EN Official Journal of the European Union C 41/22

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

(2017/C 41/10)

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

‘AIL VIOLET DE CADOURS’

EU No: PDO-FR-02103 — 7.1.2016

PDO ( X ) PGI ( )

1. Name(s)

‘Ail violet de Cadours’

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

‘Ail violet de Cadours’ is a garlic that is sold dry, with a minimum dry matter content of 30 %. It is produced using the Germidour and Valdour varieties, which were isolated from the local purple garlic population.

It has violet ‘wine-coloured’ striations on its white outer tunics.

‘Ail violet de Cadours’ is distinguished by its size of 45 mm or greater and the regular, round shape of the bulb. Bulbs are sold whole and well-cleaned. There must be at least one whole, undamaged layer of outer skin. The roots are cut flush with the bulb, their length equal to or less than 2,5 mm. Both the cloves and the root disc of the bulb are firm to the touch. In the case of bulbs sold trimmed, the length of the remaining stem is from 10 mm to 30 mm.

The skin of the cloves is beige, streaked with violet. The flesh of the cloves when cut ranges from ivory to cream in colour.

Raw, it has a distinctive, persistent garlic smell and an intense sharpness. Cooked, ‘Ail violet de Cadours’ has a garlicky fragrance. It has a light piquancy to the taste, with a good aromatic persistence. It is soft in texture, and its flavour is delicately sweet.

In order to obtain an aesthetically pleasing sales presentation, the bulbs selected are of uniform colour, shape and size. In particular, the size of the largest bulb may not exceed the size of the smallest by more than 20 mm.

‘Ail violet de Cadours’ may be presented for sale in the following ways:

— braid including at least 9 untrimmed bulbs. Its weight is 500 g, 1 kg or 2 kg depending on the number of bulbs and their size,

— sheaf of untrimmed bulbs, minimum weight 8 kg,

— bunch of untrimmed bulbs. Its weight is 500 g, 1 kg or 2 kg,

— 5 kg bag, hand-sorted, composed of trimmed bulbs,

— hand-sorted crate of trimmed bulbs measuring between 60 mm and 70 mm, or more than 70 mm,

— hand-sorted basket of trimmed bulbs 60 mm to 80 mm in size,

— net of trimmed bulbs, maximum weight 1 kg,

— punnet of trimmed bulbs, maximum weight 1 kg.

The product is sold in the original packaging. Only the crate and the basket allow single bulbs to be sold individually.

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

—

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

All steps in the production of ‘Ail violet de Cadours’ must take place in the geographical area.

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

‘Ail violet de Cadours’ must be packaged within the geographical area in order to preserve quality.

In order to ensure that the product remains in sound condition, with at least one intact layer of outer skin over the bulbs, ‘Ail violet de Cadours’ is stored in specific conditions and handled as little as possible.

The packaging process makes use of the operators' local expertise, which also helps determine the characteristics of ‘Ail violet de Cadours’ through:

— a meticulous selection of bulbs, making it possible to create presentations that are uniform in colour, size and shape,

— careful manual positioning of the bulbs so that they can be packaged in a manner that will limit impacts between them during the marketing process: bunching together the foliage of the braids, sheaves and bouquets in order to obtain a rigid ensemble, ensuring that the bags, nets and punnets are sealed as close to the bulbs as possible, and tightly packing the bulbs in the crates and baskets.

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

In addition to the compulsory information required by law, the labelling must include:

— the name of the packer,

— the year of harvest,

— the identification and traceability system specific to ‘Ail violet de Cadours’.

In packaging that allows the sale of single bulbs, each bulb should be identified as ‘Ail violet de Cadours’ by means of a sticker.

4. Concise definition of the geographical area

The geographical area is located around the point where the departments of Haute-Garonne, Gers and Tarn-et-Garonne meet.

Department of Haute-Garonne: Bellegarde-Sainte-Marie, Belleserre, Bragayrac, Brignemont, Cabanac-Séguenville, Cadours, Le Castéra, Caubiac, Cox, Drudas, Empeaux, Garac, Le Grès, Lagraulet-Saint-Nicolas, Laréole, Lasserre, Menville, Mérenvielle, Pelleport, Pradère-les-Bourguets, Puysségur, Saint-Thomas, Sainte-Livrade, Thil, Vignaux.

Department of Tarn-et-Garonne: Auterive, Beaumont-de-Lomagne, Beaupuy, Bouillac, Le Causé, Escazeaux, Faudoas, Gariès, Goas, Marignac, Maubec, Sérignac.

Department of Gers: Ansan, Ardizas, Aubiet, Augnax, Auradé, Aurimont, Avensac, Bajonnette, Beaupuy, Bédéchan, Bézéril, Blanquefort, Castillon-Savès, Catonvielle, Cazaux-Savès, Clermont-Savès, Cologne, Encausse, Endoufielle, Escorneboeuf, Estramiac, Frégouville, Gimont, Giscaro, Homps, L'Isle-Arné, L'Isle-Jourdain, Juilles, Labastide-Savès, Labrihe, Lahas, Lias, Mansempuy, Maravat, Marestaing, Maurens, Mauvezin, Monbrun, Monferran-Savès, Monfort, Montiron, Noilhan, Pessoulens, Pompiac, Puycasquier, Razengues, Roquelaure-Saint-Aubin, Saint-André, Saint-Antonin, Saint-Brès, Saint-Caprais, Saint-Cricq, Saint-Georges, Saint-Germier, Saint-Orens, Saint-Sauvy, Sainte-Anne, Sainte-Gemme, Sainte-Marie, Sarrant, Ségoufielle, Sérempuy, Seysses-Savès, Sirac, Solomiac, Thoux, Tirent-Pontejac, Touget, Tourrenquets.

5. Link with the geographical area

Specificity of the geographical area

Natural factors:

The production area of ‘Ail violet de Cadours’ is located in the Midi-Pyrénées region, between Haute-Garonne, Gers and Tarn-et-Garonne. It has a distinctive climate, which comes under oceanic influence during winter and spring, and Mediterranean influence during summer and especially autumn. Winter is relatively short and mild. Spring is characterised by regularly rising temperatures and high rainfall peaking in May. Summer is hot and dry. Autumn is relatively mild, with little rain. Particularly in summer and autumn, the area is exposed to the Autan wind, a warm dry south-easterly wind.

The land is hilly and moderately rugged. The soils, which lie on a foundation of Oligocene-Miocene molasse, are clay-limestone and clay-lime in nature, with a high clay content (at least 30 %), which ensures good available water capacity. These soils also have good natural drainage assured by the slope of the land and their structure.

Human factors:

Garlic, which originated in the east, was probably introduced to the region by Roman colonisation in the early centuries.

The steady development of the garlic trade led to the establishment of a weekly market specifically for purple garlic. This market is still held in Cadours every Wednesday from mid-July to mid-December.

The know-how of ‘Ail violet de Cadours’ producers is evident at all stages, from cultivation to preparation for sale.

The Germidour and Valdour varieties were isolated from the local purple garlic population and registered in the official catalogue of varieties in 1991 and 2006 respectively. These varieties are distinguished in particular by a short dormancy period and early germination, the absence of a rigid flowering stem, and a large bulb with violet striations on its white outer skin.

Planting takes place in autumn, from mid-October to mid-December, on plots which have not been used for alliums for three years, nor for maize or sorghum the previous year. The nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium inputs are calculated according to the needs of the crop and the availability of these elements in the soil.

Harvesting takes place when the crop has reached maturity.

Monitored drying makes it possible to guarantee a water loss of at least 20 % of the mass of the harvested product.

Farms in the geographical area are small to medium in acreage. They are mixed-crop operations where cereals predominate and garlic production is a valuable side activity. The availability of family labour has facilitated the development of garlic farming.

Many steps are still carried out by hand in order to obtain a clean, well-presented product: peeling, which consists of removing damaged layers of outer skin while preserving at least one clean, intact layer, the cutting of the roots, and packing and presenting for sale. The operators' know-how is particularly evident during these steps, and the bulbs are meticulously hand-sorted by size, shape and colour to create an aesthetically pleasing ensemble.

Specificity of the product

‘Ail violet de Cadours’ is a dried garlic. It is chiefly distinguished by the violet striations on its outer tunics. The bulbs are 45 mm or larger in size, regular in shape, unburst — meaning that the cloves are not visible (at least one of the outer skin layers is intact). The root disc is cut flush with the bulb.

‘Ail violet de Cadours’ possesses specific visual, olfactory and gustatory traits which clearly distinguish it from dried purple garlic of the Germidour variety grown outside the geographical area. ‘Ail violet de Cadours’ is distinguished by its visual characteristics: the larger size of the bulb, the more pronounced purple colour and more regular shape; and by its olfactory characteristics: a more intense garlic smell and a more pronounced sharpness to the nose. Furthermore, when cooked, ‘Ail violet de Cadours’ is distinguished by a more intense aromatic persistence and a stronger piquancy on the palate.

Both the cloves and the root disc of the bulbs are firm to the touch. They remain in sound condition from harvest to marketing.

‘Ail violet de Cadours’ is marketed in presentations that are uniform in size, shape and colour.

When ‘Ail violet de Cadours’ is sold untrimmed, there is a certain rigidity to the presentation due to the bunching together of the foliage. When ‘Ail violet de Cadours’ is sold trimmed, the bulbs are packed tightly within their packaging.

Causal link

All the favourable conditions for the development of ‘Ail violet de Cadours’ are found in the production area.

Firstly, ‘Ail violet de Cadours’ is distinguished by its colour, which results from the use of local varieties developed from local populations with violet striations on the outer skin layers. These are linked to the practice of planting on clay-rich plots of land and the rainfall peak in May.

The production of ‘Ail violet de Cadours’ on clay-rich soils, with a good available water capacity favours the growth of bulbs that are regular in shape. Controlled fertiliser application prevents the bulbs from bursting, so ‘Ail violet de Cadours’ possesses at least one intact outer skin layer.

It is during the basic stage of physiological development known as bulbing that the plant's need for water is at its highest. This is a rapid growth phase which directly impacts the size and shape of the bulb and the development of its violet colour. The rainfall peak in May, which satisfies the water and mineral needs of the plant during this crucial stage, enables the production of bulbs with the characteristic features of ‘Ail violet de Cadours’: a size of 45 mm or more, with a round, regular shape and violet colouring.

The firmness of ‘Ail violet de Cadours’ bulbs is due to the way in which they are prepared for sale, which avoids impacts between bulbs, and the short marketing process, which ends before early germination can occur.

The sound condition of ‘Ail violet de Cadours’ is due to numerous factors:

— limiting the spread of cryptogamic and bacterial diseases in the soil via crop rotation and planting on naturally well-drained plots of land,

— limiting the development of these diseases while the crop is in the field through the supervision of planting dates and controlled application of fertiliser,

— harvesting when the crop has reached maturity, followed by drying and the effect of the Autan wind, which favour the preservation of garlic.

The use of garlic varieties that do not have a rigid flowering stem makes it possible to present ‘Ail violet de Cadours’ for sale untrimmed: in braids, sheaves and bouquets.

Finally, ‘Ail violet de Cadours’ is distinguished by the care brought to its peeling, which is done by hand, preserving the outer skin layers intact and making it possible to cut the root disc flush with the bulb. The series of steps carried out by hand make it possible to create presentations that are uniform in size, shape and colour. The operators' traditional know-how, which extends to preparation of the product for sale, enhances and preserves the quality of ‘Ail violet de Cadours’.

Thus, the characteristics of the geographical area and natural and human factors all contribute to the specificity of ‘Ail violet de Cadours’.

Publication reference of the specification

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

https://www.inao.gouv.fr/fichier/CDCAilVioletCadoursV2016.doc

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