EN Official Journal of the European Union C 315/8

Publication of an application for approval of a minor amendment in accordance with the second subparagraph of Article 53(2) of Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012 of the European Parliament and of the Council

(2016/C 315/04)

The European Commission has approved this minor amendment in accordance with the third subparagraph of Article 6(2) of Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) No 664/2014 (1).

APPLICATION FOR APPROVAL OF A MINOR AMENDMENT

Application for approval of a minor amendment in accordance with the second subparagraph of Article 53(2) of Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012 of the European Parliament and of the Council (2)

‘TOMA PIEMONTESE’

EU No: PDO-IT-02127 — 18.3.2016

PDO ( X ) PGI ( ) TSG ( )

1. Applicant group and legitimate interest

Consorzio di Tutela del Formaggio Toma Piemontese DOP (Association for the protection of ‘Toma Piemontese’ PDO cheese) Via Silvio Pellico, 10 10022 Carmagnola (TO) ITALIA Tel. +39 0110565985. Fax +39 0110565989 Email promo.formaggi@produttorilattepiemonte.com

The above protection association is entitled to submit an amendment application pursuant to Article 13(1) of Ministry of Agricultural, Food and Forestry Policy Decree No 12511 of 14 October 2013.

2. Member State or Third Country

Italy

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

— ☐ Product description — ☐ Proof of origin — ☐ Production method — ☐ Link — ☒ Labelling — ☐ Other (to be specified)

4. Type of amendment(s)

— ☐ Amendment to the product specification of a registered PDO or PGI to be qualified as minor in accordance with the third subparagraph of Article 53(2) of Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012, that requires no amendment to the published single document. — ☒ Amendment to the product specification of a registered PDO or PGI to be qualified as minor in accordance with the third subparagraph of Article 53(2) of Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012, that requires an amendment to the published single document. — ☐ Amendment to the product specification of a registered PDO or PGI to be qualified as minor in accordance with the third subparagraph of Article 53(2) of Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012, for which a single document (or equivalent) has not been published. — ☐ Amendment to the product specification of a registered TSG to be qualified as minor in accordance with the fourth subparagraph of Article 53(2) of Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012.

5. Amendment(s)

The amendment provides for allowing the paper label to be reproduced in black and white when the product is sold in portions or pre-packed. This amendment has proved necessary because the printers used to produce labels for pre-packed cheese or cheese portions often print only in black and white. Such labelling is carried out either by large retailers or by cutters.

Therefore the following sentence has been added after the seventh sentence of Article 8 of the product specification and in the last paragraph of point 3.5 of the single document:

‘Where the product is sold in portions or pre-packed, the logo of the PDO “Toma Piemontese” cheese and the PDO “Toma Piemontese” half-fat cheese may be reproduced in black and white’.

Also, black and white logos have been added to the product specification as shown below.

In order to align the terminology with that used in Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011 of the European Parliament and of the Council (3), the word ‘pre-packaged’ has been replaced by the word ‘pre-packed’ in the last sentence of Article 8 of the specification and in the first sentence of point 3.5 of the single document.

SINGLE DOCUMENT

‘TOMA PIEMONTESE’

EU No: PDO-IT-02127 — 18.3.2016

PDO ( X ) PGI ( )

1. Name

‘Toma Piemontese’

2. Member State or Third Country

Italy

3. Description of the agricultural product or foodstuff

3.1. Type of product

Class 1.3. Cheeses

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

‘Toma Piemontese’ is a cheese produced exclusively from cows' milk, i.e. whole milk for the full-fat variety, and partially skimmed milk for the half-fat variety.

The finished product must have the following characteristics:

— Shape: cylindrical with flat or almost flat sides and a slightly convex base;

— Dimensions: 15-35 cm in diameter, side 6-12 cm wide;

— Weight: from 1,8 to 9 kg

(the measurements and weights refer to the cheese after the minimum ageing period);

— Rind: for the full-fat variety: elastic and smooth, light straw yellow and reddish brown, depending on the degree of ageing; inedible;

— Rind: for the half-fat variety: inelastic, rustic-looking crust varying in colour from deep straw yellow to reddish brown; inedible;

— Texture of the body of the cheese: for the full-fat variety, a soft consistency with small, well-distributed eyes; for the half-fat variety, an elastic or semi-hard (increasing with longer ageing) consistency with small eyes;

— Colour of the body of the cheese: pale straw yellow;

— Taste: for the full-fat variety, mild and pleasant-tasting with a delicate aroma; for the half-fat variety, an intense and harmonious flavour with a fragrant aroma which becomes more characteristic with ageing;

— Fat content in the dry matter: not less than 40 % for the full-fat variety; not less than 20 % for the half-fat variety.

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

The cattle must be fed mainly on green or preserved fodder or on hay fodder from meadows, pasture land or meadow-pasture land or hay from mixed-grass meadows. The majority of this feed material must come from the defined geographical area.

Raw materials: Cows' milk, salt, calf's rennet, lactic acid enzymes and/or natural inocula where required. The natural inocula must be produced in the production area and/or result from previous processing.

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

The whole production process (cattle rearing, milk production, coagulation, processing of the curds, forming, draining, salting and ageing of the cheese) must take place within the area indicated in point 4.

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

The cheese may be sold whole, sliced, in portions or pre-packed. Cutting and pre-packing may take place outside the geographical production area.

The conformity mark is constituted by affixing, during the pre-marketing phase, a paper label (14 cm to 27 cm in diameter) and branding a mark in the centre of one side of each cheese using appropriate devices, bearing the PDO logo and the letter ‘S’ for the half-fat variety. The product may be marketed with the ‘Toma Piemontese’ protected designation of origin only after such marking and labelling has taken place.

Food glue may be used to affix the paper label.

The logo of the PDO ‘Toma Piemontese’ cheese is made up of a blue-coloured stylised cow containing the words ‘Toma Piemontese’ written in white and surrounded by a green, white and red circle representing the colours of the Italian flag.

The origin mark is affixed by means of a plastic seal which, in the centre, depicts the head of a cow overlaid by a stylised letter ‘T’; the producer's distinctive alphanumerical code, comprising an upper-case letter and a two-digit number is to be indicated to the left of the figure. In the case of the half-fat cheese, an upper-case letter ‘S’ is indicated in a small box centrally positioned above the logo.

The PDO ‘Toma Piemontese’ logo appears in the centre of the paper label and is surrounded on the outer edge of the label by a green-coloured ring containing the words ‘Toma Piemontese DOP’. In the case of the half-fat cheeses, this wording must also contain the word ‘Semigrasso’. The same logo must appear on ‘Toma Piemontese’ cheese sold in portions.

Where the product is sold in portions or pre-packed, the logo of the PDO ‘Toma Piemontese’ cheese and the PDO ‘Toma Piemontese’ half-fat cheese may be reproduced in black and white.

4. Concise definition of the geographical area

The area of origin of the milk and the area in which ‘Toma Piemontese’ cheese is produced and aged comprises the administrative territory of the provinces of Novara, Vercelli, Biella, Torino, Cuneo, Verbania Cusio Ossola, as well as the municipalities of Monastero Bormida, Roccaverano, Mombaldone, Olmo Gentile and Serole in the Province of Asti, and Acqui Terme, Terzo, Bistagno, Ponti and Denice in the Province of Alessandria.

5. Link with the geographical area

The defined area is characterised by high, well-distributed rainfall, with values of between 800 and 1 500 mm per annum. Rainfall is at its lowest in winter, with peaks in the spring and secondary peaks in summer and autumn. There is significant availability of irrigation water on the plains. The climatic conditions associated with the levels of sunshine recorded in the area (the absolute annual mean value is 5,4 hours per day, with a maximum of 8,4 hours per day in July and a minimum of 3,5 hours per day in November and December) and the nature of its soils create a unique and singular mix in Europe. These soil and weather conditions are reflected in the characteristics of the fodder, which is subjected to minor heat and water stress, giving rise to strong and luxuriant growth. The pastures and meadows and the fodder growth are generally very rich in ryegrass, alfalfa and other high-quality grasses and leguminous plants, including clover. The high quality of the fodder gives rise to excellent milk production and cheese with unique notes.

These specific conditions are also favourable to the animals reared, contributing to their welfare in relation to their housing conditions.

The cheese-makers' particular skill in cutting the curd is crucial to obtaining the correct consistency of the cheese, which should be soft with small, well-distributed eyes.

The cheese is characterised by its soft texture and small, well-distributed eyes.

The area's specific weather conditions, in the form of high rainfall and humidity and characteristic levels of sun exposure, combined with the skills of the local cheese-makers, who have been able to take full advantage of these conditions, have enabled ‘Toma Piemontese’ to benefit from the maximum potential of the defined production area, resulting in a cheese essentially characterised by its particularly soft texture. The specific skills of the cheese-makers mean that, at the time of cutting the curd, which is obtained without cooking or very gentle semi-cooking, a graininess can be achieved which strikes a perfect balance between the cheese mass and the whey.

The ageing process, which traditionally takes place in natural caves or other suitable environments that are characterised by very high humidity, also makes it possible to preserve the cheese's soft texture.

Reference to publication of the specification

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

The consolidated text of the product specification is available on the internet: http://www.politicheagricole.it/flex/cm/pages/ServeBLOB.php/L/IT/IDPagina/3335

or alternatively:

by going directly to the homepage of the Ministry of Agricultural, Food and Forestry Policy (www.politicheagricole.it) and clicking on ‘Prodotti DOP e IGP’ (at the top right-hand side of the screen), then on ‘Prodotti DOP, IGP e STG’ (on the left-hand side of the screen), and finally by clicking on ‘Disciplinari di produzione all'esame dell'UE’.

(1) OJ L 179, 19.6.2014, p. 17.

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

(3) OJ L 304, 22.11.2011, p. 18.