Publication of the amended single document following the approval of a minor amendment pursuant to the second subparagraph of Article 53(2) of Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012

(2021/C 75/07)

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).

The application for approval of this minor amendment can be consulted in the Commission’s eAmbrosia database.

SINGLE DOCUMENT

‘JIHOČESKÁ NIVA’

EU No: PGI-CZ-0405-AM02 – 28.8.2020

PDO ( ) PGI (X)

1. Name(s)

‘Jihočeská Niva’

2. Member State or third country

Czech Republic

3. Description of the agricultural product or foodstuff

3.1. Type of product

Class 1.3. Cheeses

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

Outside appearance: The cheese is cylindrical, having a diameter of 180-200 mm and a height of approximately 10 cm (weight approximately 2,8 kg), with signs of surface treatment by washing or scraping; the bluish-green mould throughout the inside of the cheese and the smear covering part of its surface are not detrimental. The surface of the cheese may be cream to light brownish in colour.

Internal appearance: The inside of the cheese is off-white to cream in colour, with a regular green to bluish-green marbling of mould in the paste and recognisable pierce marks.

Consistency: mild, crumbly when spread, evenly ripened; the presence of foreign mould is not permitted.

Flavour and aroma: salty, pungent, aromatic, with a sharp finish, characteristic of cultured Penicillium roqueforti mould.

Form in which the product is marketed: the cheese is marketed whole, in halves or in portions of various weights.

Physico-chemical requirements:

Dry-matter content: 52 %.

Permissible negative divergence in dry-matter content: -1 %, positive divergences in dry-matter content are not detrimental.

Fat content in dry matter: 50 %. Permissible range of FCDM values: 50 % to < 55 %.

Salt content: from 2,5 % to 5,5 %

Microbiological characteristics:

The cheese contains cultured Penicillium roqueforti mould PY or PV, CB or PR1 (up to PR4). Other strains of Penicillium roqueforti mould produced by other producers, whose properties correspond to the strains listed here, may also be used. In addition, in terms of microbiological requirements, the cheese meets the usual criteria for food safety and production-process hygiene.

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

The basic raw material used in the production of this natural cheese with mould inside it is dairy-processed cow’s milk. Only milk from the defined area is used. Other raw materials are: Penicillium roqueforti mould PY or PV, CB or PR1 (up to PR4), (as well as other Penicilium roqueforti strains from other producers, whose properties correspond to the strains listed here), salt, dairy cultures, rennet and calcium chloride.

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

The basic raw material, i.e. milk, must come from the defined geographical area. The entire production, ripening and packaging process must take place in the defined area so that maximum use can be made of long-standing local experience and the original ripening cellars.

Dairy-processed milk with a fat content of 3,45 %, with a tolerance of +/-0,15 %, is fed into the cheese-making machine and commonly used starter cultures, which ensure good acidification throughout the production and ripening of the cheese, are added. The characteristic taste of ‘Jihočeská Niva’ is imparted by cultured Penicillium roqueforti mould, which has been used for several decades (the culture stock is commonly available for use in the food industry). After the rennet has been added and the milk has curdled, the resulting curd grains are packed into cylindrical moulds. The whey is drained off and the microflora culture developed at a defined temperature. The cheese is salted in two stages (first it is placed in a brine bath, then it is rubbed with coarse-grained salt), or by applying salt to the surface. In the past, ripening took place only in natural ripening cellars that were hollowed out of limestone rock. In 2005, owing to an increase in blue cheese production, air-conditioned ripening cellars equipped with temperature and humidity controls were built. The cheese is ripened in the cellars for around 4 weeks.

The surface of the ripened cheese is washed or scraped.

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

In view of the biotechnological nature of the product, blue cheese must be packed directly at the production facility. This is also necessary to maintain product quality and hygiene and to prevent the cheese from being confused with cheese that is made in a different area and, last but not least, to permit better traceability of the product.

The entire cylinder or part thereof is packed in aluminium foil or special oxygen-permeable film. A further part of the production is cut up into portions and packed in plastic tubs covered with printed plastic film.

The product packaging must be intact, clean and correctly labelled.

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

The designation ‘Jihočeská Niva’ is clearly marked on the product packaging.

4. Concise definition of the geographical area

The geographical area is the southern Bohemia region, whose borders are defined by Act No 36/1960 on the territorial division of the State, as amended.

5. Link with the geographical area

The southern Bohemia region is one of the Czech Republic’s least polluted areas. It has always been considered to be a predominantly agricultural area. This is still the case today.

The milk comes from southern Bohemia. The unique flora of the pastures, which are located in the Novohradské Hory [Nové Hrady Moutains], Blanský les [Blanský Forest] and Šumava [Bohemian Forest] protected areas, has a positive effect on the taste of the milk.

This varied, rugged terrain with unspoilt forests, meadows, pastures and clean water courses is characterised by a very clean environment, particularly around Český Krumlov and in the Šumava hills (declared a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve in 1990). Proof of the high value of southern Bohemia’s natural environment lies in the large number of officially designated protected areas, two of which have UNESCO-protected status.

They contain species-rich pastures, in particular mesophilic meadows, which are home to flora specific to this area. Short-stalked plants (mat-grass, fescues, etc.) with high varietal diversity are characteristic, alongside certain rare varieties typical of the area. One specific endemic plant is Phyteuma nigrum, and others include Gentiana pannonica, Gentiana cruciata, Ligusticum mutellina, Arnica montana, Gentianella praecox subsp. Bohemica, Carex michelii, Andropogon ischaemum, Veronica teucrium, Stachys recta, Koeleria pyramidata, etc.

Of course, local people’s experience in producing this cheese, handed down from generation to generation, has also had a major influence on the quality and properties of ‘Jihočeská Niva’.

These factors clearly distinguish the defined area from surrounding regions.

‘Jihočeská Niva’ cheese is characterised by very high-quality processing and by its taste, with a balanced dry-matter, fat and salt content; it has been made for several decades by the process referred to in (3.5). The basis for the product is milk from southern Bohemia.

‘Jihočeská Niva’ blue cheese has been produced at the Český Krumlov plant using the same production method since 1951. Numerous references in the press attest to the history of Niva cheese production. The cheese was named after the Šumava meadows and pastures that are the source of the main ingredient, i.e. cow’s milk. The unique local flora has a positive effect on the taste of the milk and hence also on the final product.

‘Jihočeská Niva’ blue cheese is very highly regarded on the Czech market both by the general public and by dairy-industry specialists. For many years ‘Jihočeská Niva’ has been judged by panels of experts at nationwide cheese shows to be amongst the very best in the ‘blue cheese’ category. ‘Jihočeská Niva’ is similarly highly rated by the general public.

The cheese’s popularity and reputation is also confirmed by the fact that it is presented as one of the characteristic products of the southern Bohemia region, which is made clear in the short publicity film (see annex – CD).

Reference to publication of the specification

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

https://isdv.upv.cz/doc/vestnik/2020/vestnik_UPV_202010.pdf#page=151

Official Journal No 10 of 4.3.2020, p. 151.

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