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

(2003/C 303/02)

This publication confers the right to object to the application pursuant to Articles 7 and 12d of the abovementioned Regulation. Any objection to this application must be submitted via the competent authority in a Member State, in a WTO member country or in a third country recognised in accordance with Article 12(3) 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 No: 6/2002

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: Comitato Promotore della Valorizzazione dell'olio extra di oliva di Trieste

2.2. Address: c/o CCIAA, Piazza della Borsa, 14 - I-34100 Trieste

2.3. Composition: producer/processor (x) other ( )

3. Type of product: Class 1.5, Extra virgin olive oil

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

4.1. Name: "Tergeste"

4.2. Description: extra virgin olive oil with the following chemical and organoleptic characteristics:

- maximum acidity: 0,5 %

- panel test score >= 6,8 with the following sensory parameters: fruttato verde (smell, flavour, etc. reminiscent of green olives) >= 2, bitter/spicy flavour >= 1

- peroxides <= 12 mEqO2/kg

- polyphenols >= 100 mg/kg

- colour: gold to green

- smell: medium fruity

- flavour: fruity, with a medium or slight spiciness

- oleic acid >= 74 %

- linoleic acid <= 9 %

- Delta K <= 0,01

- K270 <= 0,20

- K230 <= 2,30

4.3. Geographical area: The area of production of Tergeste PDO comprises the entire administrative territory of the province of Trieste, i.e. the municipalities of Muggia/Milje, San Dorligo della Valle/Dolina, Trieste/Trst, Duino-Aurisina/Devin-Nabrezina, Sgonico/Zgonik and Monrupino/Repentabor. The area is bounded to the North and East by the border with Slovenia, to the West by the province of Gorizia and to the South by the Adriatic Coast. The boundaries of the area of production are laid down in the rules governing production.

4.4. Proof of origin: The origin of Tergeste/Tergestum, the ancient name of the city of Trieste, is not known with any certainty but is said to derive from terg, the Illyrian word for market. While Augustus may or may not have founded the colony of Tergeste, it is generally agreed that he ordered the building of the city walls. The claim that the presence of olive trees in Trieste and Istria predates the arrival of the Ancient Romans is consistent with the writings of Martial, Pliny and Strabo on the quality of the oil produced in the area. Phoenician settlers (the Phoceans founders of Marseilles) and the Ancient Greeks (in all probability Syracusans) almost certainly preceded the Ancient Romans and introduced, together with olive-growing, the relevant technical and agronomic expertise.

Olive-growing has, since the days of the Roman Empire, been present throughout the eastern Adriatic from the Quarnero islands in Istria to the North to a crescent-shaped area of chalky land leading to the Adriatic. This land - part of the PDO area - and its sandy and marly hinterland, contain the earliest references to olive-growing in the area covered by the present administrative region. When they discovered that the area and climate naturally lent themselves to olive-growing, the Ancient Romans expanded production and equipped each farm with its own olive oil press. The discovery of various items of olive oil-related equipment - in particular at San Dorligo della Valle - in housing dating back to Ancient Roman times bears witness to the farming use to which the area was put at the time. A number of authors, including Martial and Pliny, praised the oil produced locally. Olive-growing declined with the Roman Empire and did not recover until the Byzantine and later the Frankish era, when it once again became a mainstay of local farming, so much so that at one stage tithes could in some cases be paid in oil, as evidenced by a variety of historical documents. Over the centuries, olive-growing continued to be practised by the local population, and the link with the land is extensively documented, in particular in the form of contracts between owners and tenants providing for the planting of olive trees, bequests of olive oil, and municipal regulations governing presses and the size of olives. From the beginning of the 20th century until the severe frost recorded in 1929, olive-growing in the region underwent no significant change. From then on, however, there was little investment in this form of cultivation because of a combination of factors related to the restructuring of the local economy and a switch to industry. It was only thanks to the obstinacy of a few growers that some of the area's olive-growing heritage - based on local varieties - was preserved.

Production, first processing and bottling take place within the area of production. Bottling too takes place there because of the need to safeguard the special characteristics and the quality of Tergeste oil, since it ensures that the checks carried out by the inspection body can take place under the supervision of the producers concerned. The PDO is of special importance to the latter, providing, in line with the objectives of the Regulation, an opportunity to supplement incomes. In addition, bottling has traditionally been carried out in the geographical area.

The olives come from groves situated in the designated area, the various groves being entered by growers in a special register. Oil extraction, preparation and bottling take place, within the designated area, using suitable facilities also entered in a special register.

The inspection body checks that the technical requirements for entry in the register and the industry-wide requirements aimed at ensuring the traceability of the product have been complied with.

4.5. Method of production: Tergeste olive oil is made from olives belonging to the Belica or Biancheria varieties, which must account for 20 % or more of the olive trees present in the grove, with one or more of the following accounting for the balance: Carbona, Leccino, Leccio del Corno, Frantoio, Maurino and Pendolino. Harvesting begins when the olives darken, but does not extend beyond 31 December of the year concerned. The olives are picked - by hand or mechanically - direct from the tree and are kept in rigid aerated containers for up to three days until pressing takes place. Pest control must be of the integrated/biological type. Traditional cultivation techniques are used in groves which are in production.

Olive production may not exceed 65 quintals per hectare in specialised groves and 50 kg per tree where olive-growing is combined with other forms of production. The oil yield may not exceed 22 %.

Tergeste extra virgin olive oil is extracted, using mechanical and physical means only, in such a way as to preserve as much as possible the characteristics of the olives. The following requirements must be satisfied during first-processing: the temperature of the paste must not exceed 30 °C; only water may be used during the kneading phase; the equipment used must not shed material or affect the flavour or smell of the product; the oil must be produced within 36 hours of delivery of the olives to the mill and, prior to pressing, the rooms in which the olives are kept must be kept suitably aerated.

4.6. Link: The presence of olive-growing in the area concerned is conditioned by a variety of environmental and agronomic factors. The climate is mild - thanks to the proximity of the sea - but not excessively humid, thus encouraging yields. The fresh and well-drained land, typical of red soils and chalky rocks, guarantees continuous growth of new vegetation. Olive-growing in Trieste survived even after the severe frosts recorded in 1929 and 1956, when temperatures of - 8 °C and - 12 °C resulted in a sharp reduction in the number of trees. The characteristics of the product and the strong attachment local farmers have shown to olive-growing led to new groves being planted. Olive trees - in particular Biancheria, a highly rustic local variety which can withstand winds blowing in from the sea, the cold and vigorous pruning - are now a well-established feature of the coastal terraces and the neighbouring hills of Muggia and San Dorligo. As long ago as the 19th century, authors (among them Pietro Devitak) described the variety, noting that, on account of its exceptional smoothness, olive oil from Trieste had been sent as a gift to Empress Maria Theresa of Austria.

There is a well-established tradition of olive-growing in the designated area, with much of the know-how and techniques - relating to cultivation, harvesting, pressing, oil storage - being handed down from generation to generation through folk-tales, custom, sayings and recipes.

4.7. Inspection body Name: Camera di Commercio, Industria, Artigianato e Agricoltura di Trieste.

Address: Piazza della Borsa, 14 - I-34100 Trieste.

4.8. Labelling: Olio extra vergine di oliva "Tergeste", Denominazione di Origine Protetta.

The designation must appear on the label in clear, legible and indelible characters - the colour of which must contrast sufficiently with that used for the background - and must be clearly distinct from the rest of the information on the label.

The capacity of the containers in which the product is released for consumption must not exceed one litre. Containers made of plastic or resin are not allowed.

The year of production of the olives used to produce the oil must appear on the label. On the label, the protected designation of origin may be followed, immediately afterwards, by a literal translation of the designation into Slovenian.

4.9. National requirements: -

EC No: IT/00256/2002.10.21.

Date of receipt of the full application: 21 October 2002.