EN Official Journal of the European Union C 322/39

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

2009/C 322/11

This publication confers the right to object to the application pursuant to Article 7 of Council Regulation (EC) No 510/2006. Statements of objection must reach the Commission within six months from the date of this publication.

SINGLE DOCUMENT

COUNCIL REGULATION (EC) No 510/2006

‘GENISSE FLEUR D’AUBRAC’

EC No: FR-PGI-005-0257-15.10.2002

PGI ( X ) PDO ( )

1. Name:

‘Génisse Fleur d’Aubrac’

2. Member State or third country:

France

3. Description of the agricultural product or foodstuff:

3.1. Type of product:

Class 1.1. Fresh meat (and offal)

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

The Génisse Fleur d’Aubrac is a heifer (i.e. a young cow which has not yet produced a calf) bred from an Aubrac cow and a Charolais bull, slaughtered between the age of 24 and 42 months.

The main characteristics of the carcasses are as follows:

— minimum weight of 280 kg,

— conformation: E, U and R on the EUROP grading scale,

— fat cover: classes 2 and 3 on the EUROP grading scale,

— pH ≤ 6, in the 24 hours after slaughter, in the longissimus dorsal muscle level with the 13th lumbar vertebra,

— minimum maturation: 7 days after slaughter,

— absence of visual flaws: external fat incorrectly removed, trace of bovine hypodermosis, haematoma.

Génisse Fleur d’Aubrac meat is typically a pure red colour. It is relatively lean but slightly marbled.

The meat is sold in carcasses or half-carcasses (fresh), small wholesale cuts (fresh), muscles/ready-to-cut (fresh or frozen), muscles/cut (frozen) and consumer sales units (Unité de Vente Consommateur) (fresh or frozen).

3.3. Raw materials:

Not applicable.

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

From birth to weaning

The calves suckle their mothers in the cowshed and in the field. Once turned out to pasture, they graze freely. Weaning occurs naturally and cannot take place any earlier than six months after the birth. Formula milk is prohibited. If necessary due to weather conditions, the farmer can distribute a supplementary feed concentrate a few months before weaning.

From weaning to finishing

Most of the feed must come from the farm's forage resources, except in exceptional weather conditions (drought, etc.). The fodder is composed of:

— annual and/or perennial wild plant species,

— temporary pastures based on grasses, leguminous plants or both,

— permanent and natural pastures.

The fodder can be consumed fresh (grass), dried (hay) and/or preserved by wet process (silage). The supplementary feed is distributed as an accompaniment to the standard ration, which is essentially fodder from the farm.

The supplementary feed concentrate, supplied by a feed manufacturer or produced on the farm, is composed exclusively of: cereals/cereal offals or by-products/oilseeds/oilseed products and by-products (oilcakes)/legume seed products and by-products/pulp from tubers, roots or fruit/molasses/dried alfalfa/dairy products/vegetable oils and fats/minerals (carbonates, phosphates, salt, magnesium)/yeasts and yeast by-products. Only additives which comply with the legislation are used.

Maize in all its forms is excluded from the age of 18 months.

Finishing

The rearing ends with a finishing period of at least four months in stalls or at pasture. The heifers have access to the supplementary feed accompanying the standard ration, which is essentially fodder from the farm. This supplementary feed concentrate, supplied by a feed manufacturer or produced on the farm, is composed exclusively from ingredients on the positive list specified in the ‘weaning to finishing’ phase and must not exceed 400 kg per animal. Maize in all its forms is excluded from the age of 18 months.

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

The Génisses Fleur d’Aubrac are born, reared and fattened in the Génisse Fleur d’Aubrac PGI area. The headquarters of the farm as well as all the buildings and pastures, including those situated on land used for transhumance (used to graze Génisses Fleur d’Aubrac), must be located in the PGI area.

The Génisses Fleur d’Aubrac are reared by one farmer only from birth to slaughter or may change ownership only once. The last owner must keep the animal for at least four months.

The Génisses Fleur d’Aubrac are slaughtered in the PGI area. The transport time for the heifers must not exceed four hours (not including any stops). This limitation is justified by the wish to take account of the heifers’ welfare during transportation and to avoid long journeys which would cause stress, which has an impact on carcass yield and meat quality. Professionals therefore have a duty to limit it as much as possible so as not to completely undermine all the efforts made by farmers during the production stage.

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

Not applicable.

3.7. Specific rules concerning labelling:

The Guarantee of Origin Certificates and labels must include the following references:

— category: heifer,

— sales designation of the product ‘Génisse Fleur d’Aubrac’,

— contact details of the inspection body,

— PGI logo,

— ‘heifer bred from an Aubrac cow and a Charolais bull’,

— ‘farm alternating between grazing and indoor housing’,

— ‘heifer born and reared in the Pays de l'Aubrac’,

— the animal's national identification number.

4. Concise definition of the geographical area:

The area for the PGI ‘Génisse Fleur d’Aubrac’ comprises 313 municipalities spread over four départements, namely Aveyron, Cantal, Haute-Loire and Lozère.

Département of Aveyron

Cantons of Bozouls, Campagnac, Entraygues-sur-Truyère, Espalion, Estaing, Laguiole, Laissac, Mur-de-Barrez, Pont-de-Salars, Rodez-Nord, Saint-Amans-des-Côts, Saint-Chely-d’Aubrac, Saint-Geniez-d’Olt, Sainte-Geneviève-sur-Argence, Salles-Curan, Sévérac-le-Château: all municipalities.

Canton of Conques: municipalities of Conques, Saint-Félix-de-Lunel and Sénergues.

Canton of Marcillac-Vallon: municipalities of Muret-le-Château and Salles-la-Source.

Canton of Rodez-Est: municipalities of Rodez-Est and Sainte-Radegonde.

Canton of Rodez-Ouest: municipality of Rodez-Ouest.

Canton of Vézins-de-Lévezou: municipalities of Saint-Laurent-de-Lévézou, Ségur and Vézins-de-Lévézou.

Département of Cantal

Cantons of Chaudes-Aigues, Pierrefort, Ruynes-en-Margeride, Saint-Flour-Nord, Saint-Flour-Sud: all municipalities.

Canton of Massiac: municipalities of Bonnac, La Chapelle-Laurent, Ferrières-Saint-Mary, Saint-Mary-le-Plain, Saint-Poncy and Valjouze.

Canton of Murat: municipality of Neussargues-Moissac.

Département of Haute-Loire

Canton of Pinols: municipalities of Auvers, La Besseyre-Saint-Mary, Desges and Pinols.

Canton of Saugues: municipalities of Chanaleilles, Croisances, Esplantas, Grèzes, Saint-Christophe-d’Allier, Saint-Vénérand, Saugues, Thoras, Vazeilles-Près-Saugues and Venteuges.

Département of Lozère

Cantons of Aumont-Aubrac, Le Bleymard, Chanac, Châteauneuf-de-Randon, Fournels, Grandrieu, Langogne, Le Malzieu-Ville, Marvejols, Mende-Nord, Mende-Sud, Nasbinals, Saint-Alban-sur-Limagnole, Saint-Amans, Saint-Chély-d’Apcher and Saint-Germain-du-Teil: all municipalities.

Canton of La Canourgue: municipalities of Banassac, Canilhac, La Canourgue, Saint-Saturnin and La Tieule.

Canton of Florac: municipality of Les Bondons.

Canton of Le Massegros: municipality of Le Recoux.

Canton of Le Pont-de-Montvert: municipalities of Fraissinet-de-Lozère, Le Pont-de-Montvert and Saint-Maurice-de-Ventalon.

Canton of Villefort: municipalities of Altier and La Bastide-Puylaurent.

5. Link with the geographical area:

5.1. Specificity of the geographical area:

The Pays de l'Aubrac includes a number of small natural regions in the mountains of the southern Massif Central. It is a typical physical environment essentially composed of primary and volcanic massifs. It is mainly situated at over 600 metres in altitude and has long, severe winters and rather high annual rainfall. It consists mainly of pastureland: natural pastures (referred to locally as ‘devèzes’), moor- and rangeland, wooded pastures and basalt, granite or schist summer mountain pastures.

The altitude and landscape have led the people living on this territory to develop ‘pastoral economies’ based on the mountain grass.

5.2. Specificity of the product:

The Génisse Fleur d'Aubrac, bred from an Aubrac cow and a Charolais bull, is an original and unique product combining the best of a hardy breed and a well-known meat breed. Farmers in the Pays de l’Aubrac have produced these heifers for a long time and are highly skilled in the practice. The crossbreeding draws on the ease with which heifers with a high growth rate and excellent beef conformation can be reared and fattened.

The farming method for the Génisses Fleur d’Aubrac is one of alternation between pastureland and stalls, due to the specific weather conditions of the Pays de l'Aubrac. The animals are therefore reared in two main phases:

— the summer period (April/May to November/December) during which the animals graze freely,

— the winter period (November/December to April/May) during which the animals are in stalls and eat fodder from storage.

The meat of the Génisse Fleur d’Aubrac is pure red in colour, relatively lean and slightly marbled.

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 Génisse Fleur d’Aubrac PGI is based on the know-how and reputation benefiting this product.

The know-how developed by Génisses Fleur d’Aubrac breeders is evident in the farming system particular to the Pays de l'Aubrac, characterised by the use of natural areas for grazing, the extensive management of suckler cow herds, the choice of the hardy Aubrac breed as the pivot for the system and the efforts to obtain Génisses Fleur d’Aubrac products with good added value.

The use of grass underpins the farming system in the Pays de l'Aubrac. The geographical location of the farms determines the specific manner in which the farm is run:

— at high altitude (around 1 000 metres), the predominantly volcanic soil and the abundant and regular rainfall ensure continuous grass growth throughout the grazing season. The farm areas are mainly composed of permanent pastures on which the animals graze. This is also an important area for summer pastures,

— at medium altitude (800-1 200 metres), in the granite zone, which is the most extensive (covering almost half of the Pays de l’Aubrac), the soil is formed on granitic sand and is susceptible to drought in summer. However, animals can graze over the summer on the large areas of rangeland and devèzes (natural pastures),

— at low altitude (below 800 metres), on the foothills of the granite zone, the soil is dry. As this causes a severe lack of grass in summer, herds need to move to higher pastures for this season.

During the production cycle, the Génisses Fleur d’Aubrac must alternate between pastureland and stalls. Most of their feed comes from the farm's forage resources.

As the extensive method of forage management favours pastureland, livestock density is not very high. In a way, however, it conveys the natural richness of the land. In general, with no intervention other than liming (low pH for particularly acidic soils) and the excellent management of organic fertilisers (manure and slurry), livestock density reaches 1 LU/ha in basalt areas (with the richest soil) and around 0,6 to 0,8 LU/ha in granitic, schist or red sandstone areas (somewhat lower natural potential in terms of quantity but equally good grazing quality in springtime).

Thanks to their hardiness, i.e. their ability to tap their bodies’ reserves in difficult periods (long winters) and rebuild them in easier times (spring and summer grazing), the mother cows of the Aubrac breed are the most likely to turn the disadvantages of the environment to their advantage. They regularly produce one calf a year without risk during calving. For almost half a century, their offspring, cross-bred with the Charolais bull, has allowed the Pays de l’Aubrac to thrive economically from its beef production. The search for higher added value from the best animals (often using a strict selection procedure) is encouraging an increasing number of farmers to breed Génisses Fleur d’Aubrac, which have a better conformation than the Aubrac breed yet keep its fine bone structure and flavour.

Records dating back to ancient times attest to the great importance of a breeding system in the Pays de l'Aubrac in which summer pastures play an essential role. During the 20th century, these mountains gradually moved from cheese to extensive meat production, with rapid growth in cross-breeding between the local Aubrac breed and the Charolais breed from the 1960s, which eventually resulted in the emergence of the Génisse Fleur d’Aubrac.

The Génisse Fleur d’Aubrac was mentioned in the press for the first time in 1991 on the occasion of a celebratory day in its honour. The animals were first sold under the name Génisse Fleur d’Aubrac in October 1991. Since then, regular reference has been made to the Génisse Fleur d’Aubrac in both the specialist and general press. In 1997, the Guide des Produits du Terroir (Guide to Local Products) published by Editions du Seuil awarded a Label Excellence Terroir (local excellence label) to the Association des Produits de l’Aubrac and to farmers for the Génisse Fleur d'Aubrac. On 27 May 2002, over 200 people (breeders and local elected representatives) met to celebrate the sale of the 10 000th Génisse Fleur d’Aubrac, with coverage by the regional press. Breeders have taken part in a number of exhibitions: the Salon International de l’Agriculture in Paris in March 2004, the Salon de la boucherie et du goût in Marseilles in November 2005, and the Salon des produits et des filières de qualité in Marvejols in April 2006. They also provide consumer information on the Génisse Fleur d’Aubrac using posters (displayed in butcher's shops), advertising leaflets and lists of sales outlets (distributed at fairs, exhibitions, publicity events, etc.). The Génisse Fleur d’Aubrac has also been shown for several years in competitions and at other annual events such as the Fête de la Transhumance and the Festival du bœuf gras de Pâques in Laguiole (Aveyron).

Reference to publication of the specifications:

https://www.inao.gouv.fr/fichier/CDCAnnexesGenisseFleurdAubrac.doc