EN Official Journal of the European Union C 117/39

Publication of an 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

(2008/C 117/18)

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

SINGLE DOCUMENT

COUNCIL REGULATION (EC) No 510/2006

‘ZAFFERANO DI SARDEGNA’

EC No: IT/PDO/005/0570/21.11.2006

PGI PDO

1. Name

‘Zafferano di Sardegna’

2. Member State or Third Country

Italy

3. Description of the agricultural product or foodstuff

3.1. Type of product

Class 1.8 — Other products listed in Annex I to the Treaty (spices, etc.)

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

The Protected Designation of Origin ‘Zafferano di Sardegna’ is restricted to saffron in the form of dried stigmas or pistils from cultivated Crocus sativus L. On release for consumption it is bright red in colour due to the crocin content, with a very intense aroma resulting from the safranal content and a distinctive taste attributable to the picrocrocin content.

Category Colouring power (expressed as a direct measure of absorbency of crocin at around 440 nm over dry base) Bitterness (expressed as a direct measure of absorbency of picrocrocin at around 257 nm over dry base) Aromatic power — safranal (expressed as a direct measure of absorbency at around 330 nm over dry base) I ≥ 190 ≥ 70 from 20 to 50

In addition, it may not be falsified or adulterated in any way.

3.3. Raw materials

—

3.4. Feed (for products of animal origin only)

—

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

‘Zafferano di Sardegna’ PDO must be grown, picked and prepared in the geographical area identified under point 4.

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

‘Zafferano di Sardegna’ PDO must be packaged in the area indicated under point 4, in order to guarantee the origin of the product, ensure that production is supervised and prevent the saffron being transported in a loose state, which would expose it to light and air and impair or even cause it to lose its specific properties (see point 3.2 above). In fact, until it is packaged, ‘Zafferano di Sardegna’ PDO must be kept in glass, tin or stainless steel containers hermetically sealed against light and air. It must be packaged with care in such a way that it is protected from internal or external damage. The packaging material must be glass, terracotta, cork or cardboard (with only glass or paper coming into direct contact with the saffron) and must be such as to avoid the product being damaged or altered during transport or storage. Packages come in the following weights: 0,25 g, 0,50 g, 1 g, 2 g and 5 g.

3.7. Specific rules concerning labelling

The label must show the ‘Zafferano di Sardegna’ PDO logo, the EU PDO symbol, any other details stipulated by the legislation in force, and the stamp with the serial number of the quantities produced as issued by the protection body under delegation from the Ministry of Agricultural, Food and Forestry Policy or, alternatively, by the inspection body.

The logo for the designation is made up of three distinct parts with, in the central part, the stylised symbol of a saffron flower with six petals placed to the left, leaving space for the stigmas which stick out on both sides; the upper part contains the words ‘Zafferano di Sardegna’ in the form of an arc and the phrase ‘Denominazione di Origine Protetta’ (protected designation of origin) appears in a bar in the lower part.

The name of the designation must appear on the label in distinct, indelible lettering of a colour that strongly contrasts with that of the label itself so as to be clearly distinguishable from the other information given on the label.

It is forbidden to add to the PDO any description that is not expressly provided for, though business and brand names may be used, on condition that they have no laudatory purport and are not such as to mislead the purchaser.

Goods that are produced using ‘Zafferano di Sardegna’ PDO, even after preparation or processing, may be put up for consumption in packages featuring a reference to the protected designation of origin, but without the EU symbol, on condition that the PDO product, certified as such, is the only ingredient from the product category in question and that the users of the PDO product are authorised by the PDO producers' consortium under delegation from the Ministry of Agricultural, Food and Forestry Policy. The consortium is also responsible for entering them in appropriate registers and supervising the correct use of the protected designation. If there is no such consortium, these duties will be carried out by the Ministry as the national authority for the implementation of Regulation (EC) No 510/2006.

4. Concise definition of the geographical area

The production area of ‘Zafferano di Sardegna’ PDO comprises the whole of the municipalities of San Gavino Monreale, Turri and Villanovafranca, in the province of Medio Campidano.

5. Link with the geographical area

5.1. Specificity of the geographical area

The area where the saffron is cultivated has a typical Mediterranean climate, which is generally mild, with rainfall concentrated in the autumn and winter, and hot, dry summers. Temperatures average 11,3 °C in the winter, around 24 °C in the summer and 17,6 °C over the year as a whole. Frost is very rare and snow exceptional. The land used for cultivating the saffron is extremely fertile, with deep alluvial deposits (vertisoils) and a light sand/clay consistency, is permeable, features little or no earth structure and has extremely good water retention.

5.2. Specificity of the product

The application for PDO status for ‘Zafferano di Sardegna’ is justified by the fact that it is set apart from other products of the same type by its high crocin, picrocrocin and safranal content. In other words, what makes ‘Zafferano di Sardegna’ PDO special are its colouring power, eutectic effects and aromatic properties.

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 characteristics of the product (for PGI)

The special properties of ‘Zafferano di Sardegna’ described under point 5.2 stem directly from the morphological characteristics, soil and climate of the production area. These properties are testimony to the strength of the product's connection with a home region which is especially suitable, be it because of its human assets or the favourable climatic conditions, and highly hospitable to a plant which, it is said, ‘timit su frius e cikat su kallenti’ (dislikes the cold and searches out warmth). The morphological characteristics, soil and climate of certain parts of Sardinia and traditional growing and preparation techniques handed down from father to son combine to form a product with unique and unmistakeable organoleptic characteristics and taste. Sardinian saffron owes its special properties to the ways in which the product is cultivated, handled and processed through the various stages of production. In particular, right from the start of the growing process, when propagating material is selected with great care and attention to detail, through the stages of picking, separating, drying and then storing the saffron, the know-how and techniques that the locals have acquired over centuries ensure a product of real quality. One such practice, centuries-old and requiring the hands of an expert, is the moistening of the stigmas with extra virgin olive oil before they are dried. This particularly important and distinctive practice demonstrates the strength and closeness of the link which the product has to the history and culture of the region in which it is produced. This link is seen also in the influence that ‘Zafferano di Sardegna’ has had in various economic circumstances and its importance for the lives of the local population in the areas where it has been grown, as documented in historical sources.

Cultivation of saffron in Sardinia goes back to the time of the Phoenicians, the people who, in all probability, introduced it to the island. It was consolidated under Punic rule and in the Roman and Byzantine periods when the saffron was used predominantly as a dye and for therapeutic and ornamental purposes. But the first authentic evidence of saffron being traded is found in the 14th century, in the 1317 statutes of the port of Cagliari (the Breve Portus), which contain rules governing the export of stigmas from Sardinia. The cultivation and use of saffron spread further in the 1800s, when it was in demand not only for its aromatic and medicinal qualities, but also for dyeing silk and cotton, for use in cooking and as a form of currency in the marketplace. During the period of economic recovery after the war, saffron remained important for many families as a means of supplementing their income, as well as the symbol of the culture and traditions of a community that has always been engaged in agriculture and sheep-farming.

Reference to publication of the specification

(Article 5(7) of Regulation (EC) No 510/2006)

The Government launched the national objection procedure with the publication of the proposal for recognising ‘Zafferano di Sardegna’ as a protected designation of origin in Official Gazette of the Italian Republic No 277 of 28 November 2005.

The full text of the product specification is available on the following website:

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

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