Publication of an application for registration pursuant to Article 6(2) of Regulation (EEC) No 2081/92 on the protection of geographical indications and designations of origin

(2003/C 262/03)

This publication confers the right to object to the application pursuant to Articles 7 and 12d of the abovementioned Regulation. Any objection to this application must be submitted via the competent authority in a Member State, in a WTO member country or in a third country recognised in accordance with Article 12(3) within a time limit of six months from the date of this publication. The arguments for publication are set out below, in particular under 4.6, and are considered to justify the application within the meaning of Regulation (EEC) No 2081/92.

COUNCIL REGULATION (EEC) No 2081/92

APPLICATION FOR REGISTRATION: ARTICLE 5

PDO ( ) PGI (x)

National application No: 11/2003

1. Responsible department in Member State Name: Ministero delle Politiche agricole e forestali

Address: Via XX Settembre, 20 - I-00187 Roma

Tel. (39-06) 481 99 68

Fax (39-06) 42 01 31 26

E-mail: qualita@politicheagricole.it

2. Applicant group 2.1. Name: Comitato Promotore per il riconoscimento del marchio ad indicazione geografica protetta kiwi latina

2.2. Address: Via Umberto I, 80 - I-04100 Latina

2.3. Composition: Producer/processor (x) Other ( ).

3. Type of product: Group 1.6 - Fruits, vegetables and cereals in the natural state or processed of Annex II - kiwi fruit.

4. Specification (Summary of requirements under Article 4(2))

4.1. Name: Kiwi Latina.

4.2. Description: The protected geographical indication Kiwi Latina is exclusively reserved for kiwi fruits meeting the requirements of the production specification.

Fruits of the species Actinidia deliciosa, cultivar Hayward, to be supplied fresh to the consumer.

The fruit is ellipsoido-cylindrical in shape (height greater than diameter), has a light brown skin with a light green tint and soft down and a slightly sunken calyx. The flesh is light emerald green with a whitish soft central column surrounded by a ring of numerous small black seeds.

The fruit selected for marketing must be:

- whole but with the stalk removed,

- sound (any fruit affected by rot, mould or any other alteration making it unsuitable for consumption is excluded),

- clean, for all practical purposes free of visible extraneous matter,

- sufficiently firm, neither limp, shrivelled or watery,

- well formed; double or multiple fruits are not allowed,

- for all practical purposes free of parasites,

- for all practical purposes free of parasite damage,

- free of abnormal external moisture,

- free of foreign odour or taste.

When harvested, the fruit must have a minimum ripeness of 6,2° Brix. There are two commercial grades:

- Extra grade weight: > 90 g

Fruit of this grade must be well developed and present all the characteristics and colouring of the variety.

It must be free of defects apart from very minor superficial ones not affecting its quality, appearance or presentation in the packaging.

- Grade I weight: > 80 g

Fruit of this grade must be of good quality and firm and the flesh must not show defects. It must present the typical characteristics of the variety. The following defects are permitted provided that they do not impair the external appearance of the fruit or its keeping quality:

- slight defects of shape (not protuberances or malformations),

- slight colour blemishes.

Size tolerances

Up to 10 % by number or weight of the fruits may be in the ranges 85 to 89 g (Extra grade) or 77 to 79 g (Grade I).

4.3. Geographical area: This takes in 24 communes in two provinces (Latina and Roma).

In Latina the entire area of seven and part of the area of two communes, and in Roma the entire area of 12 and part of the area of three communes. On the CTR 1:100000 map the boundary of the entire zone is marked in thick black and those of the individual communes are latticed.

For the communes part of the territory of which falls within the zone its boundary is marked on IGM 1:25000 maps. It normally coincides with an easily discernible feature (road, ditch, etc.).

Table 5 gives details for Sabaudia, Latina and Aprilia, Table 6 for Ardea and Pomezia and Table 7 for Artena.

PROVINCE OF LATINA

SABAUDIA (part)

LATINA (part)

PONTINIA

PRIVERNO

SEZZE

SERMONETA

CORI

CISTERNA DI LATINA

APRILIA

PROVINCE OF ROMA

ARDEA (part)

POMEZIA (part)

MARINO

CASTEL GANDOLFO

ALBANO LAZIALE

ARICCIA

GENZANO DI ROMA

LANUVIO

VELLETRI

LARIANO

ARTENA (part)

PALESTRINA

ZAGAROLO

SAN CESAREO

COLONNA

4.4. Proof of origin: The Province of Latina was among the first (in the early 70s) to have specialised Actinidia plantations.

The particularly favourable climatic conditions for the species allowed a rapid expansion of cultivation and by the end of the 70s Latina had become a national reference point for growers, the fruit trade and students.

In 1978 at the first conference on Actinidia, held at Turin, the Agro Pontino zone was mentioned as particularly well suited in Italy for growing kiwi fruit, now the unrivalled symbolic fruit of Pontine agriculture.

Three years later in 1981 a second national conference was organised by the IAA Latina Chamber of Commerce. This has been followed at regular intervals by conferences, seminars and trade fairs, not only at the Pontine capital but also at Cisterna di Latina and Aprilia. These events have confirmed that the town of Latina and the entire surrounding territory, including the southern part of Roma Province, is the outstanding production area in Italy for both quality and price.

The importance for the Italian fruit growing industry of Actinidia cultivation in Lazio (hence in the Agro Pontino) was attested outside Italy at a seminar held at Santiago de Chile on 25 and 26 October 1988. Its importance had already come to the fore in the "Italian Actinidia Survey" of 1986 by the then Agriculture and Forests Ministry, which had been followed by a round table organised by the Lazio Regional Agricultural Development Board (Rome, 22 June 1988).

A study in 1990 by the Milan Experimental Institute for Technological Exploitation of Agricultural Products (Gorini et al., 1987) documentation of experimental determination of the undeniable characteristics of Kiwi Latina.

Over the last 30 years both the daily press and the specialised national and international journals for the sector (Il Messaggero, Latina Oggi, Economia Pontina, L'Informatore Agrario, Terra e Vita, Italia Agricola, Lazio Agricolo, Rivista di Frutticoltura, Asiafruit Magazine, to name only some) have followed and published an abundance of articles on the progressive rise of Actinidia cultivation in the Province of Latina, which offers optimum soil and climate and is highly competitive in both the quantity and quality of its production. Moreover, that time has seen expansion and development of cold storage and handling structures for the fruit and innovative cultivation methods that have occasioned numerous visits to Latina from growers in other parts of Italy and the world (South Korea, New Zealand, Japan).

In the sensory assessment carried out using a "tasting panel", the ripe fruit was assessed after three months of cold storage for its degree of acceptability on three counts: look of the flesh, taste and sensation of pleasure. The Latina fruit scored highly (Gorini et al., 1987).

This greater degree of pleasure and taste typical of the combination of sweetness and acidity at full ripeness stems from a combination of favourable cultivation factors, including a climate and soils very similar to those of the zone of origin. It has been confirmed that in some areas of Latina (Borgo Flora, Borgo Grappa) the quality of the fruit and vegetative condition of the plants exceeds those in the zone of origin.

The higher total radiation and absence or virtual absence of early frosts allows the harvest to be delayed until the second ten days of November and the fruit to reach a sugar content of 6,5-7 degrees Brix.

This higher sugar content, allowing the storage temperature to be lowered by several tens of a centigrade degree, means that storage, even in a normal atmosphere, can be at least two or three months longer than the average.

The link with the environment is borne out by the following requirements on growers and packers:

- registration as a Kiwi Latina grower,

- registration of all the land used to grow Kiwi Latina,

- keeping of production and packing registers.

4.5. Method of production: The plantations consist of plants grafted onto Franco (one year of grafting) or of self-rooted plants (one year of reproduction).

Two plant training methods are used:

- curtain: planting distance 4-5 m × 4-5 m

- pergola: planting distance 5 m × 3-5 m

Depending on the type of soil it is either given inter-row cultivation and weeded along the rows or is given a grass cover that is cut at regular intervals.

The natural water supply is supplemented by irrigation (sprinkling or misting) under the mass of foliage. Irrigation volumes range from 6000 to 8000 m3/ha/year.

The fruit is harvested without the stalk at the end of October and beginning of November. It is then at more than 6,2° Brix and the hardness (8 mm rod) not below 6 kg.

- Winter pruning is carried out so as to leave 100000-120000 buds per hectare.

- Thinning out is done at the end of June and beginning of July: multiple and deformed fruits and those with skin defects are removed so as to leave a total of 800 to 1000 fruits per plant.

- The crop may not exceed 33 tonnes per hectare.

4.6. Link Climate. This is temperate-humid, similar to that of the zone of origin of the species (Yangtze Kiang area of China) with an average temperature of 13-15 °C (average minimum 8-10 °C, average maximum 28-30 °C) and an average relative humidity in the summer months of 75-80 %. The absence of early frosts allows the fruit to be harvested at the correct degree of ripeness (average 6,5° Brix and never less than 6,2° Brix). This permits attainment of the best qualitative characteristics, and optimum conservation in cold storage until the months of May/June and attainment of a sugar level on consumption no lower than 12° Brix and a hardness no higher than 3 kg measured with an 8 mm rod.

- There is a very low incidence of the winter and spring frost damage that in other parts of Italy results in big production losses in the following seasons and hence discontinuity of supply.

- High total luminous radiation characterising the Pontine area and allowing the optimum degree of ripeness for sale to be attained at an earlier date.

Soil. The soils of the cultivation zone are of alluvial and dislocated volcanic origin resting on pozzolanic and tuffaceous subsoils of high fertility that immediately demonstrated their particular suitability for Actinidia cultivation.

Professional tradition. The area in which Actinidia has become established had a long tradition of growing table grapes, a species which like Actinidia grows using tendrils requiring a support structure and a very similar cultivation technique. This permitted easy adjustment to the most appropriate techniques for the new crop and production of high quality true-to-type fruit.

4.7. Inspection body Name: Camera di Commercio Industria Artigianato e Agricoltura di Latina

Address: Via Umberto I, 80 - I-04100 Latina

4.8. Labelling Name: "Kiwi Latina".

The trademark takes the form of a circle with at the centre a depiction of the Colosseum within which is shown a kiwi fruit cross-section of the characteristic emerald green colour with seeds and central column. The annular area between the Colosseum and the external circle carries the words KIWI LATINA in green Roman type with the letters arranged in a circle divided into two parts, KIWI above and LATINA below. To the right of KIWI is a red ladybird with black spots. The colours required are Pantone red, Pantone green, chestnut brown and black. The same type of packaging is used for both national and international trade. The trademark must appear on it and can also be affixed to the individual fruits. It may be used only by firms packing in the Kiwi Latina production zone.

4.9. National requirements: -

EC No: IT/00295/2003.06.05.

Date of receipt of full application: 5 June 2003.