EN Official Journal of the European Union C 328/38

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 328/12)

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

REGULATION (EC) No 510/2006

‘CIAUSCOLO’

EC No: IT-PGI-005-0557-11.10.2006

PGI ( X ) PDO ( )

1. Name

‘Ciauscolo’

2. Member State or Third Country

Italy

3. Description of the agricultural product or foodstuff

3.1. Type of product

Class 1.2 — Meat and meat products

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

‘Ciauscolo’ is a pigmeat product, comprising a mixture of the following cuts (in decreasing order): belly, up to 70 %; shoulder, up to 40 %; ham and loin trimmings, up to 30 %. The principal characteristic of ‘Ciauscolo’ is its spreadability, i.e. it spreads easily on bread.

‘Ciauscolo’ PGI is presented for consumption as a cylinder of soft consistency weighing between 400 and 2 500 g, with a diameter of between 4,5 and 10 cm and a length of between 15 and 45 cm.

On cutting, the product is pink, uniform and homogeneous and free from rancidity. It has a typical, delicate, aromatic, distinctive and spicy smell (salt, ground black pepper, wine and crushed garlic are added to the mixture) with a delicate and savoury taste which is never acidic.

‘Ciauscolo’ PGI has the following chemical properties:

pH: 4,8 or higher.

Protein: a minimum of 15,00 %.

Fat: between 32 % and 42 %.

Ratio of water to protein: maximum of 3,10.

Ratio of fat to protein: maximum of 2,80.

As regards the product's microbiological properties, the aerobic mesophilic bacteria, aciduric lactic bacteria and lactic bacteria that develop during ageing must exceed 1 × 107 colony-forming units/g.

3.3. Raw materials (for processed products only)

The following may be used: the traditional Italian Large White and Landrace breeds of pig, as improved in accordance with the herd book, or offspring of boars of these breeds; pigs bred from Italian Duroc boars, as improved in accordance with the Italian herd book; pigs bred from boars of other breeds or mixed-breed boars, born in Italy or abroad, provided that they are bred under selection or cross-breeding schemes whose aims are not incompatible with those of the Italian herd book for the production of heavy pigs.

The following are not eligible: pigs carrying antithetic traits, with particular reference to the gene responsible for propensity to porcine stress syndrome (PSS); breeds and specimens deemed not to comply with the provisions of this product specification; pure bred Belgian Landrace, Hampshire, Pietrain, Duroc and Spotted Poland animals.

Pigs are sent to slaughter between the end of the ninth month and the end of the 15th month.

They must be in excellent health. Boars and sows are not sent for slaughter. In addition, carcases that have not been properly bled or show clear signs of myopathy (PSE and DFD) or obvious signs of phlogistic processes or lesions may not be used.

The average live weight of pigs sent for slaughter must be 170 kg and each pig must weigh between 145 and 200 kg.

The carcases obtained after slaughter must be classified as heavy in accordance with Regulation (EEC) No 3220/84, Commission Decision 2001/468/EC of 8 June 2001 and Ministerial Decree of 11 July 2002 and must fall within the mid-range category of the official system for assessing meat content.

3.4. Feed (for products of animal origin only)

The stock-breeding methods used, the type of feed allowed and the quantities and feeding methods employed are designed to produce heavy pigs. This is achieved over time by means of moderate daily increases in the ration and a feeding regime that complies with the general rules in force.

Together with the rearing techniques, the feed must help ensure the production of a heavy pig by moderate daily increases in the ration.

The feed used must comply with trade standards.

Mineral and vitamin supplements may be added to rations within the limits laid down by general legislation.

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

Production and ageing of ‘Ciauscolo’ PGI must be carried out exclusively in the geographical production area described in point 4.

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

‘Ciauscolo’ PGI must be packed in natural pig or bovine gut. The two ends of the casing are tied off using hemp string. ‘Ciauscolo’ PGI can be sold loose or vacuum packed or packed in a modified atmosphere, whole or in slices.

3.7. Specific rules concerning labelling

The name ‘CIAUSCOLO’, followed by the words ‘Indicazione Geografica Protetta’, must appear on the label in clear and indelible lettering, clearly identifiable from any other wording on the label and followed immediately by the initials ‘IGP’, which must be translated into the language of the country in which the product is sold, and/or the Community logo. The use of names, trade names and private logos is permitted, provided that they have no laudatory purport and are not such as to mislead the purchaser and/or the consumer. It is also permitted to indicate the name or trade name of the pig farms from which the product originates, providing the raw material was obtained exclusively from those farms. It is forbidden to add any description that is not expressly provided for under this point. The word ‘CIAUSCOLO’ must be in Italian.

4. Concise definition of the geographical area

The production area of ‘Ciauscolo’ PGI comprises a number of municipalities in the Provinces of Ancona, Macerata and Ascoli Piceno. This definition of the area takes account of the traditional nature of the product and its popularity among farming families. To this is added the particular climatic conditions obtaining in the defined area, which has a predominantly continental climate, particularly in the high hills and mountains of the specified municipalities in the provinces concerned.

5. Link with the geographical area

5.1. Specificity of the geographical area

The correct definition of the area, which covers a number of municipalities in the Provinces of Ancona, Macerata and Ascoli Piceno, takes account of the traditional nature of the product and its popularity among farming families. The farmers, who lived permanently on the holdings, raised pigs to supply the needs of their families and of the holding. Often, because the meat was for personal consumption, the single pig reared was divided in two, half for the farmer and half for the landowner. ‘Ciauscolo’ was a by-product after the prime cuts had been removed. One of the particularities of the defined area up until the 1950s was the existence of holdings held on share tenancy, which had increasingly small dimensions (4-5 hectares), as the surplus agricultural workforce caused increased fragmentation of land holdings. Farms would therefore rear a single pig, since this could be combined with cattle raising and crop production and would help meet their food needs. As well as these economic and historical factors relating to the mountain economy, an important role is played by the area's particular climate, which is predominantly continental, particularly in the high hills and mountains. The cold winter weather, influenced by the Sibylline Mountains, have a positive effect on ageing and therefore on the keeping qualities of the product.

5.2. Specificity of the product

The application for registration of ‘Ciauscolo’ as a PGI is justified by the product's fame and reputation. ‘Ciauscolo’ is known for its unique spreadability, which clearly distinguishes it from other sausages. Unlike all other charcuterie, ‘Ciauscolo’ is not sliced but is ‘spread’ on bread and other similar products and this highly appreciated characteristic is a direct consequence of the particular composition of the meat mixture, with its high fat content, the way the meat is finely minced and the special manufacturing techniques used. Another characteristic of ‘Ciauscolo’ that clearly distinguishes it in the eyes of the consumer is its softness to the touch.

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 processing, conservation and ageing techniques and methods used today to manufacture the charcuterie product known as ‘Ciauscolo’ stem directly from the traditional know-how of the farming and rural families of the Piceno district. The domestic slaughter and processing of pigs has always been the occasion for families and neighbours to socialise and trade and for gifts in kind from the farmer to the landowner (‘padrone’). This has always been a traditional winter social event and the related customs and folklore and the costumes worn are reflected and maintained in popular culture. The name ‘ciaùscolo, ciavuscolo’ is said to derive from ‘ciabusculum’ or small meal or snack consumed in small quantities in accordance with rural tradition between breakfast and lunch or between lunch and dinner.

Various documents attest to the traditional use of the name ‘Ciauscolo’ and prove that the product has been present in the defined area for several centuries. By way of example, an extract from the ‘Prezzi dei generi’ (Price of Foodstuffs) of October 1851, contained in the Notarial Archive of the Municipality of Camerino, lists among the various products (grain, veal, pork, ham, salami, sausage, stockfish) ‘Ciauscolo’ and its price. It should be noted that the document lists the precise name for which registration as a PGI is requested.

In more recent times, the fame of the product is demonstrated by the inclusion of the name and an accurate definition in the ‘Dizionario Zingarelli della lingua italiana’ (Zingarelli Dictionary of the Italian Language). The Dictionary defines ‘ciauscolo’ as a ‘very soft sausage, made with high-quality pork fat and very finely mined meat, flavoured with garlic and spices, slightly smoked, characteristic of the Marches’ and dates the origin of the name to 1939.

Finally, the fame of ‘Ciauscolo’ is also attested to by the inclusion of the name on the national list of traditional foodstuffs since 2000 (Ordinary Supplement to the Official Gazette — General Series No 194 of 21 August 2000). The list catalogues products manufactured in Italy. in order to prevent knowledge of products with a long tradition disappearing as one generation gives place to the next. The inclusion of the name ‘Ciauscolo’ on the list of the Marches Region is a sure sign of the fame of the product, since for a product to be included proof must be provided that it has been in production for at least twenty-five years.

6. Reference to publication of the specification

The Government launched the national objection procedure with the publication of the proposal for recognising ‘Ciauscolo’ as a protected designation of origin in Official Gazette of the Italian Republic No 64 of 17 March 2006.

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

site: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 (www.politicheagricole.it) and clicking on ‘Prodotti di Qualità’ (on the left of the screen) and finally on ‘Disciplinari di Produzione all'esame dell'UE (Reg. CE 510/2006)’.

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