Publication of the amended single document following the approval of a minor amendment pursuant to the second subparagraph of Article 53(2) of Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012

(2019/C 3/11)

The European Commission has approved this minor amendment application in accordance with the third subparagraph of Article 6(2) of Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) No 664/2014 (1).

The application for approval of this minor amendment can be consulted on the Commission's DOOR database.

SINGLE DOCUMENT

‘INSALATA DI LUSIA’

EU No: PGI-IT-0433-AM01 — 19.6.2018

PDO ( ) PGI ( X )

1. Name(s)

‘Insalata di Lusia’

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 Protected Geographical Indication ‘Insalata di Lusia’ comprises exclusively the Cappuccia and Gentile varieties of Latuca sativa.

Stem: short — maximum 6 cm — and very fleshy, from which the leaves grow.

Taste: fresh and crisp.

Plant: when grown in a greenhouse, the product has a more compact structure and a slightly more open bulb than when grown outdoors.

Essential characteristics:

— lightness of the head,

— softness, resulting from the absence of fibrousness, accompanied by firmness, even 10-12 hours after being picked, absence of lignification,

— crispness as a result of the young, fresh and firm leaves,

— perceptible flavour, which means there is no need to add salt to the dressing.

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

—

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

Cultivation, harvest, trimming and washing must take place in the defined geographical area.

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

In order to be made available for consumption, lettuce displaying the ‘Insalata di Lusia’ PGI label must be packaged in containers made of plastic, wood, cardboard, polystyrene or other food-grade materials.

The content of each package must be uniform and comprise only lettuce of the same variety, origin, type, category and size. The visible part of the package must be representative of the content as a whole.

It is important for packaging to take place in the area, since the stages of harvesting, trimming, washing and packaging must take place in a short space of time in order to prevent degradation of the physical and organoleptic characteristics of the product. Indeed, subjecting ‘Insalata di Lusia’ to excessive handling and long journeys would lead to the firmness and crispness of the leaves being lost.

Following the packaging operations detailed above, ‘Insalata di Lusia’ PGI may be processed so as to be sold ready-to-eat. This processing need not take place within the defined geographical area.

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

The upper part of the package containing the product must be protected with a transparent sheet made of food-grade material bearing the ‘INSALATA DI LUSIA’ PGI logo only, such as to enable the product both to be visible and to breathe naturally.

The PGI's logo must be visible on the containers and must not be smaller than any other inscriptions included on the package.

The logo is made up of the letters ‘i’ (with an elliptical dot) and ‘L’. The inner sides of the letters are concave and form an elliptical frame enclosing a stylised image of the medieval tower in Lusia. The outer and upper parts of the logo are surrounded by a border, above which, in the upper central part, is the acronym ‘IGP’. At the bottom of the logo, inside the border, are the words ‘INSALATA di LUSIA’.

‘INSALATA DI LUSIA’ PGI logo labels may not be reused after being affixed to containers.

Ready-to-eat packages must contain the same information as required for containers.

4. Concise definition of the geographical area

The production area comprises the following municipalities, which are located in the provinces of Rovigo and Padua:

— Rovigo province: Lusia, Badia Polesine, Lendinara, Costa di Rovigo, Fratta Polesine, Villanova del Ghebbo and Rovigo,

— Province of Padua: Barbona, Vescovana and Sant'Urbano.

5. Link with the geographical area

As regards taste, the distinctive characteristic of ‘Insalata di Lusia’ is its perceptible flavour, which makes it unnecessary to dress it with salt. This is the result of the presence of high levels of mineral salts in the soil. The soil in the PGI area is made up of a superficial layer of sand transported by numerous floods, caused in pre-Roman periods and in the early Middle Ages by several branches of the Tartaro breaking their banks, and in the medieval and modern eras by the Adige flooding. The last great flood of the Adige occurred at the end of the 1800s, and the immense sand dunes formed by this event were levelled out by means of long-term works that lasted until 1960. It is on this sand, which has been consolidated by a century's growth of spontaneous vegetation, that ‘Insalata di Lusia’, a lettuce richer than others in potassium and calcium, is planted.

The high water table under the cultivated land, which is fed by the Adige (in this area, the river channel is entirely above the level of the surrounding plain) and the irrigation ditches which are always kept open, keep the moisture level of the soil steady, so that irrigation can be restricted to the stage immediately following transplanting. This entails less leaching from the leaves and thus less dispersion of the nutrients which they contain and less need for fungicidal treatment.

The surface water table lies at a depth of 1 metre and is kept regular thanks to a system of artificial channels. Taken together, these factors make it possible to reduce the number of irrigation operations, thus restricting the spread of rot, leaving intact the fresh taste and crispness which are typical of ‘Insalata di Lusia’ and distinguish it from lettuce produced in other areas.

The guaranteed water supply from the Adige river, the height of the water table and the composition of the soil allow the lettuce to be grown even in summer (July and August), with excellent results. This ensures that it is available on the market for 10-11 months of the year.

Indeed, the loose, medium soil of coarse composition, typical of the area along the banks of the river Adige, and the good level of permeability, which encourages the draining of rainwater, allow the stages of the production process to be carried out in an optimal manner in any climatic/weather conditions.

Finally, the experience gained over fifty years of growing the lettuce and the expert work of the producers has made it possible to refine the production techniques, thereby optimising the synergies arising from a correct balance of climatic and agronomic factors.

Publication reference of the specification

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

This Ministry initiated the national opposition procedure by publishing the application for registration of ‘Insalata di Lusia’ PGI in Official Gazette of the Italian Republic No 108 of 11 May 2018.

The consolidated text of the product specification can be consulted at: http://www.politicheagricole.it/flex/cm/pages/ServeBLOB.php/L/IT/IDPagina/3335

or alternatively:

by going directly to the home page of the Ministry of Agricultural, Food and Forestry Policy (www.politicheagricole.it) and clicking on ‘Qualità’ (at the top right of the screen), then on ‘Prodotti DOP IGP STG’ (on the left-hand side of the screen) and finally on ‘Disciplinari di Produzione all'esame dell'UE’.

(1) OJ L 179, 19.6.2014, p. 17.