EN Official Journal of the European Union C 33/10

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

2010/C 33/06

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 of the date of this publication.

SINGLE DOCUMENT

COUNCIL REGULATION (EC) No 510/2006

‘PATATA DELLA SILA’

EC No: IT-PGI-0005-0643-21.09.2007

PGI ( X ) PDO ( )

1. Name:

‘Patata della Sila’

2. Member State or third country:

Italy

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:

The name ‘Patata della Sila’ designates the conservation potato of the Solanum tuberosum species in the Solanaceae family obtained from the varieties catalogued in the national registers of varieties of the Member States of the EU and from certified seed potatoes, which must have the following characteristics for consumption: Form: round — round/oval — long/oval. Size: 28 mm or less (granaglia), between 28 and 45 mm (mezzanella or tondello), between 46 and 75 mm (prima), 76 mm or more (fiorone). Peel: resistant to friction. Flesh: compact, firm when pressed. Dry matter: minimum content 19 %. When released for consumption the potatoes must be healthy, without sprouts, whole, clean, with no blemishes over 3 mm deep or pest damage. There may be cuts and/or scratches and/or abrasions on a quantity of potatoes weighing less than 5 % of the total. Residue limits for active ingredients (%): less than 50 % of the limits provided for in current legislation.

The ‘Patata della Sila’ is well-known for its organoleptic qualities and its culinary properties, in particular associated with frying and long-term conservation, without the need for chemical anti-sprouting treatments.

3.3. Raw materials (for processed products only):

—

3.4. Feed (for products of animal origin only):

—

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

The ‘Patata della Sila’ must be grown in the territory set out in point 4. After preparation of the soil, cultivation begins with the bedding of certified seed potatoes, Class A or above, from cultivars registered in the national registers of varieties of the Member States of the EU. A year of ‘replacement’ is permitted, that is, the seeding of seed potatoes reproduced for a year in the territory set out in point 4. Harvesting takes place from 20 August until 30 November, a period with cool temperatures which generally do not exceed 15-18 °C.

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

To be released for consumption, the ‘Patata della Sila’ must be packaged in one of the following types of packaging: Vertbags; Girsacs and bags of: 1 kg to 5 kg; net bag of: 1 kg to 2,5 kg; bag of: 2,5 kg to 10 kg; box of: 5 kg to 20 kg; wooden boxes of: 12,5 kg to 20 kg; basket of: 10 kg to 20 kg; pallet of: 0,5 kg to 1 kg; tray of: 0,5 kg to 1 kg. All the packaging must be made from material suitable for foodstuffs and sealed so as to prevent the product from being removed without breaking the packaging. The product may not be sold loose, except in cases of individual potatoes which are marked with the logo.

3.7. Specific rules concerning labelling:

The rules for the presentation of the product for release for consumption state that, in addition to the logo, the Community graphic symbol and related references and the information required by law, the label must show, in clear and legible characters, the following indication: ‘Patata della Sila’ with any additional translation, followed by ‘Indicazione Geografica Protetta’ in full or the abbreviation ‘IGP’. For products obtained in areas geographically classified as mountain areas, the labels may contain the words ‘prodotto della montagna’. The colour of the logo is currently blue but the logo may be printed in other colours. The logo for the labelling of the potato by stamps or laser marking may be reduced to 2,5 cm at the base, subject to the proportions of the logo set out below. Individual potatoes may be labelled with the logo only if they are 46 mm or more. It is prohibited to add any marking not expressly provided for.

‘Patata della Sila’ logo:

4. Concise definition of the geographical area:

The production area of the ‘Patata della Sila’ is made up exclusively of the following municipalities: Acri, Aprigliano, Bocchigliero, Celico, Colosimi, Longobucco, Parenti, Pedace, Rogliano, San Giovanni in Fiore, Serra Pedace, Spezzano della Sila, and Spezzano Piccolo in the Province of Cosenza, and the municipalities of Albi, Carlopoli, Cicala, Confluenti, Decollatura, Magisano, Martirano, Martirano Lombardo, Motta S. Lucia, Serrastretta, Sorbo San Basile, Soveria Mannelli, and Taverna in the Province of Catanzaro. Those municipalities naturally delimit and enclose the Altopiano della Sila, where the type of soil and climactic characteristics facilitate uniform and slow growth of the potatoes and optimal ripening of the plant.

5. Link with the geographical area:

5.1. Specificity of the geographical area:

The soil and climate of the area in which the ‘Patata della Sila’ is grown is very important. From the point of view of particle size, the Sila soil is largely loose and tends to be sandy and fine-grained and therefore very permeable and easily machinable; it has a pH of between 5 and 6,5; with a large amount of organic substances, and therefore of natural fertiliser, which in some areas is as much as 10,04 %. The climate in the Altopiano della Sila is extremely dry in summer and cold in winter. Recorded temperatures increase in the period between April and May which is therefore ideal for sowing. The growth of the plants is further favoured by the daily range of temperatures and the extended radiation which makes it possible to obtain uniform and slow growth which is favourable for the accumulation of dry matter, and a final ripening of the plant in keeping with the production of a product suitable for long conservation without the need for chemical anti-sprouting treatments. That important property is present from the time of harvesting, which takes place in cool temperatures generally not exceeding 15 to 18 °C. The area is entirely cut off from sources of air and/or water pollution. Utilisation of the Sila soil is extremely restricted; in fact the potato is the only fruit or vegetable product grown on the high plains. The area is irrigated by spring water and treatments are kept to a minimum since parasites are extremely rare, confined and therefore easy to control, owing to the very marked summer temperature range between day and night, the harsh winter and the snow which cleans the environment of countless agents which are harmful to the crop.

5.2. Specificity of the product:

The Sila potato is characterised by and valued for the fact that it keeps for a long time and its excellent culinary qualities; in particular, its great suitability for frying appears to be linked to the high values for dry matter found after cooking in oil, which mean that the flesh of the potato retains its white-yellow colour for longer. Regarding that aspect, an analysis has been carried out comparing the product to samples from other production areas. The results showed that, after cooking, the potato grown on the Altopiano Silano has much higher levels of dry matter and therefore is better suited to frying, and the pulp has a more intense yellowish colour, a more marked typical potato flavour and a thicker peel which is more resistant to mechanical processing than potatoes from other sources.

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 characteristic of the product (for PGI):

The ‘Patata della Sila’ is regarded as a product of quality by the inhabitants of the area around the high plains of Sila (Cosenza, Crotone, Catanzaro, Piana di Siburi) who traditionally lay in supplies directly from the production holdings. This product is particularly well known in the markets of Sicily, Apulia and Campania which, in the harvest periods, have maintained stable commercial ties since the 1950s. Its conservation qualities and retention of organoleptic properties mean that the ‘Patata della Sila’ has always been widely used for winter supplies in the areas stated above. The cultivation of the potato therefore represents an important source of income for the high plains and over the years the farming families of Sila have continued to hand down the tradition of growing the product. The Sila Centre for the increase and selection of potatoes from certified seed was set up in 1955 in order to promote the distribution of the certified seed. Some studies also attest to the fact that, at the end of the 1980s, the Altopiano della Sila was one of the best production areas for seed potatoes, recording by far the best average size of all establishments. In addition, the climatic conditions which provide a dry climate in summer and a cold climate in winter and have always enabled the product to be stored naturally at temperatures of between 6 and 8 °C from October to April, together with the absence of sources of pollution in the cultivation area, have led to the awareness on the part of consumers of a genuine, wholesome and quality product. The reputation of the ‘Patata della Sila’ is also shown by the huge success of events and festivals based on it, which attract legions of tourists, primarily from the abovementioned areas, who visit the high plains each autumn to taste the delicious potato and learn about the various typical recipes of the traditional local gastronomy. In that regard it is worth mentioning the ‘Sagra della Patata della Sila’ (‘Patata della Sila’ festival) held in October since 1978 in Campigliatello Silano, together with the ‘Mostra Mercato dela Patata della Sila e delle machine agricole’ (‘Patata della Sila’ market and agricultural machinery show). Furthermore, since 1980 in Parenti there has been a big folk and culinary event for the ‘Patata della Sila’. The cultivation of the ‘Patata della Sila’ therefore has a long history, with records beginning in the Annals of the Reign of Naples of 1811.

Reference to publication of the specification:

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

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

or

by going directly to the home page of the Ministry (http://www.politicheagricole.it) and clicking on ‘Prodotti di Qualità’ (on the left of the screen) and then on ‘Disciplinari di Produzione all’esame dell’UE [regolamento (CE) n. 510/2006]’.

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