EN Official Journal of the European Union C 432/12

Publication of an 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

(2014/C 432/08)

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).

SINGLE DOCUMENT

COUNCIL REGULATION (EC) No 510/2006

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

‘VLAAMSE LAURIER’

EC No: BE-PGI-0005-01125-2.7.2013

PGI ( X ) PDO ( )

1. Name

‘Vlaamse Laurier’

2. Member State or Third Country

Belgium

3. Description of the agricultural product or foodstuff

3.1. Type of product

Class 3.5. Flowers and ornamental plants

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

‘Vlaamse Laurier’ is the ready-for-sale bay laurel tree or shrub of the genus Laurus nobilis fam. Lauraceae and its cultivars. ‘Vlaamse Laurier’ is at least 5 years old and is symmetrically pruned in various geometrical shapes.

The plant has an intact stem and beautiful green leaves free of visible residues. The plants have compact growth and short internodes (i.e. spaces between two buds).

The plant is in the middle of a clean pot, with clean substrate and a sufficient rim for watering, and is free of ground shoots in the case of ‘Vlaamse Laurier’ standards.

After 5 years the plants have the following minimum measurements:

— cones and cone standards: at least 80 cm high

— balls and ball standards: at least 30 cm in diameter

— pillars and other geometrical figures: at least 80 cm high

— trained forms: at least 80 cm high

— in the case of twisted and plaited stems: balls at least 30 cm in diameter

3.3. Raw materials (for processed products only)

—

3.4. Feed (for products of animal origin only)

—

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

The complete cultivation of ‘Vlaamse Laurier’, from producing cuttings up to and including the end product, must take place in the defined geographical area.

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

—

3.7. Specific rules concerning labelling

The label must show the registered name ‘Vlaamse Laurier’ and the PGI logo.

4. Concise definition of the geographical area

The production area for ‘Vlaamse Laurier’ is limited to the administrative districts of Bruges, Ghent, Eeklo, Roeselare and Tielt in the Belgian Provinces of West Flanders and East Flanders.

5. Link with the geographical area

The geographical origin of ‘Vlaamse Laurier’ has a significant impact on its specific quality. The know-how of the local growers, built up over the centuries, and the local climate have led to the specific character of ‘Vlaamse Laurier’. The product's reputation is proved by the number of plants exported, the high retail price and the fact that the plant is exhibited at many renowned events.

5.1. Specificity of the geographical area

Maritime climate

Owing to the proximity of the North Sea, warmed by the Gulf Stream from the Atlantic, and to the prevailing westerly to south-westerly winds, the area enjoys a mild maritime climate. This moderate maritime climate is normally characterised by cool (20 °C on average) and humid summers and relatively mild and wet winters.

The growers make optimum use of outdoor cultivation in spring, summer and autumn because this guarantees growth which is balanced and more compact than in countries further south, where the plants grow more abundantly due to the higher temperatures. ‘Vlaamse Laurier’ are more resistant to cold (but not frost) than bay laurels growing in southern countries.

In the autumn the plants are brought indoors and protected against frost damage. The plants rest during the winter, whereas in more southern countries the plants grow practically all year round. Throughout the growing period of 5 years and also thereafter, excessively high or low temperatures are avoided thanks to the mild maritime climate. This gives ‘Vlaamse Laurier’ its high quality. As far back as the 16th century the botanists Dodoens and Lobelius reported that in this region the bay laurel grew very well: ‘Bay laurel trees grow abundantly in Spain and other such hot countries. In the Low Countries they are planted in gardens and protected from the cold with care in the winter, apart from in Zeeland and near the sea, where the soil is salty’.

Local expertise

The expertise with which the local growers produce ‘Vlaamse Laurier’ plays a vital role in the end product's specific quality. For over 500 years bay laurel in Flanders has been propagated from cuttings instead of seed. This results in descendants which are clones and which therefore possess the same genotype and phenotype. Long-term and careful selection at the nurseries themselves has ensured that the ‘Vlaamse Laurier’ growers supply very uniform plants. Each year the growers select the cuttings which are the best-growing and best-branched, which have the most attractive dark-green colour, and which thrive best in a mild maritime climate.

‘Vlaamse Laurier’ is grown in pots and repotted regularly, depending on the pot/plant ratio, the growth achieved and the amount of available substrate. This limits the volume of roots and in turn the growth of the plant, which makes it easier to shape.

After 1 year the growers decide, depending on growth and branching, which plants are suitable for which form of pruning.

Pruning is an essential part of ‘Vlaamse Laurier’ cultivation, both for shaping the plant and in order to create shorter internodes. A distinction is made between winter and summer pruning. During winter pruning the plant is given a symmetrical, geometrical, characteristic shape. Summer pruning is carried out depending on how vigorous the growth is and the need to improve quality. Summer pruning ensures that the branches divide well, thereby giving the plants their attractive full shape.

The fact that 95 % of the nurseries concerned grow only this type of bay laurel is unique in the world. This high degree of specialisation dates back to the 17th century, first in West Flanders, in the Bruges area, and later also in East Flanders. Bay laurel has never been grown in the rest of Belgium.

Before the First World War there were some 100 bay laurel growers active in the region with ‘Vlaamse Laurier’ as their main crop. In 1996 the Flemish Bay Laurel Association was set up. The number of nurseries declined so that now about 15 are still active, each with on average 15 000 to 20 000 plants in production.

5.2. Specificity of the product

The specialised growers' local know-how together with the mild maritime climate makes ‘Vlaamse Laurier’ a top product of Flemish ornamental plant cultivation. The production method ensures that ‘Vlaamse Laurier’ complies with the description under point 3.2.

‘Vlaamse Laurier’ is characterised by:

— the fact that it is grown from cuttings, resulting in great uniformity,

— its even and compact growth,

— its good branching and short internodes,

— its dark green leaves,

— the symmetric pruning, leading to a geometrical shape (cones, balls, pillars, etc.),

— its resistance to cold.

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)

Link between the geographical area and the specific quality of ‘Vlaamse Laurier’

The maritime climate in the geographical area, together with the local growers' expertise handed down from generation to generation, guarantee the specific quality of the product. The area's mild temperatures in both summer and winter mean that the plants are more compact and regular than bay laurels which grow in the south. Their uniformity is a result of the cutting production method. The intensive and careful pruning method gives the ‘Vlaamse Laurier’ its characteristic symmetrical shape (balls, cones, pillars, etc.) with good branching and short internodes.

Link between the geographical area and the reputation of ‘Vlaamse Laurier’

Proof that ‘Vlaamse Laurier’ is well known and famous outside the geographical area is the fact that at present 90 % of production is exported each year and that on average ‘Vlaamse Laurier’ is 30-40 % more expensive than bay laurel from other countries. The growers also rent their most valuable (oldest) ‘Vlaamse Laurier’ as a decorative plant for events, such as the football World Cup in Germany (2006) or a maze made of bay laurels for Tommy Hilfiger in Amsterdam. ‘Vlaamse Laurier’ is also found in the royal households of Denmark and Belgium, the Cartier house in St. Petersburg, Christie's Auction Rooms in Paris and the singer Madonna's private residence in the United Kingdom. Customers from northern countries choose ‘Vlaamse Laurier’ rather than other bay laurels because they are resistant to cold.

In Belgium ‘Vlaamse Laurier’ regularly attracts attention, such as in 2010 when Belgium's most famous flower arranger Daniël Ost set up a bay laurel garden on the main square in Bruges which was visited by 80 000 people. In 2013 the Grand-Place in Brussels was decorated with ‘Vlaamse Laurier’.

Reference to publication of the specification

(Article 5(7) of Regulation (EC) No 510/2006 (3))

http://lv.vlaanderen.be/nlapps/data/docattachments/Vlaamse%20laurier.pdf

or

www.vlaanderen.be/landbouw → beleid → kwaliteitssystemen → Europese kwaliteitssystemen → vlaamse dossiers

(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.