EN Official Journal of the European Union C 70/31

Publication of an amendment application pursuant to Article 6(2) of Council Regulation (EC) No 510/2006 on the protection of geographical indications and designations of origin for agricultural products and foodstuffs

2010/C 70/09

This publication confers the right to object to the amendment application pursuant to Article 7 of Council Regulation (EC) No 510/2006 (1). Statements of objection must reach the Commission within six months of the date of this publication.

AMENDMENT APPLICATION

COUNCIL REGULATION (EC) No 510/2006

Amendment application according to Article 9

‘AGNELLO DI SARDEGNA’

EC No: IT-PGI-0105-0097-08.04.2008

PGI ( X ) PDO ( )

1. Heading in the product specification affected by the amendment:

—  Name of product — Description of product —  Geographical area — Proof of origin — Method of production —  Link — Labelling —  National requirements — Other — New details for the Inspection Body

2. Type of amendment(s):

— Amendment to Single Document or Summary Sheet —  Amendment to Specification of registered PDO or PGI for which neither the Single Document nor Summary has been published —  Amendment to Specification that requires no amendment to the published Single Document (Article 9(3) of Regulation (EC) No 510/2006) —  Temporary amendment to Specification resulting from imposition of obligatory sanitary or phytosanitary measures by public authorities (Article 9(4) of Regulation (EC) No 510/2006)

3. Amendment(s):

3.1. Description of product:

— The table in Article 4 of the current Specification giving the physico-chemical properties of ‘Agnello di Sardegna’ meat is deleted and three significant criteria are specified. According to a study carried out by the University of Sassari, the properties given in the current table can, in fact, also be found in other types of meat (for example, pigmeat and beef and veal) and so are not characteristic of ‘Agnello di Sardegna’ PGI, whereas the criteria specified in the new text refer to characteristics that are specific to ‘Agnello di Sardegna’. The purpose of the amendment is to provide for the possibility of checking the quality of the meat by measuring its pH values and to avoid unnecessary analyses of properties of the meat that are, in fact, not characteristic, while maintaining two properties indicative of product quality, i.e. proteins and fats.

3.2. Method of production:

— In the second paragraph of Article 3 of the current Specification, on animal housing, the word ‘are’ is replaced by the words ‘may be’ to make it clear that the animals are not necessarily housed inside at night during the winter. Mild winters in which animals do not need to be housed at night are not infrequent in Sardinia.

— In the fifth paragraph of Article 3, the provisions on the system for identifying the animals has been amended to include, in addition to the manual method provided for in the current Specification, optical and electronic methods so as to allow for the range of methods for identifying livestock provided for in Community and national rules. Council Regulation (EC) No 21/2004 of 17 December 2003, incorporated into Italian law in 2005, lays down more specific and stricter rules on the identification and registration of ovine and caprine animals and amends Directive 92/102/EEC.

— In point (a) of Article 3, a minimum weight (of 5 kg) is inserted for suckling ‘Agnello di Sardegna’, not provided for in the current Specification, which only stipulates a maximum weight. This is necessary to prevent the slaughter of animals that are too young and not perfectly formed and whose meat does not have the properties laid down in the Specification. The minimum weight of 5 kg guarantees that the lambs have reached an age (around 30 days) and therefore a degree of physical development that allows the product to meet the requirements as regards musculature, fat and colour for the ‘Agnello di Sardegna’ PGI.

— Also in Article 3, the carcass weight (cold, skinned, presented with head and pluck) of all types of lamb, i.e. suckling and light lambs and lambs for cutting, is indicated whereas it is not in the current Specification.

— Again in the first paragraphs of points (a), (b) and (c) of Article 3, the word ‘purebred’ is deleted. The interpretation currently given to that ‘definition’ is that laid down in Law No 280 of 3 August 1999, which defines a pure-bred breeding animal of the ovine species as ‘an animal entered in a flock book or eligible to be entered in a flock book whose parents or grandparents are entered in a flock book of the same breed’. However, this is not attainable, since it is at variance with the reality of the Sardinian production system: the Sardinian sheep population of over three million is made up exclusively of animals of the Sarda breed. However, in Sardinia, as in the rest of Italy, only a tiny percentage of sheep are entered in flock books (between 3 and 5 % for the largest breeds), since the purpose of entering animals in a flock book is to ensure the genetic improvement of the breed. Consequently, normally only animals intended for reproduction are entered in the flock book and those intended for slaughter, such as sheep of the Sarda breed, are not.

— Finally, in points (b) and (c) of Article 3 where the feed is specified, the words ‘mother’s milk supplemented with’ are inserted to make clear the role of mother’s milk in the lamb’s diet. From the current version of the Specification it appears that ‘light’ lambs (7-10 kg) and lambs for cutting (10-13 kg) are not fed on mother’s milk but exclusively on fresh and/or dried natural feed. However, it is obvious that the lambs are fed mainly on mother’s milk during the first phase (30-35 days) while during the second phase this is complemented with natural feed and fresh or dried fodder and cereals, initially only occasionally as a supplement and then in greater quantities. Therefore, the words ‘mother’s milk supplemented with’ are inserted to make this clear and avoid any other interpretation.

3.3. Labelling:

— In paragraph 3 of points (a) and (b) of Article 6, the words ‘whole or sliced’ are inserted to clarify how the meat is to be cut.

— Also in Article 6, two new cuts are inserted: ‘shoulder, haunch, loin’ and ‘assorted pack’, which are traditionally the most typical cuts in Sardinia and are added to the more industrial cuts already provided for in the Specification. Certain types of cut (such as shoulder, haunch and loin) are very characteristic of a lamb that consumers see almost by excellence as a ‘small lamb’, completely different from the considerably heavier slaughter lambs customary on other markets.

— In Article 8, the logo previously given in an annex is inserted along with a detailed description of it.

Since the logo has been inserted, the word ‘any’ in the third paragraph of Article 8 is replaced by the word ‘the’.

3.4. Proof of origin:

— Since the Specification contained no information regarding proof of origin, it has been decided to insert a new Article 9 on this.

— Finally, the references to the legislation are updated, amending Article 7 on checks by adding a reference to Regulation (EC) No 510/2006.

The same amendment is made in the first paragraph of Article 4.

SINGLE DOCUMENT

COUNCIL REGULATION (EC) No 510/2006

‘AGNELLO DI SARDEGNA’

EC No: IT-PGI-0105-0097-08.04.2008

PGI ( X ) PDO ( )

1. Name:

‘Agnello di Sardegna’

2. Member State or third country:

Italy

3. Description of the agricultural product or foodstuff:

3.1. Type of product (Annex III):

Class 1.1. Fresh meat (and offal)

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

On release for consumption, ‘Agnello di Sardegna’ PGI has the following appearance: white, fine-textured and firm meat that is tender when cooked and slightly veined with fat. The carcass does not have excessive muscle mass and has the right balance between bone and muscle.

Organoleptic analysis must reveal properties such as tenderness, succulence, a delicate aroma and the presence of odours typical of young, fresh meat.

The meat must also have the following physico-chemical properties:

pH greater than 6 Proteins (on a wet basis) between 13 and 20 % Ether extract (on a wet basis) less than 3 %

‘Agnello di Sardegna’ PGI meat is from lambs born and reared in Sardinia, obtained from sheep of the Sarda breed or first generation crosses with the Ile De France and Berrichon Du Cher meat breeds or other highly specialised and well-tested meat breeds.

3.3. Raw materials (for processed products only):

—

3.4. Feed (for products of animal origin only):

Suckling lambs (5-7 kg) must be fed exclusively with their mother’s milk (suckled) and light lambs (7-10 kg) and lambs for cutting (10-13 kg) with mother’s milk complemented with fresh or dried natural feed (fodder and cereals) and wild plants characteristic of the island of Sardinia.

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

The ‘Agnello di Sardegna’ Protected Geographical Indication is reserved exclusively for lambs born, reared and slaughtered in Sardinia.

3.6. Specific rules concerning slicing, grating, packaging, etc.:

Cuts of ‘Agnello di Sardegna’ must be prepared and packed in the region.

No special form of packaging is proposed for the sale of whole lamb carcasses, in principle in the production area, and they may be marketed in accordance with health and hygiene rules, using suitable refrigerated transport.

‘Agnello di Sardegna’ PGI may be released for consumption as a whole carcass or in the following cuts:

(a) Suckling Agnello di Sardegna (5-7 kg): 1. whole; 2. half-carcass (obtained by sagittal sectioning); 3. forequarters and hindquarters (whole or sliced); 4. head and pluck; 5. shoulder, haunch, loin; (whole anatomical parts or sliced) 6. assorted pack (assortment of the anatomical parts described above).

(b) Light Agnello di Sardegna (7-10 kg) and Agnello di Sardegna for cutting (10-13 kg): 1. whole; 2. half-carcass (obtained by sagittal sectioning); 3. forequarters and hindquarters (whole or sliced); 4. head and pluck; 5. leg double: comprising the two whole haunches including the saddle (left and right); 6. English saddle: comprising the upper dorsal part with the final two ribs and the belly flaps; 7. loin: comprising the upper fore dorsal part; 8. rump: comprising the two filets; 9. short-forequarters: comprising the shoulders, the scrag and neck and upper chops of the forepart; 10. outer shoulder pair: comprising the two shoulders attached to the neck; 11. leg chump-on: including the leg, haunch, ilium and sacrum and the hind parts of the loins; 12. leg chump-off: including the hind parts of the region of the ilium and sacrum and the hind parts of the loins; Other cuts: 13. saddle; comprising the ilium and sacrum, either with or without the final lumbar vertebra; 14. fillet: comprising the lumbar region; 15. rack: upper dorsal part including the first and second ribs; 16. uncovered loin: fore parts comprising the first five dorsal vertebrae; 17. shoulder: whole; 18. neck: comprising the neck area; 19. upper chops: comprising the lower thoracic area; 20. shoulder, haunch, loin: (whole anatomical parts or sliced) 21. assorted pack (assortment of the anatomical parts described above).

3.7. Specific rules on labelling:

Agnello di Sardegna PGI must be marketed whole and/or in portions and the packages of the whole or cut carcasses bearing the PGI or the labels affixed thereto must bear the information laid down in the relevant rules in clear and indelible lettering.

In particular, vacuum packs and other forms of packaging allowed by law must bear details of:

(a) ‘Agnello di Sardegna’ PGI, together with the logo;

(b) the type of meat;

(c) the cut.

The logo, consisting of a stylised lamb, shows a head and hoof. The outline is in the shape of Sardinia. The typeface used for the words ‘Agnello di Sardegna’ is Block.

The outline of the mark and of the lamb is in Pantone 350 (cyan 63 %, yellow 90 % and black 63 %); the background of the mark is in Pantone 5763 (cyan 14 %, yellow 54 % and black 50 %).

It is prohibited to add to the protected geographical indication any other description, including the adjectives fine (fine), scelto (choice), selezionato (selected), superiore (superior) or genuino (genuine).

However, additional authentic place names may be used, such as historical/geographical names or the names of municipalities, undertakings, holdings and estates. with reference to the rearing, slaughtering and packing of the product, provided these are not of a laudatory nature and are not likely to mislead the consumer. Such wordings on the label must be in characters a third of the size of those used for the abbreviation PGI.

4. Concise definition of the geographical area:

Agnello di Sardegna is reared throughout the Region of Sardinia.

5. Link with the geographical area:

5.1. Specificity of the geographical area:

The island of Sardinia enjoys an essentially Mediterranean climate with mild, relatively wet winters and dry, hot summers.

The influence of the sea is felt almost everywhere on the island and produces fairly mild average temperatures, with an annual average ranging from 14 to 18 °C. Rainfall is concentrated in November and December, July and August see almost none and in the rest of the year it is very erratic. Overall, rainfall is not scant (average of 500-800 mm/year).

One of the most striking features of the Sardinian climate is the wind: the maestrale, a cold north-west wind, which blows with great violence, mainly in winter but also from time to time in other seasons. At the end of autumn temperate, moist winds from the Atlantic predominate, while in early spring hot, dry winds blow from Africa (i.e. from the south).

Partly because of its sparse population and its island nature, which have favoured separation from the surrounding areas, Sardinia has preserved intact to this day many of its original natural features, many of which are peculiar to the region: the landscape is often wild, harsh and deserted and in certain places has a beauty and charm rare in the Mediterranean. This has meant that Sardinia has maintained almost undisturbed a number of ancient plant species, which have elsewhere either changed or disappeared. Most of the island, where migratory livestock herding in open pasture has traditionally been the dominant activity, is covered by pastureland, both grassland steppe and scrubland. The richest, most extensive and vigorous flora is clearly the maquis that characterises the Sardinian landscape up to around 800 m above sea level, sometimes forming isolated, picturesque thickets on the bare coastal cliffs. The maquis comprises the typical combination of evergreen shrubs, which can reach heights of 4-5 m in deeper, moister soils, where it is known as high maquis. Here the species are primarily oleasters (wild olives), mastic trees, carob trees, myrtles, laurels, junipers and rockrose trees. Oleasters often grow thickly along the shores of streams. Elsewhere the maquis is impoverished, with shrubs around 50 cm high, commonly called ‘garriga’, including sage, rosemary, heather, thyme, broom etc. Also interesting to note are thickets of dwarf palm.

5.2. Specificity of the product:

‘Agnello di Sardegna’ PGI is distinguished above all by its small size: meat covered by the ‘Agnello di Sardegna’ PGI clearly differs from that from other, heavier, multi-purpose breeds, which often has a pronounced flavour that consumers do not always appreciate. ‘Agnello di Sardegna’ PGI, on the other hand, always has a pleasant taste because of the low levels of saturated fats in its fat cover, which are conversely rich in tastier and more easily digestible unsaturated chains (because the lambs are fed on milk on natural pastures).

The fat in the carcass is the natural complement to the meat and most of it is lost during cooking, leaving the meat perfectly unctuous and pleasant, but in particular more tender and succulent on the palate. ‘Agnello di Sardegna’ PGI is distinguished by its tender, white meat, intense aroma and outstanding digestibility and leanness.

‘Agnello di Sardegna’ PGI is an ideal food, not only because of its taste but also in terms of its nutritional value, being rich in noble proteins. This makes the meat particularly suitable for those requiring a light but high-energy diet.

‘Agnello di Sardegna’ PGI is biologically healthy and totally free of any chemical or biotic contamination. Sarda lambs, because of their young age, are not subject to forced feeding, environmental stress or hormonal treatments, being reared in the open air in a completely natural environment.

5.3. Causal link between the geographical area and the quality or characteristics of the product (for PDO) or a specific quality, the reputation or other characteristic of the product (for PGI):

The characteristic features of Agnello di Sardegna are attributable entirely to the region of origin.

Its distinctive wild flavour is a direct result of the lambs being fed on their mother’s milk and natural feed and reared in the open air. ‘Agnello di Sardegna’ lambs are reared extensively in open housing and thus in a totally natural environment characterised by large open areas constantly exposed to the strong sunshine, the winds and other weather conditions prevailing in Sardinia.

Rearing ‘Agnello di Sardegna’ in the open air means that its feed is almost unique: suckling lambs are reared only on their mother's milk and then, when they grow, follow their mother to pasture where their diet is supplemented with natural feed, grasses and wild and aromatic plants characteristic of the island’s habitat. Over the years, the biological and reproductive cycles of the Sarda breed have adapted to their environment; the ewes therefore usually lamb in late autumn, when the first rains arrive and the vegetation starts to regrow. For these reasons, the meat is particularly prized for its organoleptic properties. In addition, the diet of mother’s milk determines not only the quantity of fat but also its quality. The fats ingested during suckling determine the composition of body fats throughout the growth period.

Furthermore, rearing in the open air guarantees that the lambs are healthy and have adequate exercise, particularly in a natural environment such as that of Sardinia with its wide open spaces and a landscape unaffected by industrial and human activities. The Sardinian landscape shares a feature that gives it an incredible degree of uniformity, its bareness, caused by a lack of cultivated trees, constantly recalling the prevalence of livestock grazing. The impression this gives is a true one: Sardinia is an island of shepherds and sheep-farming is by far the most important economic activity on the island. With 3 294 044 sheep on its 16 410 holdings distributed throughout the island, Sardinia has 40 % of the total Italian sheep population.

Thus Sardinia continues to be an island of shepherds, as it has been for centuries. Sheep-farming dates back to the prenuraghic era and remains of the first implements used to process milk have been found in nuraghi. Documents from Roman times also make frequent references to sheep-farming. The ‘Sarda’ sheep breed has become established on the island over the centuries through constant adaptation in response to experimentation by sheep-farmers. Essentially, it is the fruit of a long process of interaction between people and the land and between people, the land and animal breeds.

Farmers today provide the same care and attention to their flocks as they have for centuries and by preserving the ancient ways they have ensured that ‘Agnello di Sardegna’ today has the same unique purity and goodness as it always has.

Reference to publication of the specification:

The Ministry launched the national procedure to allow objections to the proposed amendment to the ‘Agnello di Sardegna’ Protected Geographical Indication in Official Gazette of the Italian Republic No 2 of 3 January 2008.

The full text of the product specification is available at the following site:

http://www.politicheagricole.it/DocumentiPubblicazioni/Search_Documenti_Elenco.htm?txtTipoDocumento=Disciplinare%20in%20esame%20UE&txtDocArgomento=Prodotti%20di%20Qualit%E0>Prodotti%20Dop,%20Igp%20e%20Stg or

by going directly to the home page of the Ministry (http://www.politicheagricole.it) and clicking on ‘Prodotti di Qualità’ (on the left of the screen) and finally on ‘Disciplinari di Produzione all’esame dell’UE [regolamento (CE) n. 510/2006]’.

(1) OJ L 93, 31.3.2006, p. 12.