctive: the stage at which the curd grains are allowed to settle on the bottom of the vat after drying, and the stage at which ripening takes place in special casks (deže), where anaerobic conditions are guaranteed. ‘Mohant’ is still produced by the traditional method.

5.2. Specificity of the product

The specificity of ‘Mohant’ is its typical, very intense smell and its piquant taste, which may also be somewhat bitter. The smell and taste of the cheese can be repellent to many people, but they are characteristic of ‘Mohant’ and therefore also make it unique amongst cheeses.

Another specific characteristic is its texture, which is spreadable and can be slightly lumpy.

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)

The properties which distinguish ‘Mohant’ from other cheeses are closely linked to the geographical area where it is produced. The native flora of the grasslands, pastures and mountain pastures in the geographical area is influenced by their pedoclimatic characteristics and weather. The alpine limestone flora in the geographical area is amongst the richest in Europe, as over a thousand different plant species grow there, including some groups of plants that do not flourish elsewhere. Certain of these plants are also protected. The dairy cows’ feed is produced in the geographical area. The rich native flora has a great influence on the specificity of ‘Mohant’. Due to this flora, the raw milk from which ‘Mohant’ is made possesses special organoleptic properties which play a part in determining the specific smell and taste of ‘Mohant’ that distinguish it from other cheeses. As the milk is not thermised or subjected to intensive, restrictive or harsh technological procedures (excessively low cooling temperatures, heat treatment at excessively high temperatures, long milk maturation procedures), spontaneous varied and beneficial native microflora prevents undesirable pathogenic microorganisms from developing.

The traditional production method, which is passed down from generation to generation, also has a considerable influence on the smell, taste and texture of ‘Mohant’. The cheese is traditionally ripened in anaerobic conditions in special large casks (deže). During ripening the proteins are broken down into amino acids. This releases gas, which is why the cheese becomes spreadable and develops its characteristic smell and taste.

Reference to publication of the specification

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

http://www.mko.gov.si/fileadmin/mko.gov.si/pageuploads/podrocja/Varna_in_kakovostna_hrana_in_krma/zasciteni_kmetijski_pridelki/Specifikacije/MOHANT_SP_EU.pdf

(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.

(3) See footnote 2.