Publication of an application for registration pursuant to Article 6(2) of Council Regulation (EEC) No 2081/92 on the protection of geographical indications and designations of origin

(2002/C 286/04)

This publication confers the right to object to the application pursuant to Article 7 of the abovementioned Regulation. Any objection to this application must be submitted via the competent authority in the Member State concerned within a time limit of six months from the date of this publication. The arguments for publication are set out below, in particular under 4.6, and are considered to justify the application within the meaning of Regulation (EEC) No 2081/92.

COUNCIL REGULATION (EEC) No 2081/92

APPLICATION FOR REGISTRATION: ARTICLE 5

PDO (x) PGI ( )

National application No: 13/2001

1. Responsible department in the Member State Name: Ministero delle Politiche agricole e forestali

Address: Via XX Settembre, 20, I-00187 Roma

Tel. (39) 06 481 99 68

Fax (39) 06 420 131 26

E-mail: qualità@politicheagricole.it

2. Applicant group 2.1. Name: Associazione regionale produttori olivicoli - ARPO

2.2. Address: Via Emilia, 106, I-47900 Rimini

2.3. Composition: producer/processor (x) other ( )

3. Type of product: Class 1.5 - Oils and fats - Extra virgin olive oil.

4. Specification (summary of requirements under Article 4(2))

4.1. Name: Colline di Romagna

4.2. Description: extra virgin olive oil having the following characteristics:

- colour: from green to golden yellow,

- aroma: average to intense olive aroma,

- flavour: olive flavour with a slight bitterness and/or sharpness,

- panel test: >= 7,

- maximum total acidity, expressed as oleic acid by weight: 0,5 g or less per 100 g of oil,

- peroxide value: <= 12 meq O2/kg,

- oleic acid: >= 72 %,

- tocopherols: >= 70 mg/kg.

4.3. Geographical area: The area in which olives intended for the production of Colline di Romagna extra virgin olive oil are grown and processed and in which the oil undergoes market preparation comprises part of the provinces of Rimini and Forlì-Cesena in the Emilia-Romagna Region (see rules governing production).

4.4. Proof of origin: From the Villanovan era through to the Middle Ages and the beginning of the 20th century, church and other official records have contained numerous references both to the olive trees found in the hills of Romagna and to the importance of olive oil in the context of the local rural economy.

At the beginning of the 20th century the oil was extracted - in 22 municipalities within the province - from locally grown olives. Olive-growing was the subject of special attention, as evidenced by the publication of a booklet entitled "Ulivo e olio" in Rimini in 1901. Also in the early years of the 20th century the "Rivista agraria romagnola" featured a regular column with information and advice on olive-growing. Combined with suitable cultivation techniques, the microclimate produces a high-quality oil of outstanding chemical and organoleptic characteristics.

Production, processing and bottling take place within the designated geographical area. Bottling is included because of the need to safeguard the quality and characteristics of Colline di Romagna olive oil, ensuring that the producers concerned can witness the checks carried out by the independent supervisory body. The PDO is of major importance to the said producers and, in line with the objectives and spirit of the Regulation, can help them increase their income. Moreover, bottling has traditionally been carried out in the designated geographical area. With a view to ensuring the traceability of the product, producers who intend to market extra virgin olive oil under the PDO must have their olive groves, processing plants and bottling facilities entered in registers kept and regularly updated by the supervisory body and must declare annually the quantities of olives produced and the mills and bottling plants used.

4.5. Method of production: Colline di Romagna extra virgin olive oil is produced from the following varieties of olive trees: Correggiolo (60 % or more in each grove), Leccino (up to 40 % in each grove) and minor varieties such as Pendolino, Moraiolo and Rossina (up to 10 % in each grove).

Measures to control weeds and the principal olive tree parasites must comply with the Emilia-Romagna region's rules on integrated control.

The olives are harvested - by hand or mechanically - between 20 October and 15 December each year. They are harvested direct from the tree, care being taken to prevent the olives from coming into contact with the ground. The use of products designed to encourage the olives to separate from the stalk or branch is prohibited. The olives are stored and transported in rigid containers made of inert materials and providing suitable aeration. The olives must be processed two days at most after being harvested. Olive production may not exceed 7000 kg per hectare in the case of specialised olive groves and 60 kg per tree elsewhere. After the leaves have been removed and the olives washed, the oil is extracted, using mechanical and physical means only, at mills located in the area. The oil yield may not exceed 18 %. In the course of the processing of the olives into oil the temperature of the olive paste may not exceed 27 °C. Producers may not carry out a "second run" or use chemical or biochemical aids to extraction.

4.6. Link: The natural factors consist of two characteristics - the soil and, above all, the microclimate - which have a direct bearing on the chemical and organoleptic characteristics of the oil, since the olives are harvested before they reach full maturity, thereby ensuring a potentially high level of oil quality. The land generally consists of medium soils, tending towards clay. It has a high chalk content and is well structured so as to encourage the growth of the olives. The microclimate with, in particular, most of the rainfall occurring in the spring and autumn, and the low average annual temperatures which restrict plant growth to the period April to October, result in a gradual and late ripening of the olives and, as a result, produce oil of a high chemical and organoleptic quality. The human factor is best illustrated by the attachment to olive-growing traditionally shown by local farmers and the techniques introduced by the latter with a view to preserving it in the area.

Olive-growing is very widespread in the province of Rimini, above all in the small and medium-sized hills located, beyond the coastal area, in the province of Forlì-Cesena. In these areas olive-growing is, together with wine-growing, the only possible type of farming, practised as it is on steep marginal land that is difficult to farm. Consequently it is a major component of the landscape.

Correggiolo is the commonest type of olive tree in the area and gives the oil its typical characteristics. The variety is, in addition, resistant to cold weather, tends to ripen gradually and late and this, together with the characteristics of the soil and climate, helps to produce a typical and highly prized oil.

4.7. Inspection body Name: Cermet - Certificazione e ricerca per la qualità

Address: Via Aldo Moro, 22, I-40068 San Lazzaro di Savena - Bologna.

4.8. Labelling: Colline di Romagna extra virgin olive oil must be put up for retail sale in the following sizes of ready-made, hermetically sealed foodstuffs-grade containers: 0,10 litre, 0,25 litre, 0,50 litre, 0,75 litre, 1 litre, 3 litres and 5 litres.

The PDO "Colline di Romagna" must appear on the label in clear and indelible characters and must stand out from the rest of the information found on the latter. The year of production of the olives from which the oil was made must be indicated. Additional references to geographical or place names of municipalities, parishes or areas inside the production area are not allowed.

4.9. National requirements: -

EC No: IT/00211/2001.10.12.

Date of receipt of the full application: 8 July 2002.