EN Official Journal of the European Union C 294/8

Publication of an amendment 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 294/08)

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).

APPLICATION FOR APPROVAL OF NON-MINOR AMENDMENTS TO THE PRODUCT SPECIFICATION FOR A PROTECTED DESIGNATION OF ORIGIN OR PROTECTED GEOGRAPHICAL INDICATION

Application for approval of amendments in accordance with the first subparagraph of Article 53(2) of Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012

‘OIGNON DOUX DES CEVENNES’

EU No: PDO-FR-02284 – 27.1.2017

PDO ( X ) PGI ( )

1. Applicant group and legitimate interest

Association de Défense de l'Oignon doux des Cévennes (ADOC). Maison de la formation et des entreprises. 30b, route du Pont-de-la-Croix, 30120 Le Vigan. Telephone: +33 467827678. Email: defenseoignondoux.cevennes@wanadoo.fr

Composition and legitimate interest: The applicant group is composed of producers and packagers of the PDO ‘Oignon doux des Cévennes’, grouped in an association governed by the Law of 1 July 1901. It therefore has a legitimate right to request amendments to the product specification.

2. Member State or Third Country

France

3. Heading in the product specification affected by the amendment(s)

— ☐ Product name — ☐ Description of product — ☐ Geographical area — ☒ Proof of origin — ☒ Method of production — ☐ Link — ☒ Labelling — ☒ Other [geographical area, link, contact details of the group, inspection bodies]

4. Type of amendment(s)

— ☒ Amendments to the product specification of a registered PDO or PGI not to be qualified as minor within the meaning of the third subparagraph of Article 53(2) of Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012 — ☐ Amendments to the product specification of a registered PDO or PGI for which a Single Document (or equivalent) has not been published and which cannot be qualified as minor within the meaning of the third subparagraph of Article 53(2) of Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012

5. Amendment(s)

— Proof of origin

The procedure for the identification of operators provided for in the specification chapter ‘Evidence that the product originates from the geographical area’ is amended as follows:

— Amendment of the date for submitting the files applying for the identification

The date for submitting the declaration of identification, currently set at 31 May of the year of planting, is brought forward to 30 November of the year preceding the year of planting, to maintain consistency with the parcel identifications and the season. This will also allow better planning of on-the-spot checks and simplifies matters for producers.

— Amendment of the planting declaration: Addition of a ‘request for voluntary withdrawal’

The inclusion of the request for voluntary withdrawal on this declaration ensures better updating of the list of authorised operators and allows for regular monitoring of the operators in the PDO ‘Oignon doux des Cévennes’.

— Amendment of the marketing declaration:

In order to clarify what kind of operators have to complete this declaration, it is specified that this declaration is addressed only to those that market the onions, that is, the producer-packagers (direct sales) and the packagers. The word ‘packagers’ is thus added after ‘producers’. The provision thus reads: ‘Every year the producer-packagers and the packagers send a marketing declaration to the group before 31 May of the year following the harvest.’

— Addition of the possibility to conduct organoleptic and analytical tests of the batches ready for packaging

The aspects concerning the inspection of the product included in the chapter ‘Evidence that the product originates from the geographical area’ of the specification are amended as follows: in order to enhance the organoleptic and analytical tests of the ‘Oignon doux des Cévennes’, the possibility to pre-sample the batches ready for packaging is added. The checks on the packaged product are retained.

This is taken into account in point 3.5 of the single document with the addition of ‘or batches that are ready to be packaged’ at the end of the following sentence: ‘Lastly, organoleptic and analytical testing, which ensures that the onions comply with the organoleptic profile, is done by sampling packaged batches or batches that are ready to be packaged.’

— Method of production

Seeds

— Training the flowering stems intended for the production of home-grown seeds

The requirement to train the flowering stems for the production of home-grown seeds is deleted, since other methods also exist, such as the earthing up of the stems (which allows the flowering stems to be supported efficiently by piling up soil at the base of the plant). For this reason, the earthing-up option is added to the specification.

Thus, the sentence ‘The flowering stems must be trained at the latest when they have reached half their natural height’ is replaced by: ‘The flowering stems must be trained at the latest when they have reached half their natural height or be earthed-up.’

Cultivation cycle

— Prohibition of planting on sown parcels

To date producers could plant onions on parcels that had already been used for sowing in the same year. After several years of technical monitoring, it has emerged that planting onions on these parcels regularly leads to plant health problems and weakens the quality of onions (fragility of the layers, for example). This practice by growers encourages the incidence and spread of the agricultural pest Thrips tabaci, a source of contamination for neighbouring parcels. With a view to long-term sustainable agriculture and to maintaining production, it is therefore important to prohibit this practice.

Thus, the following sentence is inserted: ‘Planting on a parcel that was already used for sowing the same year is prohibited.’

— Amendment of the date of the last application of nitrogen

The current product specification states that the last application of mineral nitrogen must be no later than one month before harvesting. This provision is amended by allowing the last application of nitrogen to be no later than one and a half months after planting, in order to facilitate inspection. As the date of planting is recorded, it is easier to determine the date of the last application of nitrogen. This provision also allows the producers to avoid applying nitrogen too late in the event of an earlier than expected harvest.

— Amendment of the harvest start date

The current product specification provides for the ‘Oignon doux des Cévennes’ to be harvested during August and September. To take account of recently observed climatic variations, the August to September harvesting period is brought forward to the period between 20 July and 20 September in order to allow the harvest to start earlier in hotter years.

The provision relating to the requirement to begin harvesting when 50 % of the plant tops have fallen is retained.

Storage and transport

— Amendment of the containers for transport of the onions to a packaging plant

Technical progress in terms of storage and conservation has prompted some producers to use larger containers for these two stages in order to limit handling, and also to optimise space in the buildings and to allow for better preservation. After sorting and preparation, some producers wished to have the option of delivering their products in containers larger than 20 kg boxes (container size laid down by the current specification) and wished to use box pallets with a maximum height of 75 cm for a maximum weight of 350 kg of onions.

The group's main concern remains the quality of the handling of the onions. The box pallets to be used for the transport are therefore designed to keep the onions undamaged: the inner walls of the box pallets are lined with foam, the edges are less prominent than those of the crates currently used, and as they are never being filled to the maximum, there is no risk of the onions being squashed by the containers on top. The machine used to empty the pallet boxes has also been specifically designed to reduce bumps: once in the machine, a padded protective cover the same size as the inside of the box pallet is placed mechanically on the box pallet to stop it from spilling. All the operations are mechanical and controlled manually by the machine operator, who can stop the process at any time. The operator has the machine first swing the box pallet in the direction of the conveyor belt leading to the sorter, and then progressively open the cover, controlling a steady discharge of the onions.

This also has the advantages of streamlining the work and ensuring the safety of the producers and staff of the packaging plants: a motorised lift makes it easier to transport and manipulate the box pallets. This limits the strain on the producers and operators of the packaging plants who no longer have to lift boxes manually, while also reducing the threat from piles of plastic palletised boxes, which are much less stable than a pile of box pallets.

In terms of the quality of the onions, the group conducted sensory tests on the onions prepared and transported with this type of container. The result of these sensory tests showed that transport in box pallets is not detrimental to the quality of the onions for qualifying for the PDO ‘Oignon doux des Cévennes’.

Thus, the sentence: ‘The onions are transported to a packaging plant in plastic boxes or cartons of a maximum of 20 kg.’ is replaced by the sentence: ‘The onions are transported to a packaging plant in containers with a maximum height of 75 cm and a maximum weight of 350 kg of onions.’

Packaging

To prevent any ambiguity, it is noted that the packing plant is situated within the defined geographical area.

— Addition of a quality check on the batches in packaging plants

In order to ensure the quality of the product after packaging, a systematic examination of the batches on their arrival in the packaging plants is introduced. This is conducted within 24 hours of the batches leaving the farm. The 24-hour period takes account of current practices: Most of the batches arriving in the morning (or overnight) are packaged that day and are delivered to the client in the afternoon or the following day at the latest.

— Deletion of the requirement to use a system for closing the packaging

The current specification requires that: ‘The packaging must be closed by a system in such a way that the package cannot be closed again once it has been opened.’ This requirement cannot be met for retail sales. As retail sales are expanding, it is proposed to delete this requirement.

Point 3.5 of the single document takes account of the deletion of this requirement.

— Simplification of the type of packaging

In the sentence in point 3.5 of the single document ‘The onions are packaged in boxes and plastic film with a maximum capacity of 12 kg or in mesh bags with a maximum capacity of 5 kg.’, the words ‘and plastic film’ have been deleted to allow operators that do not have plastic film equipment to place their products on the market, particularly for retail sales, without degrading the quality of the packaging in any way. This deletion is also consistent with the deletion of the requirement to have a system for closing the packaging.

Labelling

In order to delete the labelling provisions under the general rules of the specification, the name of the packager and the date of packaging are deleted.

This deletion is included in point 3.6 of the single document.

Other

— Geographical area

The geographical area is not amended; the amendment concerns the parcel identification procedure set out in the ‘Geographical area’ chapter of the specification.

In order to facilitate the parcel identification procedure, the applications for parcel identification that the producers are required by the current specification to send to the INAO must be addressed to the group so that the group submits a single file to the INAO.

Furthermore, with the aim of adapting the deadline for this procedure to the growing schedule (as sowing can begin from 1 January), the deadline for submitting applications for parcel identification is amended and brought forward from 31 December to 31 May of the year preceding the planting of the new parcels.

— Link

The wording was revised to summarise the link. There was no change to the meaning. The link provided in the single document remains unchanged.

— Update of the contact details of the applicant group

The reference to the fax has been deleted.

— Inspection bodies

The contact details of the inspection body have been replaced with those of the competent authorities for control. the National Institute of Origin and Quality (INAO) and the Directorate-General for Competition, Consumer Affairs and Fraud Prevention (DGCCRF). This amendment aims to prevent changes being made to the specification in the event that the control body changes.

SINGLE DOCUMENT

‘OIGNON DOUX DES CÉVENNES’

EU No: PDO-FR-02284 – 27.1.2017

PDO ( X ) PGI ( )

1. Name(s)

‘Oignon doux des Cévennes’

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

‘Oignon doux des Cévennes’ is a storage onion cultivated on terraces. It is pearly white to coppery in colour, with a roundish to elongated bulb, a shiny appearance and fine and translucent tunics. The scales are thick with a white, moderately firm and juicy flesh. The dry matter content is less than 10 %. Eaten raw, the flesh is crunchy, juicy and sugary, not sharp or bitter, and has a fine, balanced flavour. Eaten cooked, it keeps its shine and becomes translucent, unctuous, juicy and sugary in taste, with no bitterness and a roasted, chestnut flavour.

Onions packaged after 15 May of the year following the year of harvest may not bear the protected designation of origin ‘Oignon doux des Cévennes’. The onions must be marketed in the original packaging used exclusively for the designation. Marketing may not begin before 1 August of the year of harvest.

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

The onions must be sown and produced in the geographical area.

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

Packaging takes place in the geographical area defined in point 4 of this single document. It is carried out in packaging plants identified by the group. The onions are packaged in boxes with a maximum capacity of 12 kg or in mesh bags with a maximum capacity of 5 kg.

Packaging must be done in the prescribed geographical area to maintain quality.

The onions are packaged by the producer or are delivered to a packaging plant. Packaging within the prescribed area prevents excessive handling. This in turn preserves the onions' characteristics, in particular their fine, translucent and very fragile tunics, and does not alter the product. Lastly, organoleptic and analytical testing, which ensures that the onions comply with the organoleptic profile, is done by sampling packaged batches.

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

In addition to the compulsory information provided for by legislation on the labelling and presentation of foodstuffs, onions with the designation of origin ‘Oignon doux des Cévennes’ labels must include the following

in the same field of vision and on the same label: — the name of the designation of origin ‘Oignon doux des Cévennes’ written in a font at least as large as the largest font used on the label, — ‘AOP’ and/or ‘appellation d'origine protégée’, which must appear immediately before or after the name of the designation with no text in between, — the European Union PDO logo. — A specific identification number that corresponds to the producer code followed by the parcel code. For packages of a maximum of 5 kg it may be replaced by a code covering batches entered on the same day.

4. Concise definition of the geographical area

The production area of the designation of origin ‘Oignon doux des Cévennes’ extends over the territories of the following 32 municipalities of the Department of Gard:

Arphy; Arre; Arrigas; Aulas; Aumessas; Avèze; Bez-et-Esparon; Bréau-et-Salagosse; Colognac; Cros; Lasalle; Mandagout; Mars; Molières-Cavaillac; Monoblet; Notre-Dame-de-la-Rouvière; Pommiers; Roquedur; Saint-André-de-Majencoules; Saint-André-de-Valborgne; Saint-Bonnet-de-Salendrinque; Saint-Bresson; Sainte-Croix-de-Caderle; Saint-Julien-de-la-Nef; Saint-Laurent-le-Minier; Saint-Martial; Saint-Roman-de-Codières; Soudorgues; Sumène; Vabres; Valleraugue; Vigan (le).

5. Link with the geographical area

Specificity of the geographical area

The geographical area of the designation of origin ‘Oignon doux des Cévennes’ extends principally over granitic and schistose rocks on the southeast edge of the Massif Central and, in particular, along the slopes of the massif de l'Aigoual (1 565 m). The climate, which is Mediterranean, is characterised by summer drought and large amounts of rainfall in the autumn and to a lesser extent in the spring, the average being 1 500 mm. Temperatures also fluctuate greatly. There is plenty of sunshine in the summer, while the weather is rather cold from autumn to spring, with occasional snowfall. The average annual temperature is 12– 13 °C.

The hilly topography of Cévennes consists of ridges, the ‘serres’, that alternate with deep and narrow valleys that are oriented towards the northwest/southeast, the ‘valats’. The slope effect on these steep slopes leads to marked climatic contrasts, and the strong equinox rains accentuate erosion, sometimes causing devastating floods. In order to manage this topography, Cévennes farmers have transformed the slopes into terraces by identifying slightly deeper silted-up land and by building over large areas walls made of dry stones, a typical feature of the Cévennes landscape.

Specificity of the product

The organoleptic qualities of ‘Oignon doux des Cévennes’ has earned it a regional as well as a national reputation: the onion is characterised by great sweetness without any bitterness or sharpness, and a juiciness that gives it a very pleasant texture in the mouth, whether raw or cooked.

Furthermore, it is visually recognisable and appreciated owing to its roundish to elongated bulb, its shininess, its pearly white, sometimes coppery, colour and its fine and translucent skins.

Its low dry matter content (less than 10 %) does not prevent it from keeping well until the end of winter.

Causal link

Cultivated on the southern slopes of the Massif Central, ‘Oignon doux des Cévennes’ is an original and specific onion, in terms of both its cultivation method and its physical and gustatory qualities.

In this particular environment man has known how to manage the land in order to take advantage of it, select a well-adapted variety and develop cultivation techniques that highlight a special product.

The natural constraints of the geographical area — the scarcity of level surfaces and the damage caused by erosion — have obliged farmers to organise the available space so that it can be used efficiently. The terracing of land, which is gravity-irrigated by the Béal, a canal bringing water from upstream rivers, rapidly became widespread starting in the 18th century and made it possible to increase the meagre farmable land areas. This helped feed a sizeable population and also protected the soil against erosion.

Fruits and vegetables were cultivated on the terraces that had the most favourable orientation and were half-way down the slope, irrigable and close to the hamlets. Soils formed from the decomposition of granites and schists are acid, sandy, filtering and poor in clay. Often they are fertilised with manure from neighbouring sheep and goat farms. Sweet onions started being cultivated in the area, first as a food crop before becoming a genuine form of agricultural production. The parcels where the onion had traditionally been grown, sometimes for more than 50 years, were called ‘Cébières’.

The traditional variety, improved and maintained by producers for many generations on the basis of appearance, sweetness and keeping properties, is well adapted to the local climate: it is a long-day plant, which is sowed in January in the most favourably oriented parcels so that it can benefit from the spring warmth. It is then transplanted manually and irrigated regularly; the bulbs are harvested at the end of summer, before the equinox rains of September. In this way they can dry in the field and be preserved in good, healthy conditions.

The cultural practices and the natural environment affect the characteristics of the onion throughout its growth cycle. Vigorous seedlings are obtained rapidly by sowing on the best parcels. With precise manual transplanting it is possible to optimise plant densities in order to be able to harvest bulbs having a sufficient size and a harmonious appearance, without any flat sides. The soil's poor clay content contributes to the sweetness of the onion but its sandy texture keeps the water reserves low. Therefore irrigation is necessary during the summer, and water is provided regularly in small amounts. This prevents waste and, above all, limits the hydric stress of the plant and the appearance of bitter and sharp tastes, but it keeps the scales juicy. Finally, parcels oriented towards the northeast to southwest are selected while moist valley bottoms are avoided so that the onions can be cultivated only on parcels with favourable microclimates. This results in earlier ripeness, with a smaller risk of plant-health problems. Consequently, inputs can be reduced and the product keeps better.

The combination of natural factors in the geographical area, used effectively by farmers who have known how to employ the potential of the environment to the best advantage, have enabled all the original characteristics of ‘Oignon doux des Cévennes’ to be brought out.

Reference to publication of the specification

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

https://info.agriculture.gouv.fr/gedei/site/bo-agri/document_administratif-2d5ebdde-8e40-4f43-8e99-92aed84216dd/telechargement

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