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 319/07)

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) within three months from the date of this publication.

SINGLE DOCUMENT

‘ÚJFEHÉRTÓI MEGGY’

EU No: PGI-HU-02411 – 15.2.2018

PDO ( ) PGI (X)

1. Name(s)

‘Újfehértói meggy’

2. Member State or Third Country

Hungary

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 fruits for fresh consumption or processing of the following varieties of the species Prunus cerasus L. selected at the Újfehértó research station may be used to produce the protected geographical indication ‘Újfehértói meggy’: Újfehértói fürtös, Kántorjánosi 3, Debreceni bőtermő, Éva and Petri.

The PGI ‘Újfehértói meggy’ has the following quality characteristics:

— skin: always shiny, with a dark-red to claret colour;

— flesh: firm, a medium teinturier, except the Debreceni bőtermő variety;

— taste: bitter-free, harmoniously sweet and acidic; the Kántorjánosi 3 and Éva varieties are slightly more acidic;

— sugar content: at least 14 ° Brix;

— sugar/acidity ratio: 8-20;

— total acidity: 0,6-1,5 %;

— minimum diameter of the fruit: 19 mm.

The fruit for fresh consumption is picked when it is 80-90 % ripe. The fruit for processing is picked when it is fully ripe, i.e. when the entire fruit inside the crown detaches easily from the stem.

When sold for fresh consumption, the fruit has the following characteristics: it is intact and free from any damage; it is stalked; it is clean and visibly free from extraneous matter; and it is healthy and free from rot, pests or pesticides. When sold for processing, the fruit-stalk does not have to be present.

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

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

All steps in the production of ‘Újfehértói meggy’ must take place in the geographical area defined in point 4.

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

The product’s packaging is made from wood, cardboard, plastic or breathable polymeric film of a weight ranging from 250 g to 10 kg. It can be sold in bulk for industrial processing or directly to consumers. The packaging ensures that the fruit retains its properties and remains intact.

The product may be kept in cold storage provided that the temperature does not fall below 2 °C and the relative humidity does not exceed 80 %; in order to conserve the freshness of ‘Újfehértói meggy’, the fruit may be kept in cold storage for a maximum of three weeks.

The packaging of ‘Újfehértói meggy’ must take place in the geographical area defined in point 4 for the fruit to retain its freshness and remain intact and to prevent any deterioration in quality, since repeated handling and transport may damage the skin, causing the fruit to rot and rendering it unfit for sale.

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

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4. Concise definition of the geographical area

The geographical indication can be used only for sour cherries originating from and grown in the administrative area of the following municipalities of Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg County:

Érpatak, Geszteréd, Kálmánháza, Nagykálló, Nyíregyháza-Bálinbokor, Nyíregyháza-Butyka, Nyíregyháza-Császárszállás, Nyíregyháza-Lászlótanya, Nyíregyháza-Újsortanya and Újfehértó.

5. Link with the geographical area

The link between ‘Újfehértói meggy’ and the geographical area is based on quality, the key elements of which are shown below.

Natural factors

The geographical area is situated in the middle of the Nyírség region, in Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg County. The sour cherry is grown in this region of isolated, 20-50 m-high hills rising above the Tisza River floodplain.

Annual precipitation in the middle of the Nyírség region is 570-590 mm, but in certain areas it may vary between 550 and 600 mm. The amount of precipitation during the growing season is around 420 mm, 65-78 mm of which falls in June, which is favourable for growing ‘Újfehértói meggy’. The average annual temperature is 9,3-9,9 °C. The last frosty days are around the middle of April. The warmest month is July with 20,2-20,7 oC, which is 1-2 oC lower than in other areas of the Great Plain. Summer heat is less intense in the geographical area than in other parts of the Great Plain, as the nights cool down significantly here, even in summer. Spring starts later than in the surrounding regions, so sour cherry blossom is usually spared spring frost. The geographical area typically sees a wide fluctuation between daytime and night-time temperatures during the vegetation period for ‘Újfehértói meggy’. The very warm weather starts in this area after mid-July, but by this time the sour cherries have already been harvested. Annual sunshine is between 1 950 and 2 030 hours, 760-800 of which are during the summer period.

The Nyírség sees annual precipitation of 550-600 mm. The vegetation period for ‘Újfehértói meggy’ is wetter, with rainfall peaking in late spring and early summer.

The main soil type in the designated geographical area is sandy soil with humus on sand-forming rocks. This type of soil is characterised by a humus content of over 1 % and a topsoil of around 40 cm. It has good water retention capacity and permeability, it is airy and does not dry easily, and its nutrient capacity is sufficient to achieve a good yield. Increasing the soil’s nitrogen reserves can increase yields substantially. In addition to the aforementioned type of soil, larger or smaller patches of red-brown forest soils are also found, with humus content varying between 1 and 1,5 %. The water management properties of the soil are favourable, as moderate water permeability combines with good water retention capacity. Its airiness and nutrient management properties are further positive factors. A comparison of the production requirements of ‘Újfehértói meggy’ with the characteristics of the designated geographical area demonstrates a happy coincidence between them, and it is not mere chance that sour cherry production was started here in the second half of the 17th century and that the Újfehértó ‘fürtös’ sour cherry variety originated here, or that most of the sour cherry crop of Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg County originates from here.

Human factors

Local selective breeding:

The high-yield types of sour cherry known locally as ‘Fehértói csüngős Pándy’ or ‘Fehértói fürtös Pándy’ had become widespread in and around Újfehértó by the first half of the 20th century. During local selective breeding, which began at the Újfehértó research station in the 1960s under the guidance of Dr Ferenc Pethő, the clones of self-fertile, high-quality and high-yield fruits detaching easily from the stem were gathered in and around Újfehértó. The sour cherry clone with the most favourable properties, tested using the P2 test mark, was singled out, and was classified as a variety granted preliminary state recognition under the name ‘Újfehértói fürtös’ in 1970. Local selective breeding was extended to surrounding municipalities of the region. The variants gathered here were also tested in Újfehértó, and the best varieties were also granted state recognition (Debreceni bőtermő, Kántorjánosi 3, Petri, Éva).

Specific cultivation culture:

The ‘Újfehértói meggy’ varieties grow hanging crowns and are prone to balding, so they need regular pruning each year. To ensure uniform exposure of the crown to light, every effort is made to maintain a conical or cone-like shape when pruning.

During debudding for shaping the crown, any vertical – or if there is no stump, downward, hanging – buds are removed, leaving a 1-2 cm stump on the offshoots from the central axis. After debudding, the remaining buds of the side branches have a fishbone-like structure. A similar pruning method is used for fruit-bearing trees. The conical shape is also used on mechanically harvested, open crowns for side branches.

Specific characteristics

‘Újfehértói meggy’ is bitter-free, with a claret or dark-red skin colour, a teinturier (except the Debreceni bőtermő variety), and a taste that is pleasantly sweet and acidic (for the fruits of the Újfehértói fürtős, Debreceni bőtermő and Petri varieties) or slightly acidic (for the fruits of the Kántorjánosi 3 and Éva varieties).

These specific characteristics are derived from the climate and soil conditions of the geographical area and the human knowledge (variety selection and specific cultivation culture) linked to Újfehértó.

Link with the geographical area

The geographical area enjoys a relatively high amount of sunshine (950-1 030 hours), which helps give ‘Újfehértói meggy’ its distinctive claret or dark-red colour.

There is a linear regression relationship between the wide fluctuation in daytime and night-time temperatures and the fruit’s sugar content. Because of the considerable difference between daytime and night-time temperatures in the geographical area during the vegetation period, ‘Újfehértói meggy’ has a high sugar content (at least 14 ° Brix), which gives it its pleasantly sweet and acidic or slightly acidic taste.

Under the combined effect of heavier rainfall in the geographical area during the vegetation period and the good water retention capacity of its medium-dense humic sandy soil, the fruit has a low acid content (total acidity of 0,6-1,5 %), which also helps give ‘Újfehértói meggy’ its characteristic, pleasantly sweet and acidic or slightly acidic taste.

The specific cultivation method for pruning ‘Újfehértói meggy’ to a conical crown shape ensures the fruit is well exposed to light during ripening, which also contributes to the formation of the fruit’s claret or dark-red colour and sweet and acidic or slightly acidic flavour.

The variety first selected by the Újfehértó research station was ‘Újfehértói fürtös’, the fruit of which became known as ‘Újfehértói’ both at home and abroad. The other variants selected (Debreceni bőtermő, Petri, Kántorjánosi 3 and Éva) are also linked to the Újfehértó area, so their fruits have also become known under the collective name ‘Újfehértói meggy’.

A festival showcasing ‘Újfehértói meggy’ has been held in Újfehértó every year since 2008. Sour cherry-based cakes, strudels and other dishes are prepared from ‘Újfehértói meggy’ at the festival’s baking and cooking competitions.

Reference to publication of the product specification

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

https://gi.kormany.hu/foldrajzi-arujelzok

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