EN Official Journal of the European Union C 296/4

Publication of an amendment application 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

2013/C 296/05

This publication confers the right to oppose the application pursuant to Article 51 of Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012 of the European Parliament and of the Council (1).

AMENDMENT APPLICATION

COUNCIL REGULATION (EC) No 510/2006

on the protection of geographical indications and designations of origin for agricultural products and foodstuffs (2)

AMENDMENT APPLICATION IN ACCORDANCE WITH ARTICLE 9

‘VALENÇAY’

EC No: FR-PDO-0105-01055-30.10.2012

PGI ( ) PDO ( X )

1. Heading in the specification affected by the amendment

—  Name of product — ☒ Description of product —  Geographical area — ☒ Proof of origin — ☒ Production method —  Link — ☒ Labelling — ☒ National requirements — ☒ Other (update of data on the main monitoring points and grouping)

2. Type of amendment(s)

— ☒ Amendment to single document or summary sheet —  Amendment to specification of registered PDO or PGI for which neither the single document nor the summary sheet has been published —  Amendment to specification that requires no amendment to the published single document (Article 9(3) of Regulation (EC) No 510/2006) —  Temporary amendment to specification resulting from imposition of obligatory sanitary or phytosanitary measures by public authorities (Article 9(4) of Regulation (EC) No 510/2006)

3. Amendment(s)

3.1. Applicant group

Milk collectors handle the transfer of milk from producer to processor, and thus form an integral part of the supply chain just as milk producers do; as such, it is important to include them in the list of operators. Milk collectors have therefore been added to the list of operators making up the group.

3.2. Description of product

The product description has been improved (additional organoleptic information) and draws on technical aspects of cheese-making:

— ‘Valençay’ is a cheese made from raw whole milk with a lactic quality,

— ‘Valençay’ is characterised by a truncated pyramidal shape with a square base, a typical coating varying from light grey to bluish grey, and a china-white paste that is uniform, smooth and soft,

— the rind is formed by adding vegetable carbon,

— the cheese is characterised by: — a paste with a smooth and melting texture when it begins to mature, becoming firmer with age, — a slightly goaty aroma, with notes of undergrowth and mushrooms, and floral tones, — a very light goaty flavour at the early stages of maturation, becoming stronger with time,

— the dry matter content makes up at least 40 % of the total weight of the cheese, and the total dry matter weight per cheese is: — at least 90 g if the cheese is made in a large mould, — at least 45 g if the cheese is made in a small mould.

3.3. Evidence that the product originates from the geographical area

In order to comply with national legislation, this section has been reformulated and the following points have been included in the specification:

— the operator must present the group with a statement of identity,

— the requisite records must be kept to ensure traceability of the milk and PDO ‘Valençay’ cheeses,

— an annual statement of production of PDO ‘Valençay’ cheeses must be sent to the group,

— traceability of the feed that the operator gives the goats must be guaranteed; there are also clarifications on the product monitoring arrangements.

3.4. Production method

Clarifications have been added regarding:

— the flock: — the term ‘milking goat’ is defined, — out-of-season goat breeding is authorised,

— feed: — the total feed ration (fodder + complementary feed) per milking goat per year comprises 820 kg of dry matter from the geographical area, and at most 275 kg from outside the area, of which a maximum of 130 kg is dehydrated fodder, meaning that at least 75 % of the total feed intake comes from the geographical area, — a maximum stocking rate per hectare of forage area is specified in order to better ensure the link with the geographical area, and the concept of forage area now includes areas planted with unripe (green) cereals, — coarse fodder specifications are given, — wrapped feed from the first cut of the forage area with a dry matter content of at least 55 % is permitted, as this enables an additional early-season cut to be made, making the first cut possible even in adverse weather conditions. This first cut guarantees better quality forage, reducing the need for complementary feed and encouraging supply from local farms. To limit the health risks, consumption of wrapped feed is limited to 1 kg of dry matter per milking goat per day, — the list of authorised complementary feed is specified, — no transgenic crops may be present on farms producing milk intended for processing into PDO ‘Valençay’ cheese. The use of GMOs in feed for the milking goats is also prohibited,

— the milk used: — the requirement for milk from no more than the four most recent milkings applies to collected milk; for farm-produced cheese, the milk must come from the last two milkings,

— manufacturing: the stages of production are clarified: — milk maturation: the characteristics of the milk maturation process are specified, as this step determines the milk’s suitability for cheese production and thus enables its aromatic potential to be expressed, — renneting: a small amount of rennet is used at renneting, in accordance with the type of cheese (matured cheese with a lactic quality). The rennet has a chymosin content of 520 mg per litre, which is the standard rennet concentration for cheese-making, — curdling: the duration of and temperature for curdling are specified, and delaying the process by freezing the curd is prohibited, — curd shaping and pre-draining: the curd is moulded only by being placed directly in the mould, — moulding and draining: the characteristics of the moulds and duration of draining are specified, — salting: the technique for salting cheeses is strongly linked to cheese-making expertise, and it is important to preserve different practices, such as salting with or without re-moulding, and salting followed by coating with ash. Surface salting and a complete coating of ash are essential for making a ‘Valençay’ cheese,

— maturing and marketing: in order to ensure optimum maturing, the following specifications are made: — the minimum temperature for maturing is specified to ensure that the rind develops, — before a cheese can be sold, its rind must be fully formed, which ensures a definite maturing phase more effectively than a minimum maturing period or marketing date, — the storage conditions and maturation periods established by cheese producers who deliver their cheeses to maturers are specified so as to meet the particular needs of this production chain, — modified atmosphere packaging is prohibited.

3.5. Specific labelling details

The following paragraph has been deleted: ‘All cheese marketed under the designation of origin must bear a mark that identifies the production unit and allows the product to be traced.’.

For various reasons, no marking system was found to be satisfactory. According to the type of marker used, the marker either disintegrated due to the highly acidic nature of the curd, or there were problems with the ink; or the disc was covered by the flora as it matured, or there was a logistical problem in attaching it.

References to the removable identifier have therefore been removed from the product specification. References to the production site that would have been included in the marking have been removed and not transferred to the label or packaging.

The wording that may be used has been updated (including removal of the option to add ‘Produit du Berry’), and use of the European Union’s PDO symbol has been made compulsory.

3.6. Other changes: a table setting out the main inspection points has been added

The references to inspection bodies have also been updated.

SINGLE DOCUMENT

COUNCIL REGULATION (EC) No 510/2006

on the protection of geographical indications and designations of origin for agricultural products and foodstuffs (3)

‘VALENÇAY’

EC No: FR-PDO-0105-01055-30.10.2012

PGI ( ) PDO ( X )

1. Name

‘Valençay’

2. Member State or Third Country

France

3. Description of the agricultural product or foodstuff

3.1. Type of product

Class 1.3. Cheeses

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

‘Valençay’ is a cheese made from raw whole goat’s milk, with a soft paste and a matured, lactic quality.

It is characterised by:

— a truncated pyramidal shape with a square base,

— a light grey to bluish grey rind obtained by adding vegetable carbon,

— a uniform, smooth and soft china-white paste.

The internal dimensions of the truncated-pyramid moulds are as follows:

— for large moulds: a base of 50-55 mm, and an angle of 96-102° between the mould’s base and side,

— for small moulds: a base of 40-44 mm, and an angle of 96-102° between the mould’s base and side.

Cheeses are only removed from the maturing site and sold if they have a complete rind covered with surface mould easily visible to the naked eye, and at the earliest 11 days after renneting.

The taste of ‘Valençay’ is distinguished by:

— a paste with a smooth and melting texture when it begins to mature, which becomes firmer with age,

— a slightly goaty aroma, with notes of undergrowth and mushrooms, and floral tones,

— a very light goaty flavour at the early stages of maturation, becoming stronger with time.

The dry matter content makes up at least 40 % of the total weight of the cheese, and the total dry matter weight per cheese is:

— at least 90 g if the cheese is made in a large mould,

— at least 45 g if the cheese is made in a small mould.

At the retail stage, the cheeses are sold individually.

3.3. Raw materials (for processed products only)

The milk used to make ‘Valençay’ cheese comes from Alpine or Saanen goats, or from a hybrid of these two breeds.

3.4. Feed (for products of animal origin only)

To guarantee a close link between the region and the product, the milking goats’ total ration contains an annual average of at least 820 kg of dry matter feed from the geographical area.

Except for the dehydrated coarse fodder, the coarse fodder comes from the designated area if not from the farm itself. The annual amount of coarse fodder distributed for each milking goat must make up at least 655 kg of dry matter. It may be eaten fresh, as hay or as dehydrated fodder. Dehydrated fodder from outside the geographical area is limited to 130 kg of dry matter per year.

The types of coarse fodder and complementary feed that are allowed are set out in a positive list.

Baled grass may be used to feed the goats, at the rate of up to 1 kg of dry matter per milking goat per day, provided that the feed contains at least 55 % of dry matter and comes from the first cut of the forage area.

The forage area consists of the areas of the farm planted with species specified in the positive list of coarse forage, excluding straw, and intended for feeding milking goats. The stocking rate must not exceed the equivalent of 12 goats per hectare of forage area.

The proportion of the ration coming from outside the geographical area must not exceed 275 kg of dry matter per milking goat per year.

The proportion of complementary feed in the goats’ diet makes up at most 440 kg of dry matter per year.

The use of silage and a feeding system using complementary feed and straw alone are prohibited.

Transgenic crops are prohibited in all areas of farms producing milk intended for processing into ‘Valençay’ cheese. Only plants and complementary feed derived from non-transgenic products are allowed in the goats’ feed; the maximum contamination threshold must comply with the Community legislation in force, and it applies to each component.

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

The milk is produced and the cheese is manufactured and matured within the geographical area.

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

—

3.7. Specific rules concerning labelling

PDO ‘Valençay’ cheese is sold bearing an individual label that must include the name of the designation of origin written in letters at least 1,3 times the size of the largest characters on the label, as well as the words ‘Appellation d’Origine Protégée’ (protected designation of origin) and the European Union’s PDO symbol. For cheeses from small moulds, the word ‘petit’ must be included on the label, invoices and commercial documents, but must not be adjacent to or immediately above the name ‘Valençay’.

4. Concise definition of the geographical area

Department of Cher (18): the following municipalities: Beddes, Charost, Chéry, Chézal-Benoit, Genouilly, Graçay, La-Celle-Condé, Lignières, Massay, Maisonnais, Montlouis, Nohant-en-Graçay, Rezay, Saint-Ambroix, Saint-Outrille, Saint-Baudel, Saint-Hilaire-en-Lignières, Saugy, Touchay, Villecelin.

Department of Indre (36): the cantons of: Ardentes, Argenton-sur-Creuse, Buzancais, Chateauroux-Centre, Chateauroux-Est, Chateauroux-Ouest, Chateauroux-Sud, Chatillon-sur-Indre, Ecueillé, Issoudun-Nord, Issoudun-Sud, Levroux, Saint-Christophe-en-Bazelles, Saint-Gaultier, Valençay, Vatan; the following municipalities: Chazelet, Cluis (Sections A1, A3, A5, B1, B2, B3 of the 1986 land register), Dunet, Fougerolles, Gournay, La Berthenoux, La Châtre, Lacs, Lourouer-Saint-Laurent, Le Magny, Lys-Saint-Georges, Maillet, Malicornay, Mers-sur-Indre, Mézières-en-Brenne, Montgivray, Montipouret, Montlevicq, Neuvy-Saint-Sépulcre, Nohant-Vicq, Obterre, Paulnay, Prissac, Roussines, Sacierges-Saint-Martin, Saint-Aout, Saint-Chartier, Saint-Christophe-en-Boucherie, Saint-Civran, Saint-Michel-en-Brenne, Sarzay, Thevet-Saint-Julien, Sainte-Gemme, Saulnay, Tranzault, Verneuil-sur-Igneraie, Vicq-Exemplet, Vigoux, Villiers.

Department of Indre et Loire (37): the canton of Montrésor: all municipalities; the following municipalities: Beaulieu-les-Loches, Bossay-sur-Claise, Bridoré, Charnizay Ferrières-sur-Beaulieu, Loches, Perrusson, Saint-Flovier, Saint-Hippolyte, Saint-Jean-Saint Germain, Sennevieres, Verneuil-sur-Indre.

Department of Loir et Cher (41): the following municipalities: Chateauvieux, Billy (Sections D, ZI, ZK, ZL, ZM, ZN, ZO, ZP, ZR, ZT, ZV, ZW, ZX of the 1983 land register), Chatillon-sur-Cher, Couffy, Gièvres, La Chapelle-Montmartin, Maray, Meusnes, Saint-Julien-sur-Cher, Saint-Loup, Selles-sur-Cher.

5. Link with the geographical area

5.1. Specificity of the geographical area

The geographical area for the ‘Valençay’ designation of origin is spread over four agricultural sub-regions: Boischaut Nord, which is the historical centre of the ‘Valençay’ designation; Champagne Berrichonne; Brenne; and Boischaut Sud. These four subregions, which are quite similar in terms of their suitability for cultivation, make up the Bas-Berry region. This area is characterised by loamy, rather stony soils and lime-clay soils, and by an oceanic-type climate modified by continental influences, with relatively low rainfall (650-750 mm per year) that falls more frequently in April, May and June (raining every second or third day on average), and fairly dry summers.

This combination of soil and climate conditions is especially well suited to growing grasses and leguminous plants, particularly lucerne, which forms the basis of the goats’ feed in the form of hay.

There are numerous historical accounts attesting the presence of goats in Berry, in the capitulars of Charlemagne and the 16th-century records of Châtre en Berry.

A variety of written sources, from Talleyrand the chatelain of Valençay to the First Empire and George Sand, mention the taste and refined quality of this cheese, traditionally made on the farm for local consumption. Talleyrand played an important role in changing the cheese’s shape from the original local form to the truncated-pyramid mould. He also introduced it to the tables of the Paris aristocracy. Yet it was not until the 20th century that marketing of the cheese really took off amongst the general population, under the aristocratic name of ‘Valençay’.

Producers have maintained their expertise in cheese-making. The milk used is raw whole goat’s milk that has not been standardised. The milk is matured before renneting, and the cheese is produced by lactic coagulation. A small amount of rennet is used for renneting. Care is taken to protect the curd’s texture when it is placed in the mould, with no pre-draining or kneading. In the mould, the cheese drains naturally, without pressing. Once removed from the mould, it is salted and coated with vegetable carbon ash on every side. As it matures, surface mould covers the cheese and its distinctive characteristics develop.

5.2. Specificity of the product

‘Valençay’, a cheese made exclusively from raw whole goat’s milk with a soft lactic paste, is the only cheese of the region in the shape of a truncated pyramid to have an ash coating and surface mould, i.e. that has been matured.

It has a uniform, smooth and firm paste, which is soft to the taste. ‘Valençay’ releases goaty aromas with notes of undergrowth and mushrooms, and floral tones.

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 types of soil in the geographical area and the specific local climate enabled goat-farming to become established. The farming methods used in the production of milk intended for making ‘Valençay’ cheese favour feed from the geographical area, which is rich in fodder. This produces a raw milk with a natural flora that promotes development of the goaty, undergrowth, mushroom and floral aromas in the cheese.

The characteristic truncated-pyramid shape, whose origin is attributed to a local historical figure, is now a distinctive visual feature of the cheese.

The cheese-makers’ expertise in using lactic coagulation, direct transfer of the curd to the mould, and slow draining enables creation of a cheese with a uniform, smooth and firm texture when cut.

The combination of salting and coating with ash and the formation of the rind through slow maturation form a complex that regulates gas and moisture exchange and plays a part in developing the product’s flavour and aromas.

Reference to publication of the specification

(Article 5(7) of Regulation (EC) No 510/2006 (4))

https://www.inao.gouv.fr/fichier/CDCValencay.pdf

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

(2) OJ L 93, 31.3.2006, p. 12. Replaced by Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012.

(3) See footnote 2.

(4) See footnote 2.