Publication of an application for approval of an amendment, which is not minor, to a product specification 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

This publication confers the right to oppose the amendment application pursuant to Article 51 of Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012 of the European Parliament and of the Council (1) within three months from the date of this publication

(2019/C 188/04)

APPLICATION FOR APPROVAL OF AN AMENDMENT TO THE PRODUCT SPECIFICATION OF PROTECTED DESIGNATIONS OF ORIGIN/PROTECTED GEOGRAPHICAL INDICATIONS WHICH IS NOT MINOR

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

‘GRANA PADANO’

EU No: PDO-IT-0011-AM04 — 5.4.2018

PDO ( X ) PGI ( )

1. Applicant group and legitimate interest

Consorzio Tutela Grana Padano via XXIV Giugno, 8 25015 Desenzano del Garda (Brescia) ITALIA Tel. +39 030919811 Fax +39 09010487

The Consorzio Tutela Grana Padano represents producers of Grana Padano and is entitled to submit an amendment application pursuant to Article 13(1) of Decree No 12511 of the Ministry of Agricultural, Food and Forestry Policy of 14 October 2013.

2. Member State or Third Country

Italy

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

— ☐ Name of product — ☐ Description of product — ☐ Geographical area — ☒ Proof of origin — ☒ Method of production — ☐ Link — ☐ Labelling — ☒ Other: Use of trimmings in grated ‘Grana Padano’, quality inspection of the cheese

4. Type of amendment(s)

— ☒ Amendment 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. — ☐ Amendment 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

Proof of origin

A specific mineral profile for ‘Grana Padano’ is to be added to the specification, increasing the range of parameters that can be used to pinpoint the origin of the product.

More specifically, the following passage is to be inserted into Article 2 after the information on the cheese’s amino acid and isotopic compositions:

‘The specific mineral profile of “Grana Padano” PDO, identified using isotope ratio mass spectrometry (IRMS), has been filed with the Consorzio Tutela “Grana Padano” and the Ministry of Agricultural, Food and Forestry Policy.’

As these details are already partly included in the isotopic composition currently filed with the Ministry, this change strengthens the database already in use.

These are therefore two different parameters that, in combination, help to strengthen the database currently in use, guaranteeing the authenticity of ‘Grana Padano’ PDO, particularly when sold in small portions or as grated cheese.

Method of production

The next amendment consists of deleting the passage making it possible to derogate from the microbial load rules for milk used to make ‘Trentingrana’. References to this derogation are to be deleted from the first sentence of the first paragraph of Article 4.

The first paragraph of Article 4 of the specification currently reads as follows:

‘“Grana Padano” PDO is made from raw cow’s milk from cows milked twice a day. With the exception of milk produced in the Trentingrana area, none of the bacterial load and somatic cell count derogations provided for in current legislation are applied.’

It is to be replaced by:

‘“Grana Padano” PDO is made from raw cow’s milk from cows milked twice a day, or using a robotic milking system with free cow traffic that ensures that the milk retains the desired properties.’

This amendment is necessary because Law No 131 of 5 June 2003, which established this derogation, stated a time limit for its application which has now elapsed.

The following correction needs to be made to the references to heifers in the passage on the list of authorised feedstuffs:

From ‘heifers of more than seven months’ to ‘heifers that are more than seven months pregnant’.

The third paragraph of Article 4 of the product specification, which currently reads:

‘The basic feed for the dairy cattle, consisting of green or preserved fodder, is fed to lactating cows, dry cows and heifers of more than seven months.’

is amended to read as follows:

‘The basic feed for the dairy cattle, consisting of green or preserved fodder, is fed to lactating cows, dry cows and heifers that are more than seven months pregnant.’

The seventh paragraph of Article 4 is also to be amended. The current text:

‘The following is the list of raw materials for feed, grouped into categories, which may be added to the fodder used to feed lactating cows, dry cows and heifers of more than seven months whose milk is to be used to make “Grana Padano” PDO.’

is amended to read as follows:

‘The following is the list of raw materials for feed, grouped into categories, which may be added to the fodder used to feed lactating cows, dry cows and heifers that are more than seven months pregnant whose milk is to be used to make “Grana Padano” PDO.’

This amendment also affects the first paragraph of point 3.3 of the Single Document.

It currently reads:

‘The basic feed for the dairy cattle, consisting of green or preserved fodder, is fed to lactating cows, dry cows and heifers that are more than seven months old.’

It is to be replaced by:

‘The basic feed for the dairy cattle, consisting of green or preserved fodder, is fed to lactating cows, dry cows and heifers that are more than seven months pregnant.’

This amendment corrects an obvious mistake in the text, as in Italian farming circles cows are known as heifers (‘manze’) from around 18 months of age, coinciding with the time they are fertilised. This amendment is therefore a correction, as the word ‘pregnant’ had merely been omitted by mistake.

This amendment also makes it possible to use robotic milking systems with free cow traffic. As a result, the parts of the product specification on the possibility of mixing milk batches also have to be changed.

The first paragraph of Article 4 and the third and fourth paragraphs of Article 5 of the specification are therefore to be amended.

The first paragraph of Article 4 of the specification, which currently reads:

‘“Grana Padano” PDO is made from raw cow’s milk from cows milked twice a day. With the exception of milk produced in the Trentingrana area, none of the bacterial load and somatic cell count derogations provided for in current legislation are applied.’

It is to be replaced by:

‘“Grana Padano” PDO is made from raw cow’s milk from cows milked twice a day, or using a robotic milking system with free cow traffic that ensures that the milk retains the desired properties.’

The third and fourth paragraphs of Article 5 of the specification, which currently read as follows:

‘The cheese can be made using milk from a single milking session or a mixture of batches from two milking sessions, after being left to settle and to allow the cream to rise naturally to the surface. It is also possible to use batches from two milking sessions, with only one session’s batch having been left to settle and to allow the cream to rise naturally to the surface.’

This is to be replaced by:

‘The cheese can be made using milk from a single milking session or a mixture of batches from more than one milking session, after being left to settle and to allow the cream to rise naturally to the surface. It is also possible to use a batch of milk from which only a portion has been left to settle and to allow the cream to rise naturally to the surface.’

This amendment also affects point 3.2 of the Single Document,

which currently reads:

‘Hard cheese made from cooked paste; it is matured slowly, manufactured throughout the year and used whole or grated; it is produced from raw, partially skimmed milk from cows, milked twice a day, whose basic diet consists of fresh or dried fodder; milk used may come from one milking or from two milkings mixed together.’

This is to be replaced by:

‘Hard cheese made from cooked paste; it is matured slowly, manufactured throughout the year and used whole or grated; it is produced from raw, partially skimmed milk from cows milked either twice a day or using a robotic milking system with free cow traffic and whose basic diet consists of fresh or dried fodder. The cheese can be made using milk from a single milking session or a mixture of batches from more than one milking session.’

Once this amendment has been approved, it will be possible to make the cheese from batches of milk obtained in more than two milking sessions. The cheesemaker must take care, via the ensuing skimming process, to ensure that the milk has the characteristics already laid down by the product specification, which are not subject to any change. Years of testing have shown that the presence of the required fat-to-casein ratio is sufficient to ensure that the cheese has the characteristics established in the product specification and single document. From a technical and scientific point of view, the use of robotic milking systems does not affect the properties of the milk. In particular, the milk is statistically comparable with that obtained by traditional milking in terms of both fat and protein content. The use of robotic systems can in fact improve the cows’ wellbeing, reducing the stress caused by milking them only twice a day during lactation peaks.

The minimum time that the cheese has to spend in the moulds is to be reduced from 48 to 36 hours.

More specifically, the eleventh paragraph of Article 5, which currently reads:

‘It is then placed in moulds, which stamp the markings of origin into the cheese, for at least 48 hours. The cheese is then immersed in brine for 14-30 days.’

is to be replaced by:

‘It is then placed in moulds, which stamp the markings of origin into the cheese, for at least 36 hours. The cheese is then immersed in brine for 14-30 days.’

Over the years, testing results have shown that 36 hours in the moulds is sufficient time to correctly harden and shape the cheese and to have it ready for brining. This amendment has become necessary due to a gradual increase in production by individual cheesemaking businesses and also mergers that have taken place, resulting in production being centralised at larger facilities. This has inevitably led to restrictions on the space and time available for the different cheesemaking processes. Considering the time needed to wash and sanitise the moulds before they can be reused in a new production cycle, the requested amendment would help considerably to improve the management of cheesemaking operations.

The use of the ‘heat chamber’ (‘camera calda’) is to be permitted.

This means that the following sentence is to be inserted into Article 5 of the product specification:

‘When the cheeses are removed from the brine, they may be rinsed off and/or left in an environment heated to between 25 °C and 60 °C for no more than 24 hours.’

For some years now, some producers have been trialling the reintroduction of an old practice consisting of leaving the cheeses — once removed from the brine and following optional rinsing with water — in dedicated chambers heated to between 25 °C to 60 °C for between three and 24 hours. As attested to by numerous historical documents, this is a traditional technique intended to encourage the evaporation of moisture and salt from the surface, helping the rind to develop a more consistent surface and slowing down the growth of surface mould. As trials of the reintroduction of this practice have yielded highly satisfactory results, the decision has been taken to allow its use.

Other

The rule that restricted the transferral of trimmings within a cheesemaking business to the area of origin is to be removed.

More specifically, Article 7(d), which currently reads:

‘d) Trimmings may only be transferred within the same cheesemaking business or between businesses within the business group and only within the area of origin. Trimmings to be used for grated “Grana Padano” may not therefore be sold as a stand-alone product.’

is to be replaced by:

‘Trimmings may only be transferred within the same cheesemaking business or between businesses within the business group. Trimmings to be used for grated “Grana Padano” may not therefore be sold as a stand-alone product.’

This amendment also affects point 3.5 of the Single Document, which currently reads:

‘the leftover cheese may be transferred only within the same farm or between farms of the same group and only within the area of origin.’

This is to be replaced by:

‘Trimmings may only be transferred within the same cheesemaking business or between businesses within the business group.’

This amendment has a limited impact, affecting only the cheesemaking businesses with portioning facilities located outside the production area that are also authorised to package grated cheese (this authorisation is of course only issued for premises located in the area of origin). The aim is to allow these businesses to transfer trimmings from their facilities located outside the production area to facilities within the production area holding authorisation to prepare grated ‘Grana Padano’, respecting the limitations already present in the product specification regarding the use of trimmings in the preparation of grated cheese. The real intention behind this requested amendment is to place these few businesses on an equal footing with those that have both facilities within the area of origin and are therefore free to transfer the trimmings produced in the preparation of ‘Grana Padano’ between their facilities without restrictions.

Quality inspection

This change consists of adding a classification to be used to grade ‘Grana Padano’ during the quality inspection: ‘scelto sperlato’ (‘certified top quality’], ‘zero’ (0) and ‘uno’ (1).

As a result, the following passage is to be inserted into Article 5:

‘“Grana Padano” is classified as scelto sperlato, zero (0) and uno (1). “Grana Padano” scelto sperlato has no internal or external defects. “Grana Padano” 0 (zero), while still a top-quality product in terms of the body of the cheese itself, has some minor rind defects known as “correzioni” (“corrections”). “Grana Padano” 1 (uno) — also known as sottoscelto (“below top quality”] — has some slight “corrections” or minor defects in the rind or the body of the cheese, with slightly increased eyes, and is slightly slow to recover its form when struck with a testing hammer.’

Even though ‘Grana Padano’ is currently defined based on the very precise characteristics listed in the product specification, it has become clear over time that the possibility of classifying the product into categories based on the presence of slight defects of rind and body would be a useful tool. These categories, which are already used for other similar hard cheeses, have no major impact on the product characteristics established in Article 2 of the product specification, but rather make it possible to implement sectoral policies aimed at improving the quality of the product. The categories have been defined based on existing practices in the trade of ‘Grana Padano’ PDO, which, among other things, are referenced in the documentation submitted to the European Commission when the PDO was registered. More specifically, when a batch of cheese is subjected to quality inspection and the ‘hammer test’ in preparation for hot branding, it is sub-divided using the commercial classification described above. A quality classification form is filled out for each consignment subject to quality inspection, categorising each cheese as either scelto sperlato, zero (0) or uno (1).

SINGLE DOCUMENT

‘GRANA PADANO’

EU No: PDO-IT-0011-AM04 — 5.4.2018

PDO ( X ) PGI ( )

1. Name(s)

‘Grana Padano’

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 the product to which the name in (1) applies

Hard cheese made from cooked paste; it is matured slowly, manufactured throughout the year and used whole or grated; it is produced from raw, partially skimmed milk from cows milked either twice a day or using a robotic milking system with free cow traffic and whose basic diet consists of fresh or dried fodder. The cheese can be made using milk from a single milking session or a mixture of batches from more than one milking session. The cheese is cylindrical in form with a slightly convex or virtually straight heel, and with flat faces featuring a slightly raised edge.

It has a diameter of 35 to 45 cm and the heel is 18 to 25 cm high, depending on technical production conditions.

Weight: from 24 to 40 kg; rind: hard and smooth, 4-8 mm thickness.

The paste is hard, with a finely grained structure, flaky from the middle out and with barely visible eyes. The minimum fat content of the dry matter is 32 %. The colour of the rind is a natural golden yellow and the paste is white or straw-coloured. The paste has a fragrant aroma and a delicate taste.

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

The basic feed for the dairy cattle, consisting of green or preserved fodder, is fed to lactating cows, dry cows and heifers that are more than seven months pregnant. Milk cows are fed primarily with feed produced on the home farm or in the Grana Padano PDO production area.

No less than 50 % of the dry matter of the daily ration must be made up of feed with a ratio of fodder to feed of no less than 1, by reference to the dry matter. At least 75 % of the dry matter of the fodder in the daily ration should come from feed produced in the production area of the milk.

The authorised feeds are listed in a positive list which includes:

fodder: fresh fodder, hay, straw, silage (not permitted for Trentigrana production);

raw materials for feed, by category, which may be added to the fodder: cereals and their derivatives, oil seeds and their derivatives, tubers and root vegetables and products derived from them, dehydrated fodder, derivatives of the sugar industry, legume seeds, fats, minerals, additives.

Raw materials: Raw cow’s milk, natural whey and calf rennet. The milk comes from cows reared in the geographical area defined in point 4.

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

The production and maturing operations must take place on the territory of the production area delineated in point 4.

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

Grating and related packaging must take place within the production area defined in point 4 since freshly grated cheese is a highly sensitive product and the preservation of its organoleptic characteristics requires it to be packaged immediately in conditions such as to avoid any drying out; furthermore, immediate packaging in a packaging bearing the designation of origin is better able to guarantee the authenticity of the grated product, which by nature is more difficult to identify than a whole cheese (as confirmed by the judgment of the Court of Justice in Case C-469/00 of 20 May 2003).

The use, for the production of grated ‘Grana Padano’, of cheese left over from the cutting and packaging of ‘Grana Padano’ PDO marketed in pieces of varying or fixed weight, as blocks, cubes, bite-sized pieces etc., is permitted only under the following conditions: the maximum proportion of rind must be 18 %; traceability of the whole ‘Grana Padano’ PDO cheese from which the leftover cheese comes must be guaranteed; where the stages are separate and/or are transferred from one establishment to another, the leftover cheese must be kept apart by registration number and month of production; Trimmings may only be transferred within the same cheesemaking business or between businesses within the business group. Trimmings to be used for grated ‘Grana Padano’ may not therefore be sold as a stand-alone product.

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

The official mark attesting to the product having met the requirements justifying the use of the ‘GRANA PADANO’ Protected Designation of Origin, and which must therefore appear both on the whole wheel and on all the packaging of ‘GRANA PADANO PDO’ cheese in portions and grated, consists of a rhomboid shape over which the words ‘GRANA’ and ‘PADANO’ are stamped in upper case letters. In the upper and lower corners of the rhomboid, which are rounded, are inscribed respectively the initials ‘G’ and ‘P’.

The marking bands which cold stamp the origin mark on the wheels at the moulding stage are made up of a number of rhomboidal diamond shapes which contain within them the alternating words ‘GRANA’ and ‘PADANO’, and bear the cheese manufacturer’s identification references and the month and year of manufacture.

Only ‘Grana Padano PDO’ produced in the Autonomous Province of Trento, made using milk from cows fed throughout the year with fodder which does not include silage of any kind, qualifies for use of the special ‘TRENTINGRANA’ marking bands, consisting of a line of rhomboidal diamond shapes split by the word ‘TRENTINO’; in the centre, between the outlines of stylised mountains, the word ‘TRENTINO’ appears right way up and in vertical rotation.

Packaging that contains Grana Padano PDO cheese meeting the characteristics of TRENTINGRANA described above will be characterised by the following image on the relevant packaging material and advertising:

Identification of origin by means of marking bands includes the affixing of a casein nameplate bearing the words ‘GRANA PADANO’, the year of manufacture and an alphanumeric code which unambiguously identifies each cheese wheel.

‘Grana Padano’ cheese which has been matured for at least 20 months after being moulded — within the production area — may be described as ‘RISERVA’. Classification in the category ‘Grana Padano RISERVA’ is shown by a second brand, affixed to the heel of the cheese at the request of the operators, in accordance with the same rules governing the affixing of the PDO mark. The mark in question is composed of a circle with the word ‘RISERVA’ written across the centre. In the upper half are written the word ‘OLTRE’ and the number ‘20’, and in the lower half appears the word ‘MESI’.

The following additional categories are applicable in the case of packaged products: ‘Grana Padano’ OLTRE 16 MESI and ‘Grana Padano’ RISERVA.

On the packaging containing cheese of the category ‘Grana Padano’ Oltre 16 Mesi, the GRANA PADANO logo also bears the words ‘OLTRE 16 MESI’ on a single line between two parallel lines.

On the packaging containing cheese of the category ‘Grana Padano’ Riserva, the brand RISERVA appears in addition to the GRANA PADANO logo.

Notwithstanding the fact that for the categories expressly mentioned in the specification (‘Oltre 16 Mesi’ [more than 16 months] and ‘RISERVA — Oltre 20 Mesi’ [Reserve — more than 20 months], the logos for those categories must be complied with, the packaging may also refer to, on a voluntary basis, ageing periods other than those specific to the two categories concerned.

However, this must be done in such a way that does not lead to the mistaken belief that this is another product category provided for and approved by the specification.

Therefore, in the interests of clarity and to avoid misunderstandings between official categories and voluntary additional information designed to provide more precise and accurate consumer information, ageing of 16 months and 20 months may only be indicated by means of the two specific logos mentioned above, while other indications of ageing (e.g. ‘Stagionatura 12 mesi’, ‘Stagionatura 14 mesi’, ‘Stagionatura 18 mesi’ [12-month, 14-month and 18-month ageing, respectively] or similar) may only be indicated with fonts, colours, dimensions and location on packaging different from specific PDO Grana Padano packaging.

4. Concise definition of the geographical area

The production area for the cheese, whole or grated, consists of the territory of the provinces of Alessandria, Asti, Biella, Cuneo, Novara, Torino, Verbania, Vercelli, Bergamo, Brescia, Como, Cremona, Lecco, Lodi, Mantova on the left bank of the Po, Milano, Monza, Pavia, Sondrio, Varese, Trento, Padova, Rovigo, Treviso, Venezia, Verona, Vicenza, Bologna to the right of the Reno, Ferrara, Forlì Cesena, Piacenza, Ravenna and Rimini, as well as the following municipalities of the province of Bolzano: Anterivo, Lauregno, Proves, Senale-S. Felice and Trodena.

5. Link with the geographical area

The production area for ‘Grana Padano’ PDO is largely contiguous with the region of the Po plain, that is to say the geographical area of the Po river plain, characterised by fairly flat water meadows with alluvial soil of fluvial-glacial origin and well-supplied with water: this is one of the most fertile areas of the world and among the best suited for growing fodder.

In particular, these soil characteristics, together with the area’s microclimate, favour the production of maize, which represents the greatest proportion of the fodder for the cows whose milk is intended for ‘Grana Padano’ PDO, since it can make up to 50 % of the dry matter ingested.

The reclamation and irrigation of the Po plain since the 11th century has given rise to the local development of livestock rearing. The resulting availability of substantial quantities of milk which was surplus to the daily needs of the rural population prompted the need to transform it into a durable cheese. Even today, the large supply of local fodder, in particular maize, linked to the vast supply of water, is an essential element for maintaining livestock rearing and the consequent supply of milk.

The specificity of ‘Grana Padano PDO’ may be ascribed to the following elements:

— size and weight of the cheese,

— particular morphology of the paste, linked to the production technique, characterised by a granular texture which gives rise to its typical flakiness,

— white or straw colour, with a delicate flavour and fragrant aroma, due essentially to the widespread use of waxy corn in the fodder fed to the cattle,

— water and fat content largely similar to the protein content,

— high level of natural breakdown of the proteins in peptones, peptides and free amino acids,

— suitability for lengthy ripening, even beyond 20 months.

The causal link between ‘Grana Padano PDO’ and its area of origin may be traced to the following factors:

— The high irrigation potential of the Po plain and the resulting availability of fodder, including mainly waxy corn, which is responsible for the specific characteristics of the white or straw colour, flavour and aroma of the paste. Indeed, the direct result of using corn or waxy corn silage is the inclusion in the diet of fewer colorants such as carotene, anthocyanins and chlorophyll than if using a feed based on straw of various kinds or green fodder essences. This is a direct effect of storage in silos;

— the use of raw milk, which has the effect of including in the process of cheese-making lactic bacteria typical of the area,

— the use of natural whey, which creates an unbroken microbiological link with the production area. In fact, the milk which turns to curds and thus to whey, is the link in the chain joining the cheese-making process to the production area and also ensures the continued and constant inclusion of lactic bacteria typical of the area of origin, to which are due the main special characteristics of ‘Grana Padano’ PDO cheese.

The causal link between the characteristics of the product and its area of origin is also provided by the ‘casaro’ [cheesemaker] who has since time immemorial been of central and fundamental importance in the manufacture of ‘Grana Padano’ PDO.

Even today, the task of transforming milk into ‘Grana Padano’ PDO is entrusted to cheesemakers rather than to technicians or scientists.

Reference to publication of the specification

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

The full text of the product specification is available on the following website: 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 ‘Qualità e sicurezza’ (at the top right-hand side of the screen) and then on ‘Disciplinari di Produzione all’esame dell’UE’.

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