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 172/07)

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

‘Akasztói szikiponty’

EU No: PDO-HU-02410 – 15.2.2018

PDO (X) PGI ()

1. Name(s)

‘Akasztói szikiponty’

2. Member State or Third Country

Hungary

3. Description of the agricultural product or foodstuff

3.1. Type of product

Class 1.7 Fresh fish, molluscs, and crustaceans and products derived therefrom

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

‘Akasztói szikiponty’ is a variety of the carp (Cyprinus carpio L.) type species reared exclusively from a classified Hungarian state-recognised variety and sold live, fresh, chilled or frozen when at least two and not more than five summers old.

When determining the age, a fish is considered to be as many summers as have passed from spring spawning to October of the given year.

‘Akasztói szikiponty’ has a light greyish golden-yellow colour, with an elongated body and bright orange fins.

Weight of fish (live weight):

— Two summers old: between 1,5 and 2 kg;

— Three summers old: between 2 and 3,5 kg;

— Four summers old: between 3,5 and 6 kg;

— When five summers old, it can reach between 6 and 8 kg.

‘Akasztói szikiponty’ has the quality characteristics below.

The flesh of the ‘Akasztói szikiponty’ has the following chemical characteristics: 25–30 % dry matter, 17–23 % protein, 5–12 % fat.

The flesh of the ‘Akasztói szikiponty’ has the following organoleptic characteristics:

— Colour: light pink to pale reddish

— Odour: clean, pleasant, slightly salty, reminiscent of clayey sand

— Flavour and consistency: clean-tasting fish flesh, flaky, meaty texture, firm, low in fat

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

The fish feed consists of natural feed and concentrated feed.

Natural fish feed comprises organisms living in the fish ponds located in the defined geographical area, accounting for between 40 % and 50 % of the total feed. Natural fish feed includes zooplanktons, wheel animalcules (rotifers), copepods, water fleas (Cladocera), worms (Tubifex), non-biting midges (Chironomidae) and other insect larvae found in the ponds. These organisms provide the protein intake of the fish.

Concentrated feed from the geographical area, such as maize, maize screenings, wheat, wheat screenings, triticale, rye, peas and sorghum, may be given to fish in ground and screened form, whether or not in a mixture. Concentrated feed accounts for between 50 % and 60 % of the total feed. Concentrated feed provides the energy required for the subsistence of the fish.

Juveniles may be given, only in the period from May to October following hatching (when one summer old), complete supplementary feed of natural origin and free of GMO, the amount of which may not exceed 30 % of the total feed. This special supplementary feed, given only when the fish are one summer old, is intended to meet their total protein requirement, where the amount of protein provided by natural organisms is insufficient for their age. The ingredients of this specific, complete, supplementary feed cannot be provided entirely from the geographical area, and therefore the feed comes from outside the geographical area.

Annual total feed from the geographical area:

— When the fish are one summer old: min. 70 %

— When the fish are two to five summers old: 100 %

Since the characteristics of ‘Akasztói szikiponty’ develop when the fish are two summers old, the feed they are given when they are one summer old does not affect the properties of the final product.

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

The entire production cycle for ‘Akasztói szikiponty’ takes place in the municipalities of Akasztó and Dunatetétlen.

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

—

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

The product’s colour logo must appear on the packaging and be at least 3 cm in diameter. The circular logo has a blue border. The upper part contains the name ‘Akasztói szikiponty’, the bottom part the applicant group’s internet address. The dominant element at the centre of the logo is a greyish golden-yellow-coloured fish motif, with the sun, water and reeds in the background. Right holders may use the logo of the product without restriction.

4. Concise definition of the geographical area

‘Akasztói szikiponty’ is produced in the municipalities of Akasztó and Dunatetétlen.

5. Link with the geographical area

The medium and large-sized ponds (0,1–45 ha) where ‘Akasztói szikiponty’ [saline carp from Akasztó] are bred, reared and farmed have circular embankments and are located on salt plains near the Kiskunság National Park in Kiskunság between the Danube and the Tisza. The total area of the ponds is close to 400 hectares (ha). The salt plains, which currently enjoy protected status, were formed mainly after the regulation of the Danube, which altered the flow of the groundwater. The extremely saline ground, which shines bright white in the summer from the precipitated salt, is what gives the protected areas their geological and geomorphological value.

The ponds were formed on these saline soils. In diluted form, the majority of saline trona ore is flushed out when the first pond-water is drained, but the fish preserves the slight smell of fresh salt.

In the saline ponds built for rearing the fish, the subsoil is made up of thin compacted clayey sand with a layer of fertile mud just a few centimetres thick. The average depth of the ponds is 70–80 cm. The annual amount of sunshine in the geographical area is over 2 000 hours averaged over fifty years, which means that the shallow ponds heat up fast, triggering biological production earlier than in deeper ponds.

The pure flavour of the flesh of ‘Akasztói szikiponty’ and its clean, pleasant, slightly salty odour reminiscent of clayey sand and the colour of its fins are attributable to the natural environment; while the texture and low fat content of the flesh are due to the human factor, that is, the know-how of the fish farmers. Combined, these elements give the product its unique character.

Fish in the shallow ponds have access to natural feed earlier, allowing them to regenerate earlier and develop more evenly than in deeper ponds. The vitamins, amino-acids and natural animal protein obtained from the organisms eaten by the fish (natural feed) are of critical importance for the development of ‘Akasztói szikiponty’.

The prevailing northern winds in the geographical area often stir up the water of the shallow ponds right to the bottom. Consequently, no thermal stratification can form and the supply of oxygen at the bottom of the ponds is also favourable for decomposers. This prevents the production of digester materials, and in turn, the flesh of ‘Akasztói szikiponty’ is free from unpleasant odours and substances detrimental to flavour. The odour of the flesh is reminiscent of the clayey sandy and has a slightly salty note resulting from the saline water.

It is also important to highlight the link between the colour of ‘Akasztói szikiponty’ and the pond beds, as the fish are completely adapted to the colour of the pond bed. The characteristic greyish golden-yellow colour and orange fins of ‘Akasztói szikiponty’ evolved to match the light-coloured clayey-sandy pond bed.

However, the quality of ‘Akasztói szikiponty’ is due not only to the exceptional properties of the natural environment, but also to the local fish-rearing traditions and techniques.

In the early 2000s, through the existing local expertise and accumulated years of experience, the technology was perfected for exploiting the special conditions in the ponds built in the local saline areas to produce fish with low-fat, lean flesh. In accordance with the technology, the weight of the fish and the temperature of the water are used to determine how much concentrated feed needs to be given to the fish as a percentage of body weight in order to keep the flesh low in fat and lean. The fish are provided with ample natural feed through a permanent supply of organic fertiliser in every farming pond.

Producing a kilogram of ‘Akasztói szikiponty’ flesh requires two kilograms of concentrated feed, whereas the literature prescribes four to five kilograms for regular farmed carp. In the ponds located in the geographical area, concentrated feed is depleted fast (in four to six hours) and as a result, the fish’s stomach expands. In the space of the 18 hours before the next feeding, they must find their own natural feed in the pond. This, however, requires a lot of swimming. Intensive movement makes ‘Akasztói szikiponty’ muscular and prevents the growth of any layer of fat. The high-starch concentrated feed gives the fish the energy they need to move, and the natural feed provides the protein needed for the production of the fish flesh. As a result of intensive continuous movement and concentrated feeding based on metabolic energy needs, ‘Akasztói szikiponty’ becomes muscular and accordingly its flesh will have a very low fat content (5–12 %) with a flaky, meaty texture.

The unique quality of ‘Akasztói szikiponty’ is also due to the fact that the targets for population size generally accepted in the literature were significantly reduced. Adapted to local geographical conditions, they were reworked for production purposes on the basis of the natural yield. The fish’s main source of protein is the natural feed found in the ponds. Maintaining this is the principal task during the production cycle, since it accounts for the protein content of the flesh and for optimum fish growth, one of the pillars of its clean taste and appetising flavour. On the basis of the results of the weekly plankton checks and the fortnightly test catches, local experts adjust the parameters of the production technology, provide additional nutrients, thin out the number of fish or adapt the feed dosage in order to consistently maintain fish flesh with a low fat content of 5–12 %.

‘Akasztói szikiponty’ are farmed under near-natural conditions, as research shows that the principal characteristic of the flesh, namely the fat content, is very similar to that of wild carp living in natural bodies of water. The fat content of carp living in natural conditions is in the region of 5–10 % and can be as much as 15–20 % in fish reared in other areas.

The unique characteristics of ‘Akasztói szikiponty’ are due to the properties of the production location, the feed given on the basis of metabolic energy requirements and the unique production technology, setting the fish apart from carp reared in other areas.

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.