Publication of an application for registration of a name 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 58/11)

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 of the date of this publication.

SINGLE DOCUMENT

‘POMME DE TERRE DE NOIRMOUTIER’

EU No: PGI-FR-02434 – 11 September 2018

PDO ( ) PGI (X)

1. Name(s)

‘Pomme de terre de Noirmoutier’

2. Member State or third country

France

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

The ‘Pomme de terre de Noirmoutier’ is a fresh and delicate edible tuber harvested up to 31 August after a period of cultivation outdoors for a maximum of 130 days.

It is produced from varieties of Solanum tuberosum L. and hybrids thereof, included in a list of varieties selected by the group, in accordance with a procedure for introduction and exclusion. This procedure is intended to ensure that the authorised varieties comply with the following varietal selection criteria: good distribution among the sizes used, maximum dry matter content, rapid speed of tuber formation. After each amendment, this list is distributed to producers, the inspection body and the competent supervisory authorities.

The special characteristics of the ‘Pomme de terre de Noirmoutier’ are as follows:

— flesh that is predominantly yellow in colour,

— a thin skin which is quite easily detached before cooking (without peeling),

— tubers of a size of not less than 17 mm and not more than 70 mm, with a permitted difference in each package of not more than 25 mm,

— a maximum percentage of dry matter (≤ 22 %).

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 defined geographical area

The preparation and planting of the seedlings, the harvesting, sorting and grading of the product take place in the geographical area.

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

The potatoes must be dispatched not later than five working days after packaging. They are presented for sale to the consumer in units with a capacity of between 250 g and 5 kg. For loose retail sales or sale to restaurants, they are packed in packs weighing no more than 15 kg.

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

In addition to the compulsory information provided for by legislation on labelling and the presentation of foodstuffs, each pack of potatoes shows:

— the registered name of the product and the PGI symbol of the European Union in the same visual field,

— the name and address of the packing centre

— the acronym and address of the Vendée Qualité group.

4. Concise definition of the geographical area

The ‘Pomme de terre de Noirmoutier’ PGI geographical area includes the following municipalities in the Vendée department: Noirmoutier en l’Ile, l’Epine, La Guérinière and Barbâtre.

5. Link with the geographical area

The protected geographical indication ‘Pomme de terre de Noirmoutier’ is based mainly on its duly acquired special reputation and on the know-how of the producers, which, helped by a particular and favourable natural environment, made it possible for this product to become one of the best-known potatoes in France.

The island of Noirmoutier, with an area of 48 km2, has a low altitude and a predominantly flat terrain. The island rests on a granite and limestone base, on which alluvium has been deposited over time by the ocean currents. The soils used for cultivation on the island are essentially sandy to sandy-loamy, which drain easily and warm up rapidly.

The island benefits from an oceanic climate, which is mild and damp in winter, with frequent winds (west-south-westerly), significantly milder temperatures in winter and spring than in the neighbouring mainland and a relatively dry summer starting from May. The number of hours of sunshine is much higher (2 200 hours/year) than on the nearby mainland (+ 300 hours), especially in spring.

The first potato crops on the island of Noirmoutier date back to the end of the 18th century. As early as 1796, the island authorities asked the inhabitants to stop cultivating potatoes only in gardens but to do so in open fields in areas that have proved favourable to this production. According to the Historical Archives Service, the island was home to 300 ha of potatoes in 1860, with a specialisation in ‘early’ production.

Since 1875, the product’s reputation and scarcity led to growers from Noirmoutier to sell it in the markets of Saint-Nazaire, Nantes and England (1,500 tonnes in 1881), with deliveries certified already in May. The reputation was such that English companies set up on the island during the 1880s to produce potatoes.

The constant concern to maintain and improve the quality of the product gave rise to the famous Bonnotte de Noirmoutier variety in the 1920s, which would become a reference quality potato in 1938 (Jean Feytaud, La pomme de terre (The Potato), Que sais-je, 1949, p. 66).

In 1939, a farmers’ union was established against a backdrop of price conflicts between traders and producers. This union was a precursor to the potato producers’ cooperative of the island of Noirmoutier, which in 1950 accounted for an output of 4 000 tonnes of ‘early’ potatoes.

The thirty or so producers making up this cooperative, who are referred to locally as ‘Pataquous’, have small farms specialised in potatoes (almost twice as small as the national average). These small-scale producers pass on the experience gained, often from generation to generation, while improving their production techniques in an environment characterised by strong collective cohesion and mutual assistance.

This know-how is reflected, in particular, through early preparation of the soil in ridges, the installation of irrigation systems, the work of selecting varieties with flesh which is mostly yellow in colour suited to the island environment, and systematic pre-germination of planting stock. The work also includes the management and control of lifting from mid-March, as well as transport and preparation arrangements to preserve the freshness and fragility of the product before dispatch.

The ‘Pomme de terre de Noirmoutier’ has been celebrated each year for more than 20 years, starting at the end of April - beginning of May, and attracting several thousand people to each event. The agricultural cooperative has also created a ‘Pomme de terre de Noirmoutier’ fan club, which brings together consumers or authors of culinary blogs and many famous chefs from France and abroad.

‘Pommes de terre de Noirmoutier’ are harvested until the end of August after a short period of cultivation in the open. They are also among the first to be marketed in the early spring on the French market. They have a thin skin that is easily detached before cooking and a maximum dry matter content.

The reputation of the ‘Pomme de terre de Noirmoutier’ has been built over two centuries of history, making it attractive to both regional and foreign consumers. Its characteristics, such as the early first harvest, the short period of cultivation in the open, the fineness of the skin and its maximum dry matter content, are directly linked to the properties of the light, well-draining soils, which warm up quickly and thus assist the rapid development of the tubers. The temperatures and the sunshine that is significantly greater on the island than on the neighbouring mainland (particularly in spring) also contribute to this characteristic growing cycle.

The professional know-how and the collective management of the stages of production, such as pre-germination, preparation of the soil into ridges and the continuous varietal selection, have made it possible to establish a reputation for the production of potatoes on the island of Noirmoutier that has never abated. The island environment, with its collective and social cohesion, has been decisive in building that reputation.

The suitability of Noirmoutier potatoes for cooking (steaming, frying, etc.) have been recognised for many years by consumers and chefs. Thus, for example, in 1996, during an auction at the Hotel Drouot supervised by Pierre Cornette, notary at Saint-Cyr, the first lot of 5 kg of Noirmoutier potatoes reached 15 000 francs, making them more expensive than truffles!

These days, the average price of ‘Pomme de terre de Noirmoutier’ is generally 2 to 5 times higher than the average price for other potatoes marketed in the same period, whilst having a market share of less than 10% in volume terms.

The ‘Pomme de terre de Noirmoutier’, a real building block of the island’s heritage, and the essential activity of the island’s agricultural economy, contributes as much as tourism, fisheries and salt marshes to the life and identity of the island of Noirmoutier. Today, the reputation of ‘Pomme de terre de Noirmoutier’ is still intact and recent opinion surveys place Noirmoutier at the top of the French regions valued for their early potatoes.

Reference to publication of the specification

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

https://extranet.inao.gouv.fr/fichier/CDC-PDTNoirmoutier.pdf

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