Publication of an application for approval of an amendment, which is not minor, to a product specification 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

(2020/C 317/09)

This publication confers the right to oppose the amendment application pursuant to Article 51 of Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012 of the European Parliament and of the Council (1) within three months from the date of this publication.

APPLICATION FOR APPROVAL OF AN AMENDMENT TO THE PRODUCT SPECIFICATION OF PROTECTED DESIGNATIONS OF ORIGIN/PROTECTED GEOGRAPHICAL INDICATIONS WHICH IS NOT MINOR

Application for approval of an amendment in accordance with the first subparagraph of Article 53(2) of Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012

‘STELVIO’/‘STILFSER’

EU No: PDO-IT-0255-AM02 – 10.1.2020

PDO (X) PGI ( )

1. Applicant group and legitimate interest

Consorzio del Formaggio Stelvio [Stelvio Cheese Association], Via Innsbruck 43, 39 100 Bolzano, Italy

Tel. +39 0474570113; Fax +39 0474570177. The above association fulfils the requirements under Article 13(1) of the Ministerial Decree of 28 November 2017.

2. Member State or third country

Italy

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

☐ Name of product

☒ Description of product

☐ Geographical area

☐ Proof of origin

☒ Method of production

☐ Link

☐ Labelling

☐ Other [to be specified]

4. Type of amendments

☒ Amendment to product specification of a registered PDO or PGI not to be qualified as minor in accordance with the third subparagraph of Article 53(2) of Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012.

☐ Amendment to product specification of registered PDO or PGI for which a Single Document (or equivalent) has not been published not to be qualified as minor in accordance with the third subparagraph of Article 53(2) of Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012

5. Amendments

Description of product

The amendment concerns Article 5 of the product specification and Section 3.2 of the single document and involves the inclusion of specific methods for preparing the product intended for portioning.

Accordingly, the following is being added at the end of Article 5 of the product specification (Characteristics of the finished product) and section 3.2 of the single document:

‘In order to limit processing waste, subject to compliance with the above weight and height requirements, ‘Stelvio’/‘Stilfser’ cheese may be produced in shapes other than cylindrical, but only where the product is intended for pre-packaging (slicing, cubing, grating).’

The amendment thus concerns the shape of the product. Only cheese intended for portioning – to be identified as such at the start of processing into the PDO (when being placed into the mould) – need not be cylindrical. Such cheese may not be sold as such (as a whole cheese) using the PDO, but may only be released for consumption after portioning and pre-packaging.

The option to use a more rational shape makes it possible for portioning to take place without product waste that is unjustified from any technical or qualitative viewpoint, thereby optimising yield and processability once ripening has been completed in compliance with the product specification. None of this would diminish the technical/qualitative characteristics of ‘Stelvio’/‘Stilfser’.

Method of production

— The amendment concerns Article 3, point 3.3.2, of the product specification and Section 3.3 of the single document.

The following sentence is being added at the end of the part concerning the cows’ diet, as required by Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) No 664/2014 of 18 December 2013:

‘Feed sourced from outside the geographical area may not exceed 50 % of the dry matter in the diet on an annual basis.’

This amendment is a clarification.

Fresh grass and local fodder, which are the portion of the diet associated with digestible fibre, have a major impact on the chemical, sensorial and organoleptic characteristics of the milk used in production and thus represent a substantial percentage of the dry matter in the diet.

In formulating the diet of the cows traditionally used to produce the milk, it is necessary, in a mountain area not suited to cereal and oilseed production, to use concentrates and feed from outside the defined area. It is necessary to supplement the diets in order to guarantee their nutritional and physiological value and also as a preventive measure against health issues.

Such feed allows quick nutrient intake, providing readily available energy and protein for the cows’ normal rumen functions. Since it has only a physiological role in support of those functions, it has virtually no impact on the organoleptic characteristics of the milk.

It is therefore permitted to use corn silage; dried fodder; barley, rye, triticale, wheat, oats and maize, in the form of the products themselves, by-products or, for the first five, straw. It is also possible to use oil seeds and products and by-products thereof as follows: soya (non-genetically modified), rape, linseed and sunflower including where decorticated or partially decorticated; dried beet pulp; brewer’s grains and dried apple residues; beet; potatoes; brewer’s yeast; molasses; locust beans; powdered dairy products; amino acids and noble proteins not derived from proteolysis; vegetable fats.

The proposed amendment merely makes the point on the diet more precise and thus has no impact on the link or on the quality of the product.

— The amendment concerns Article 4, point 4.2.1, of the product specification concerning the fat content of the raw material and Section 3.3 of the single document.

Thus the current wording:

‘4.2.1. Reduction of fat content The milk, possibly cleaned by means of bactofugation, may be lightly skimmed to regulate the fat content to between 3,45 % and 3,60 %. Partial skimming of the milk is carried out using a skimmer.’

is being replaced by:

‘4.2.1. Reduction of fat content The milk, possibly cleaned by means of bactofugation, may be lightly skimmed to regulate the fat content to between 3,45 % and 3,80 %. Partial skimming of the milk is carried out using a skimmer.’

This slight amendment allows for a more realistic span of fat content, and one that is within the actual fat content range obtained (between 3,45 % and a maximum of 3,80 % rather than 3,6 %), bringing it into line with the other requirements laid down for the ripened cheese.

— The amendment concerns Article 4, point 4.2.5, of the product specification and Section 3.3 of the single document and relates to the type of rennet used.

Thus the current wording:

‘Calf rennet is added to the milk being processed, possibly inoculated with lactic acid bacteria, within 85 minutes when the temperature of the mixture is around 32-33 °C. The only coagulating enzyme that may be used is rennet in liquid or powder form. The rennet must be produced following a traditional method, have a strength of around 1:15 000 and be composed of approximately 75 % chymosin and 25 % pepsin; it must not contain coagulants of any type (e.g. coagulants of microbial origin), be genetically modified or contain genetically modified coagulating enzymes.’

is being replaced by:

‘Calf rennet, or other rennet including of plant origin, is added to the milk being processed, possibly inoculated with lactic acid bacteria, within 85 minutes when the temperature of the mixture is around 32-33 °C. The coagulating enzyme may be used in liquid or powder form. Calf rennet must be produced following a traditional method, have a strength of around 1:15 000 and be composed of approximately 75 % chymosin and 25 % pepsin; the rennet must not be genetically modified or contain genetically modified coagulating enzymes.’

The current product specification allows only calf rennet to be used. Nowadays this requirement seems to be extremely limiting and to stand in the way of technical developments that have for some time been characteristic of some products in the defined area, which have so far remained excluded from the PDO despite having the characteristics laid down and meeting all the chemical and organoleptic requirements of the ripened cheese.

This development will also make it possible to satisfy ever more diverse consumer demands.

SINGLE DOCUMENT

‘STELVIO’/‘STILFSER’

EU No: PDO-IT-0255-AM02 -10.1.2020

PDO (X) PGI ( )

1. Name(s)

‘Stelvio’/‘Stilfser’

2. Member State or third country

Italy

3. Description of the agricultural product or foodstuff

3.1. Type of product

Class 1.3. Cheese

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

When released for consumption, ‘Stelvio’/‘Stilfser’ cheese, having ripened for a minimum of sixty days, is cylindrical with flat faces and a straight or slightly concave heel and the following dimensions: weight: between 8 kg and 10 kg; diameter: between 34 cm and 38 cm; height: between 8 cm and 11 cm. The fat content in dry matter is at least 50 % and the moisture content does not exceed 44 %. The rind must have the characteristic colour ranging from yellow to orange-brown. The texture of the cheese is compact, pliable and springy. It is between pale yellow and straw yellow in colour, with irregular, small to medium-sized eyes.

‘Stelvio’/‘Stilfser’ cheese is sold either in whole wheels or in portions and is released for consumption bearing the designation of origin identification mark.

‘In order to limit processing waste, subject to compliance with the above weight and height requirements, ‘Stelvio’/‘Stilfser’ cheese may be produced in shapes other than cylindrical, but only where the product is intended for pre-packaging (slicing, cubing, grating).’

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

During any grazing in Alpine pastures, the cows are fed mainly on fresh grass, and when stabled, their basic diet, on which they feed freely, is composed of hay fodder and grass silage harvested in the defined area up to a maximum of 15 kg per head.

Fresh grass and local fodder, which are the portion of the diet associated with digestible fibre, have a major impact on the chemical, sensorial and organoleptic characteristics of the milk used in production and thus represent a substantial percentage (which does not fall below 50 %) of the dry matter in the diet.

In formulating the diet of the cows traditionally used to produce the milk, it is necessary, in a mountain area not suited to cereal and oilseed production, to use concentrates and feed from outside the defined area. It is necessary to supplement the diets in order to guarantee their nutritional and physiological value and also as a preventive measure against health issues.

Such feed allows quick nutrient intake, providing readily available energy and protein for the cows’ normal rumen functions. Since it has only a physiological role in support of those functions, it has virtually no impact on the organoleptic characteristics of the milk.

It is therefore permitted to use corn silage; dried fodder; barley, rye, triticale, wheat, oats and maize, in the form of the products themselves, by-products or, for the first five, straw. It is also possible to use oil seeds and products and by-products thereof as follows: soya (non-genetically modified), rape, linseed and sunflower including where decorticated or partially decorticated; dried beet pulp; brewer’s grains and dried apple residues; beet; potatoes; brewer’s yeast; molasses; locust beans; powdered dairy products; amino acids and noble proteins not derived from proteolysis; vegetable fats.

Feed sourced from outside the geographical area may not exceed 50 % of the dry matter in the diet on an annual basis.

‘Stelvio’/‘Stilfser’ cheese is produced using cow’s milk that is obtained in the defined geographical area from cows fed mainly on fodder harvested in that area and that has a protein content in excess of 3,10 %. The milk may be lightly skimmed to regulate the fat content to between 3,45 % and 3,80 %.

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

All the operations described in the product specification and in this document take place in the geographical area defined in Section 4 below, from rearing of the cows to milking, collecting and processing the milk, cheese-making and ripening.

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

Whole cheese wheels are portioned only after the designation of origin identification mark has been affixed. ‘Stelvio’/‘Stilfser’ cheese may also be packaged in portions outside the defined geographical area. ‘Stelvio’/‘Stilfser’ cheese in portioned form is released for consumption bearing the designation of origin identification mark, or with an adhesive label affixed to the packaging and/or with a pre-printed wrapping bearing the protected designation of origin.

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

‘Stelvio’/‘Stilfser’ cheese in whole wheels is released for consumption bearing the designation of origin identification mark – which is affixed only after it has ripened for sixty days – and the marking indicating the batch, production date and producer code. The product is released for consumption bearing the designation of origin identification mark. The designation of origin identification mark is made up of the words ‘Stilfser-Stelvio’ in red lettering.

4. Concise definition of the geographical area

The defined geographical area for ‘Stelvio’/‘Stilfser’ cheese, where all steps in rearing and milking the cows, collecting and processing the milk, and making and ripening the cheese take place, is composed of the following parts of the Autonomous Province of Bolzano: Val Venosta, Burgraviato, Salto-Sciliar, Val Pusteria, Val d’Isarco, municipality of Bolzano. This area incorporates the census and administrative territory of 84 municipalities.

5. Link with the geographical area

‘Stelvio’/‘Stilfser’ cheese, traditionally produced within the area defined in Section 4, has retained over time the specific characteristics shaped by the Alpine environment in the ‘Stelvio’/‘Stilfser’ mountain territory which is the main production area and thus gave the cheese its name. The homogeneous climate and soil conditions of the Alto Adige Alpine area influence the quality of the fodder that comprises the main element of the cows’ diet and thus the cheese produced in the area from their milk.

Some historical texts describe the Alpine pasture grasses (marbl and madaun) that were best suited to improving the quality of the milk produced. The specific environmental and climate conditions in the defined area are linked to the mountain context of this territory – which has always been characterised by livestock holdings (masi) located at an altitude of between 500 and 2 000 metres – and go hand in hand with the action of the native microflora during ripening. These exclusive, one-off environmental factors and the evolution over time of the production tradition help to give ‘Stelvio’/‘Stilfser’ protected designated of origin cheese specific characteristics that make it a unique, stand-alone product that is indelibly marked by its local traits.

Other than those indicated in Section 3.2, the product has certain particularly unique specific characteristics that can be summed up as follows:

— rind colour: ranging from yellow-orange to orange-brown,

— flavour: aromatic and marked, at times pungent,

— fat in dry matter: 50 % or more.

The natural ripening of the cheese has certain unique features that help to give the cheese an unmistakeable taste. These stem from the use of fresh grass when the cows are in mountain pasture; their diet when stabled that is mainly based on fodder and grass silage harvested in the defined area; the exclusive use of milk from these cows that is produced in the defined area, with its specific mountain and soil characteristics; and the characteristics of the specific Alpine grasses and the native microflora used during processing, which is made up of various aerobic bacteria strains. These factors play a decisive role both in giving the rind its colour and in contributing to the product’s unmistakeable flavour and aroma. Moreover, the overall diet of the cows contributes to the rather high fat to dry matter ratio.

The above factors, which can be traced as far back as the Late Middle Ages through various historical sources, became consolidated through custom and by traditional local institutions – in particular maso farms – and were eventually recorded in a document drawn up at the dairy in Stilf (Stelvio) in 1914 describing the product and its production process. All of this has given rise to significant economic activity throughout the geographic area. The product specification regulates this activity by imposing requirements on both cattle farmers and processors that must be documented by means of specific entries and records, identification systems for each individual operator in the area and the keeping of specific documentation concerning processing, production and granting of the right to use the designation.

Reference to publication of the product specification

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

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 (www.politicheagricole.it) and clicking on ‘Prodotti DOP IGP’ (at the top right of the screen), then on ‘Prodotti DOP IGP STG’ (on the left-hand side of the screen) and finally on ‘Disciplinari di Produzione all’esame dell’UE’.

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