EN Official Journal of the European Union C 206/50

Application for approval of a minor amendment in accordance with the second subparagraph of Article 53(2) of Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012 of the European Parliament and of the Council on quality schemes for agricultural products and foodstuffs

(2017/C 206/18)

The European Commission has approved this minor amendment in accordance with the third subparagraph of Article 6(2) of Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) No 664/2014 (1).

APPLICATION FOR APPROVAL OF A MINOR AMENDMENT

Application for approval of a minor amendment in accordance with the second subparagraph of Article 53(2) of Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012 of the European Parliament and of the Council (2)

‘CAROTA NOVELLA DI ISPICA’

EU No: PGI-IT-02291 – 22.2.2017

PDO ( ) PGI ( X ) TSG ( )

1. Applicant group and legitimate interest

Consorzio di tutela I.G.P. Carota Novella di Ispica

Address : Via Benedetto Spadaro 97 97014 Ispica (RG) ITALIA Email : info@carotanovelladiispica.it; igpcarotanovellaispica@pec.it

The protection association Consorzio di tutela I.G.P. Carota Novella di Ispica is entitled to submit an amendment application pursuant to Article 13(1) of Ministry of Agricultural, Food and Forestry Policy Decree No 12511 of 14 October 2013.

2. Member State or Third Country

Italy

3. Heading in the product specification affected by the amendment(s)

— ☐ Product description — ☐ Proof of origin — ☒ Production method — ☒ Link — ☐ Labelling — ☒ Other: [Packaging]

4. Type of amendment(s)

— ☐ Amendment to product specification of registered PDO or PGI to be qualified as minor in accordance with the third subparagraph of Article 53(2) of Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012, that requires no amendment to the published single document. — ☒ Amendment to product specification of registered PDO or PGI to be qualified as minor in accordance with the third subparagraph of Article 53(2) of Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012, that requires an amendment to the published single document. — ☐ Amendment to product specification of registered PDO or PGI to be qualified as minor in accordance with the third subparagraph of Article 53(2) of Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012, for which a single document (or equivalent) has not been published. — ☐ Amendment to product specification of registered TSG to be qualified as minor in accordance with the fourth subparagraph of Article 53(2) of Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012.

5. Amendment(s)

Production method

The following sentence in point 5.7 of Article 5 of the product specification:

‘The carrots are harvested on a daily basis from 20 February to 15 June.’

is amended as follows:

‘The carrots are harvested on a daily basis from 1 February to 15 June.’

Observations made by farmers in recent years have shown that the specific quality characteristics of ‘Carota Novella di Ispica’ are fully developed as early as from the first of February. Therefore, so as not to exclude the product from the PGI certification system, the harvesting date set in the specification should be brought forward from 20 to 1 February.

Link

The above amendment also requires the following sentence of Article 6 of the product specification:

‘The Ispica carrot is a ‘new carrot’ which reaches commercial maturity from as early as the end of February (20 February) up to the beginning of June (15 June).’

to be amended as follows:

‘The Ispica carrot is a ‘new carrot’ which reaches commercial maturity from as early as the beginning of February (1 February) up to early June (15 June).’

The amendments set out in points 1 and 2 above are minor within the meaning of Article 53(2) as the essential characteristics of the product and the link with the production area are not affected; indeed, an early harvest is one of the main characteristics of the registered designation.

Packaging

The following points in Article 8 of the product specification:

‘— polyethylene or polypropylene bag containing between 1 and 6 kg in weight;

— ‘stay fresh’ bag containing between 6 and 12 kg in weight.’

are amended as follows:

‘— polyethylene or polypropylene bag containing between 0,5 and 6 kg in weight;

— box with ‘stay fresh’ bag containing between 6 and 12 kg in weight.’

Setting a lower required weight for the bags has proved necessary to respond to demand from large retailers for carrot bags weighing less than the minimum currently laid down by the product specification.

It has been specified that the ‘stay fresh’ bag is contained in a box. Such a box makes the ‘stay fresh’ bag easy to handle. This amendment facilitates transport operations.

The amendment set out in point 3 should be considered as minor since it concerns only the manner in which ‘Carota Novella di Ispica’ PGI is packaged.

6. Updated product specification (only for PDO and PGI)

SINGLE DOCUMENT

‘CAROTA NOVELLA DI ISPICA’

EU No: PGI-IT-02291 – 22.2.2017

PDO ( ) PGI ( X )

1. Name(s)

‘Carota Novella di Ispica’

2. Member State or Third Country

Italy

3. Description of the agricultural product or foodstuff

3.1. Type of product

Class 1.6. Fruit, vegetables and cereals, fresh or processed

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

‘Carota Novella di Ispica’ PGI (protected geographical indication) is the product obtained by growing the species Daucus carota L. The varieties used are based on the Nantes half-long carrot variety and appropriate hybrids such as Exelso, Dordogne, Nancò, Concerto, Romance, Naval, Chambor and Selene. Other hybrids may be used provided that they belong to the Nantes half-long variety and provided that the producers have proven through tests that they comply with the quality requirements for ‘Carota Novella di Ispica’. The use of new hybrids to produce ‘Carota Novella di Ispica’ is permitted subject to favourable evaluation of the tests by the Ministry of Agricultural, Food and Forestry Policy which may request for that purpose the technical opinion of the inspection body or another body.

When placed on the market, the ‘Carota Novella di Ispica’ is cylindrical/conical in shape, with a diameter of between 15 and 40 mm and a weight of between 50 and 150 g, and does not have secondary roots, a root at the tip or cracking of the stem.

‘Carota Novella di Ispica’ reaches commercial maturity from as early as the beginning of February (1 February) up to early June (15 June). It is consequently available on the market in the winter-spring period, when it has the organoleptic properties typical of the fresh product. It adheres to the following specific chemical and nutritional parameters:

— high glucide content: > 5 % fresh product (by weight);

— beta-carotene content (depending on the production period): > 4 mg/100 g of fresh product;

— mineral salt content: between 0,5 % and 0,9 %.

Organoleptic properties are assessed using the UNI 10957 (2003) method. The descriptors are quantified on a five-point scale in line with the UNI ISO 4121 system (1989) with 1 as the least intense and 5 as the most intense value.

The minimum values awarded by judges for each of the main descriptors are as follows:

— intensity of colour 2,5

— crunchiness 2,5

— typical carrot smell 2,5

— herbaceous aroma 2,5.

In addition, the skin is clear, the flesh tender and the core not too fibrous.

Only ‘Carota Novella di Ispica’ in the commercial categories Extra and I, as defined by the UN/ECE standard concerning the marketing and commercial quality control of carrots, may obtain recognition.

3.3. Feed (for products of animal origin only) and raw materials (for processed products only)

—

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

All steps in the production of ‘Carota Novella di Ispica’, from sowing to harvesting, must take place within the geographical area defined in point 4.

The carrots are harvested on a daily basis from 1 February to 15 June.

3.5. Specific rules concerning slicing, grating, packaging, etc. of the product the registered name refers to

Once harvested, the fresh product is processed on a daily basis on the processing lines available on holdings. The chief phases which are typical of the carrot processing process are washing, removal of waste, sorting by size and packaging.

Processing and initial packaging must be carried out within the production area identified in point 4.3 in order to guarantee product quality, monitoring and traceability. Subsequent repackaging outside the geographical area is permitted.

‘Carota Novella di Ispica’ is packaged in packs sealed in such a way that opening the packaging will tear the seal. Only the following packaging combinations are permitted:

— tray of up to 2 kg covered with protective film;

— polyethylene or polypropylene bag containing between 0,5 and 6 kg in weight;

— box with ‘stay fresh’ bag containing between 6 and 12 kg in weight.

3.6. Specific rules concerning labelling of the product the registered name refers to

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

— the ‘Carota Novella di Ispica’ PGI logo;

— the name, company/business name and address of the producer and packager;

— the commercial category (‘Extra’ or ‘I’).

It is forbidden to add any description that is not expressly provided for. However, references to brand names may be used, on condition that they have no laudatory purport and are not such as to mislead the consumer.

The ‘Carota Novella di Ispica’ logo is made up of a graphic image representing a carrot, topped by an irregular triangle pointing downwards. The graphic image sits to the left of the wording ‘Carota Novella di Ispica’. The initial capital N of the word ‘Novella’ intersects the carrot image about halfway up, with the words ‘di Ispica’ placed beneath ‘Novella’, all the text being green in colour. The ends of the characters are rounded.

4. Concise definition of the geographical area

The ‘Carota Novella di Ispica’ production area includes municipalities in the following provinces up to an altitude of 550 m above sea level:

— Province of Ragusa: the municipalities of Acate, Chiaramonte Gulfi, Comiso, Ispica, Modica, Pozzallo, Ragusa, Santa Croce Camerina, Scicli, Vittoria;

— Province of Siracusa: the municipalities of Noto, Pachino, Portopalo di Capo Passero, Rosolini;

— Province of Catania: municipality of Caltagirone;

— Province of Caltanissetta: municipality of Niscemi.

5. Link with the geographical area

Recognition of the ‘Carota Novella di Ispica’ protected geographical indication is justified on the grounds of its early harvesting.

‘Carota Novella di Ispica’ growing is characterised by favourable soil and climate conditions. The Ispica carrot is a ‘new carrot’ which reaches commercial maturity from as early as the beginning of February (1 February) up to early June (15 June). It is thus a novel, typically Sicilian product very closely linked to the territory on which it is grown. It should be added that ‘Carota Novella di Ispica’ is sold on the market during the winter-spring period, taking advantage of the organoleptic properties that are typical of the fresh product, such as crunchiness, intense flavour and herbaceous aroma.

The ‘Carota Novella di Ispica’ growing area is characterised by high average winter temperatures, long hours of sunlight and fertile soil. The quality parameters and the specific growing cycle are thus intimately linked to interacting physical and biochemical characteristics which make the Iblea area (SE Sicily) an essential harmonic system capable of maximising and characterising such properties.

The local geography facilitates cultivation as it provides optimal environmental conditions and, in particular, the temperate, dry climate of the coastal strip enable optimum general plant health to be maintained.

The area in which ‘Carota Novella di Ispica’ is grown is generally free from excessive temperature drops, excessive rain and aridity. It has been shown that the temperatures recorded in the area favour very intense colouring, which is also to some extent a result of the amount of light from which the territory benefits between September and March, the very regular conformation and the optimisation of levels of sugar, beta carotene and mineral salt content which, considering the time of harvest, are a further characteristic feature of the ‘Carota Novella di Ispica’. The land further complies with the requirements for growing, which ideally calls for medium soils tending towards loose, a non-coarse soil skeleton, well provided with nutritive elements, good depth and freshness characteristics, but is also feasible in soils tending towards sandy as long as they are supported by adequate fertilisation and irrigation.

These are the conditions that have led to the success of the ‘Carota di Ispica’. Indeed, old producers remember that European importers claimed to be able to recognise a load of ‘Carota Novella di Ispica’ immediately upon opening the transport wagon thanks to the specific and intense aroma which developed.

The first documents recording Ispica carrot cultivation date back to 1955, followed a few years later by the first records of its being exported. Since the 1950s, Ispica carrot growing has extended gradually to cover the area defined in point 4, due on the one hand to the agricultural phenomenon of soil fatigue but, on the other, to the product’s great commercial success on national and foreign markets. Important evidence is provided by Pina Avveduto’s 1972 publication ‘La Coltivazione della Carota ad Ispica’ (Cultivation of the Ispica carrot). On the subject of the rapid expansion of Ispica carrot growing, the author writes, ‘Obviously, the rapid spread in cultivation of the new product was favoured by the ease of marketing it, since it was accepted and sought after by all national and international markets for its intrinsic merits […]. Our carrot was preferred on account of its early availability, quality in terms of shape (size), organoleptic properties (colour, flavour), chemical properties (carotene and glucose rich).’

Reference to publication of the specification

(the second subparagraph of Article 6(1) of this Regulation)

The Ministry launched the national opposition procedure with the publication of the amendment application regarding ‘Carota Novella di Ispica’ Protected Geographical Indication in the Official Gazette of the Italian Republic No 298 of 22 December 2016.

The consolidated text of the product specification can be consulted on the following website:

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

or alternatively:

by going directly to the homepage of the Ministry of Agricultural, Food and Forestry Policy (www.politicheagricole.it) and clicking on ‘Prodotti DOP e IGP’ (at the top right-hand side of the screen), then on ‘Prodotti DOP, IGP e STG’ (on the left-hand side of the screen), and finally by clicking on ‘Disciplinari di produzione all’esame dell’UE’.

(1) OJ L 179, 19.6.2014, p. 17.

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