EN Official Journal of the European Union C 19/11

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

2011/C 19/11

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

‘SALAME FELINO’

EC No: IT-PGI-0005-0597-11.04.2007

PGI ( X ) PDO ( )

1. Name:

‘Salame Felino’

2. Member State or third Country:

Italy

3. Description of the agricultural product or foodstuff:

3.1. Type of product:

Class 1.2: Meat products (cooked, salted, smoked, etc.)

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

When released for consumption, ‘Salame Felino’ PGI must be cylindrical, with one end fatter than the other. Its outer surface must be of a whitish/greyish colour and slightly powdery owing to the surface development of a small quantity of indigenous mould.

‘Salame Felino’ PGI must have the following characteristics:

— Weight: between 200 g and 4,5 kg.

— Size: irregular cylindrical shape, between 15 cm and 130 cm long.

— Organoleptic characteristics: when cut, the slices must be firm but not springy; they must be homogeneous and lean, ruby red in colour, free of blemishes, and have a mild and delicate flavour.

— Chemical and chemico-physical characteristics:

total protein : minimum 23 % collagen/protein ratio : maximum 0,10 water/protein ratio : maximum 2,00 fat/protein ratio : maximum 1,50 pH : > 5,3 Total lactobacilli : > 100 000

3.3. Raw materials (for processed products only):

‘Salame Felino’ PGI is produced from pig meat in the manner described below:

— The animals used must be pure-bred pigs of the basic traditional Large White and Landrace breeds or animals derived from those breeds, as improved by the Italian Herd Book.

— Also allowed are animals derived from the Duroc breed, as improved by the Italian Herd Book.

— Animals of other breeds, crossbred or hybrid, are also allowed, provided that they are bred under selection or cross-breeding schemes for the production of Italian heavy pigs, the aims of which are not incompatible with those of the Italian Herd Book.

— In line with tradition, animals carrying unfavourable traits, and in particular susceptibility to stress (PSS), are in any case not permitted; nowadays, such traits can be objectively detected in animals post mortem and in cured products.

— Pure bred Belgian Landrace, Hampshire, Pietrain, Duroc and Spotted Poland animals are in any case not permitted.

— The genetic types used must allow the achievement of high weights and satisfactory efficiency and, in any case, a live weight per animal of 160 kg +/– 10 %.

— The minimum age at slaughter is nine months.

— Boars and sows may not be used.

— The pigs must be slaughtered in an optimum state of health and completely bled.

The cuts of meat used to produce ‘Salame Felino’ PGI must be pieces of choice muscle or fat tissue such as the forward part of the belly (testa di pancetta) and/or minced meat from under the shoulder (trito di banco (sottospalla)). The meat used must not have undergone any freezing process.

The muscle and fat tissue must be carefully cleaned, with the soft adipose tissue and larger pieces of connective matter being removed.

The meat (muscle and fat tissue) used for ‘Salame Felino’ PGI must be put into a cold store at a temperature of not less than – 1 °C and arranged in such a way as to allow the muscle tissue to dry out well. The mix must be minced using a meat grinder (fitted with perforated plates with 6-8 mm holes).

The meat must then be mixed with salt (2-2,8 %), whole pepper and/or pepper pieces (0,03-0,06 %) and ground garlic.

Use may also be made of:

— dry white wine, up to a maximum of 400 cl per 100 kg of meat, so as to accentuate the aroma and flavour,

— sugar and/or dextrose and/or fructose: 0-0,3 %,

— fermentation starter cultures: such starter cultures must be used in line with best practice, taking into consideration the specific characteristics of the starter cultures for ‘Salame Felino’. Their function is to develop the product's aroma and flavour through their lipolytic and proteolytic effect, stabilising the colour and limiting acidification,

— sodium and/or potassium nitrate (maximum 300 mg/kg), sodium and/or potassium nitrite (maximum 150 mg/kg), ascorbic acid and its sodium salt (maximum 1 g/kg).

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

Marketed feed must comply with trade standards. The feed should preferably be in liquid form (swill or mash), and is traditionally mixed with whey. For the feed permitted for animals up to 80 kg live weight, the dry matter content from grain must not be less than 45 % of the total. For the feed permitted during the fattening stage, the dry matter from grain must not be less than 55 % of the total.

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

The specific steps in production are:

— mincing with a meat grinder,

— mixing the mince and the added salt, pepper and garlic; wine, sugars, fermentation starter cultures, sodium or potassium nitrate, sodium or potassium nitrate and ascorbic acid and its sodium salt may also be used,

— filling the mix into natural hog casing,

— tying with twine (not netted),

— drying and curing,

— slicing and packaging in vacuum packs or in a protective atmosphere.

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

‘Salame Felino’ may be sliced and packaged only in facilities located in the production area and under the surveillance of the authorised body in line with the provisions of the monitoring plan.

Indeed, owing to the delicate nature of the product, which is high in unsaturated fatty acids and low in preservatives, and because the slicing and packaging stages are potentially harmful, staff carrying out these procedures must have specific knowledge of the product. In particular, it is necessary that the period during which the slices remain in contact with the air is short as possible, so as to prevent them taking on a brown colour.

3.7. Specific rules concerning labelling:

‘Salame Felino’ PGI may be released for consumption either whole, with only the label and possibly the seal; thickly cut, in vacuum packs or in a protective atmosphere; or sliced, in vacuum packs or in a protective atmosphere.

The name ‘Salame Felino’ followed by the wording ‘Protected Geographical Indication’ or the abbreviation ‘PGI’ (translated into the language in which the product is being marketed) must be affixed to the label or, where relevant, the seal, in clear, indelible characters that can be easily distinguished from any other writing on the label/seal, followed by the Community graphic symbol and the company mark.

4. Concise definition of the geographical area:

The ‘Salame Felino’ PGI production area is the administrative territory of the Province of Parma.

5. Link with the geographical area:

5.1. Specificity of the geographical area:

The ‘Salame Felino’ PGI production area, which covers the whole Province of Parma, is marked by the presence of both hilly and flat areas, as well as lakes and salt mines.

The geographical area was identified by making reference to an in-depth historical reconstruction of the production practices that gave rise to the creation of this typical product. These practices are linked to the age-old traditions of pork butchery and curing which have been facilitated by the presence, since antiquity, of salt mines and distinctive climatic conditions resulting from the presence of specific levels of humidity, exposure to marine air currents and the concentration of large wooded areas.

In the Parma hills, it has always been possible to combine the techniques of the plain with the salt of Salsomaggiore.

The phrase ‘techniques of the plain’ means those methods for processing and curing pig meat that developed as far back as the Etruscan and Roman period owing to the presence of pig farms dedicated, among other things, to supplying food for the Roman legions. In the hills around the plain, these techniques were combined with the opportunity to make easier use of the salt from the Salsomaggiore mines as a result of the hills being the traditional focus point for processing the salt, which, being a precious substance, was processed in areas that were located far from communication routes and were thus more secure from possible raids.

Indeed, including because of the presence of these salt mines, the salting and processing of pig meat has, since 1300, led to the manufacture of products that are recognised at both national and international level.

5.2. Specificity of the product:

‘Salame Felino’ PGI differs from other products in the same commercial category owing to its firmness and non-springy consistency, its uniformity and leanness, and its ruby red colour. Its flavour is mild and delicate.

Unlike the vast majority of salamis on the market, ‘Salame Felino’ is packed exclusively in natural casings (i.e. never synthetic ones). It is free of lactose and powdered milk and has a moderately high pH, with the resultant improvement in the organoleptic qualities. ‘Salame Felino’ has more protein and less fat than other similar salamis.

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):

‘Salame Felino’ PGI's reputation is attested to by a copious bibliography of references and citations.

The first references date back as far as certain Latin authors of the 1st century AD (Apicus — De re coquinaria).

‘Salame Felino’ was well known in the courts that subsequently established themselves in the capital, from the Farnese to the Bourbons to Duchess Marie Louise.

The oldest depiction of the product seems to be found in the decoration of the interior of the Baptistery of Parma (1196-1307). On the frieze slab dedicated to the Aquarius sign of the zodiac, two salamis can be seen at the hearth on a rotating saucepan stand. These salamis are of a size and shape that can still be found today and are the same as those of ‘Salame Felino’ PGI.

A 1766 census of the pig population revealed that the Marquisate of Felino was the most lively pig market in the district. Dating from the same period are price lists for the Felino area quoting prices for lean and fatty salami. Reports of customs and culinary traditions for the early 19th century reveal that there was a distinctive method of processing pig meat into salami in the area around the town of Felino.

The entry ‘Salame Felino’ appeared in the Italian dictionary in 1905 and, in 1912, the production of salami in Felino was examined in the Ministry of Agriculture's report on economic performance for the year.

Since 1927, the relevant local public institutions have granted salami produced in the Province of Parma the name ‘Salame Felino’. Indeed, this name must obviously have already enjoyed particular renown and reputation, and thus been particularly recognisable, if the Office and Provincial Council of the National Economy felt that promoting its commercial use was a means of boosting the wellbeing of the province. Still today, the fact that the production of ‘Salame Felino’ is rooted in the territory of the Province of Parma can be seen through research and studies into the area's gastronomic culture. Indeed, many reviews have linked ‘Salame Felino’ to the province's gastronomy, citing it as one of Parma's most highly appreciated sausagemeat products, the quality of which is inextricably linked to the centuries-old tradition that developed and is maintained unchanged only in the valleys of the Province of Parma. To this should be added the many events that continue to be organised both in Italy and abroad by both the local and provincial authorities of Parma in honour of ‘Salame Felino’, with stands being set up to offer tastings and information material on the characteristics of the product and its historical production in the Province of Parma.

Reference to publication of the specification:

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

The Ministry launched the national objection procedure with the publication of the proposal for recognising ‘Salame Felino’ in the Official Gazette of the Italian Republic.

The full text of the product specification is available:

— at the following site 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.