EN Official Journal of the European Union C 374/7

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

(2016/C 374/07)

This publication confers the right to oppose the application pursuant to Article 51 of Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012 of the European Parliament and of the Council (1).

SINGLE DOCUMENT

‘LUCQUES DU LANGUEDOC’

EU No: FR-PDO-0005-01375 – 24.9.2015

PDO ( X ) PGI ( )

1. Title

‘Lucques du Languedoc’

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 the product to which the name in 1 applies

The ‘Lucques du Languedoc’ olive is a whole green olive that is neither damaged nor crushed. It is debittered using an alkaline solution and marketed in chilled or pasteurised brine.

The fruit and the pit have specific visual characteristics: the fruit has a green colour and an asymmetrical, crescent-like shape. The flesh is light-coloured. The pit is shaped like a moon crescent.

The skin is thin and unwrinkled. It may be slightly uneven.

The taste of ‘Lucques du Languedoc’ is characterised by:

— a special texture: on the basis of the sensory analysis method of the International Olive Council, the firmness is ≥ 2,5, the fibrosity ≤ 3,5 and the crunchiness ≥ 2 on a 10-point scale,

— there is slight or no bitterness or sourness,

— light aromas of avocado or buttered avocado and sometimes even fresh hazelnut or cut hay,

— average saltiness.

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

The olives come exclusively from the Lucques variety.

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

The production, harvesting and processing of the olives must take place in the geographical area.

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

If pasteurisation is carried out, it must take place in the geographical area.

‘Lucques du Languedoc’ is a fragile product that must be handled with care: it must therefore be placed in brine and then, if applicable, pasteurised as close as possible to the place of harvest. The obligation to carry out the pasteurisation in the geographical area is based on the operators' knowledge of the product's organoleptic characteristics and their fragility. Thanks to the skills of the operators in the sector, the characteristics of the product are preserved, including after pasteurisation. Furthermore, when the pasteurisation is carried out in the geographical area, it is possible to perform the product checks rapidly and consequently limit the impact of pasteurisation on the quality of the product.

The sizes authorised may not exceed 37 fruits per 100 grams.

Batches must be of uniform size and colour.

Olives with the defects listed below may not exceed 3 % of the olives used:

— wrinkled fruit,

— skin abnormality that does not affect the flesh,

— damage caused by the olive fruit fly,

— skin abnormalities caused by hail,

— the presence of stems,

— olives turning colour.

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

—

4. Concise definition of the geographical area

The geographical area of ‘Lucques du Languedoc’ stretches over western Aude and the eastern part of Hérault. It is composed of the municipalities of the following cantons (Official Geographic Code of the Insee of 1 January 2015):

The department of Aube:

Coursan, Narbonne-1, Narbonne-2, Narbonne-3, Sallèles-d'Aude and Fabrezan (the municipalities of Luc-sur-Orbieu and Saint-André-de-Roquelongue); Lézignan-Corbières (the municipalities of Argens-Minervois, Cruscades, Homps, Ornaisons and Tourouzelle); Rieux-Minervois (except for the municipalities of Cabrespine, Castans, Citou, Lespinassière, Limousis and Trassanel); Sigean (the municipalities of La Palme, Peyriac-de-Mer, Portel-des-Corbières, Roquefort-des-Corbières and Sigean); Trèbes (the municipalities of Badens, Blomac, Bouilhonnac, Floure, Marseillette and Trèbes); Villemoustaussou (the municipality of Malves-en-Minervois and Aniane).

The department of Hérault:

Agde, Béziers-2, Béziers-3, Cazouls-lès-Béziers, Frontignan, Lattes, Mèze, Montpellier-1, Montpellier-2, Montpellier-3, Montpellier-4, Montpellier-5, Montpellier - Castelnau-le-Lez, Pézenas, Pignan and Béziers-1 (except for the municipality of Valras-Plage); Clermont-l'Hérault (the municipalities of Aspiran, Bédarieux, Bousquet-d'Orb, Brignac, Canet, Ceyras, Clermont-l'Hérault, Lacoste, Liausson, Mérifons, Mourèze, Nébian, Octon, Paulhan, Saint-Félix-de-Lodez, Salasc, La Tour-sur-Orb, Valmascle, Villemagne-l'Argentière and Villeneuvette); Le Crès (the municipalities of Le Crès and Vendargues); Gignac (except for the municipalities of Argelliers and La Boissière); Lodève (the municipalities of Le Bosc, Brissac, Causse-de-la-Selle, Celles, Fozières, Lauroux, Lavalette, Lodève, Olmet-et-Villecun, Pégairolles-de-Buèges, Pégairolles-de-l'Escalette, Poujols, Le Puech, Saint-André-de-Buèges, Saint-Étienne-de-Gourgas, Saint-Jean-de-Buèges, Saint-Jean-de-la-Blaquière, Saint-Privat, Soubès, Soumont and Usclas-du-Bosc); Lunel (the municipalities of Saint-Just and Saint-Nazaire-de-Pézan); Mauguio (except for the municipalities of La Grande-Motte, Palavas-les-Flots and Valergues); Saint-Gély-du-Fesc (the municipalities of Combaillaux, Murles, Prades-le-Lez, Saint-Clément-de-Rivière, Saint-Gély-du-Fesc, Teyran, Le Triadou and Vailhauquès); Saint-Pons-de-Thomières (except for the municipalities of Boisset, Cambon-et-Salvergues, Cassagnoles, Castanet-le-Haut, Colombières-sur-Orb, Courniou, Ferrals-les-Montagnes, Ferrières-Poussarou, Fraisse-sur-Agout, Mons, Olargues, Pardailhan, Prémian, Rieussec, Riols, Rosis, Saint-Étienne-d'Albagnan, Saint-Julien, Saint-Martin-de-l'Arçon, Saint-Pons-de-Thomières, Saint-Vincent-d'Olargues, Salvetat-sur-Agout, Le Soulié, Vélieux and Verreries-de-Moussans).

5. Link with the geographical area

Specificity of the geographical area

Natural factors:

The specific characteristics of the geographical area of ‘Lucques du Languedoc’, which is open to the sea in the south-east and bordered by mountains in the north, are based on:

— a moderate altitude and specific soils: this area, an ‘amphitheatre’ that is formed by a row of hills and opens on the Mediterranean, consists mainly of limestone, with terrain that is permeable and not very hydromorphic, which suits ‘Lucques du Languedoc’ well. ‘Lucques du Languedoc’ is grown at altitudes not exceeding 400 metres, usually on the south side of a moderate slope with plenty of sunshine, or possibly on the north side if the soil is very favourable to the olive tree, or even on well-exposed terraces in old groves.

— a Mediterranean climate: the low number of rainy days corresponds to a large amount of sunshine ranging from 2 500 to 2 900 hours of sunshine a year. The combination of these two factors, together with the presence of two winds, the Mistral, which blows from the north-east, and the Tramontane, which blows from the north-west, constitute climatic conditions that favour the pollination of the Lucques variety in the spring. It is one of the earliest-flowering varieties, and its pollination takes place during May, almost 15 days earlier than for other varieties.

Human factors:

The geographical origin of ‘Lucques du Languedoc’ is located at the outlet of the Hérault gorges. This is the historical birthplace of the Lucques variety and the canning of green olives in Languedoc.

The Lucques variety is more demanding than the other local varieties in terms of temperature (the variety does not resist cold well), wind, pollination (the tree is not self-fertile and requires external pollination).

Despite these particular cultivation conditions, the quality of the products, the commitment of the farmers to this tree and its fruit and, later, the remuneration paid for exported olives were sufficient to develop the local cultivation of the variety, although it was not possible to extend it to other regions of France.

‘Lucques du Languedoc’, which is traditionally picked when it is green, because green olives are easier to preserve than black ones, has a very fine skin that requires careful handling both during harvesting (manual) and processing (lengthy immersion in soda, shocks must be avoided when rinsing the olives and placing them in brine, using the method of reduced lactic fermentation). These highly perfected skills have been acquired over time by the canners of Languedoc and give this olive its unique character.

Specificity of the product

The ‘Lucques du Languedoc’ olive is a whole green table olive. Each olive batch is calibrated and homogeneous in size and colour.

The taste of ‘Lucques du Languedoc’ is characterised by a special texture: the olive is firm but not crunchy. It is not very fibrous. It is characterised by light aromas of avocado or buttered avocado and sometimes even fresh hazelnut or cut hay, with average saltiness.

Furthermore, ‘Lucques du Languedoc’ distinguishes itself from other olives in that it has an asymmetrical shape and its pit is shaped like a moon crescent.

Causal link between the geographical area and the quality or characteristics of the product

In its geographical area, which features particular natural characteristics, ‘Lucques du Languedoc’ has benefited for centuries from ideal conditions that have naturally turned this product into a speciality of Languedoc.

In order for it to thrive, ‘Lucques du Languedoc’ needs specific climatic conditions, such as the Mistral and the Tramonte, which together allow the olive tree to cope successfully with the delicate and extremely short period of pollination (wind pollination lasting 2-3 days). Therefore this variety is particularly well suited to the climatic conditions of the geographical area.

These specific natural conditions, coupled with the know-how of the olive growers, confer on ‘Lucques du Languedoc’ its qualities: by trimming the trees regularly it is possible to harvest fruits of a suitable size for canning. Besides, manually harvesting the Lucques when green helps preserve the integrity of this olive, which has a fine and fragile skin. Finally, the olives are debittered with an alkaline solution according to the method of reduced lactic fermentation, with the density of the solution and the immersion time varying according to the olives used. Similarly, when placing the olives in brine, close attention must be paid to the salt concentration in order to preserve the characteristic taste of ‘Lucques du Languedoc’.

This manner of processing the olives, which has become professionalised over the years, makes it possible to obtain olives with the characteristic texture and flavours.

Reference to publication of the specification

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

https://info.agriculture.gouv.fr/gedei/site/bo-agri/document_administratif-6b536fcc-24f9-46c4-ac48-f03ca2b93099/telechargement

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