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 71/04)

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 ( ) PGI (x)

National application No: -

1. Responsible department in the Member State Name: Ministère de l'Agriculture et de la Pêche - Direction des politiques économique et internationale - Bureau des signes de qualité et de l'agriculture biologique

Address: 3, rue Barbet de Jouy, F-75349 Paris 07 SP

Tel. (33) 149 55 81 01

Fax (33) 149 55 57 85.

2. Applicant group 2.1. Name: Confédération régionale des apiculteurs d'Alsace

2.2. Address: Maison de l'Agriculture

2, rue de Rome, F-67309 Schiltigheim Cedex

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

3. Type of product: Chapter 17.02 Honey.

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

4.1. Name: Miel d'Alsace.

4.2. Description: A product made by bees from sugars produced by plants in the form either of exudations of flowers (nectar) or of sap gathered by aphids (honeydew). Each product is characterised by its maximum water content, conductivity, acidity, HMF, colour and distinctive taste.

Honey made from silver fir is brown in colour with green reflections, smell is mildly resinous and aroma balsamic.

Honey made from chestnut is light to dark brown in colour, smell is reminiscent of overripe apples and taste is tannic and slightly stringent.

Honey made from acacia is light-coloured, smell is fragrant of acacia flowers, aroma is reminiscent of Robinia and taste reminiscent of the hive.

Honey made from lime is light to dark yellow in colour, smell is mentholated and taste slightly bitter.

Forest honey has a distinctive intense colour, subtle aromas due to the mixture of honeydew and nectars, a flavour that is intense and a taste that is slightly stringent.

Multi-flower honey is light to dark coloured, aromas are complex owing to the mixture of nectars, taste is very sweet.

4.3. Geographical area: The production hives must be installed in Alsace. In the case of honey from silver fir, the perimeter is limited to the Alsatian slopes of the Vosges and Jura mountain ranges. Chestnut honey is gathered in the hills south of the Vosges (Lower Rhine and Upper Rhine in the forests of Brumath and Haguenau). Lime honey comes from the forests of Hardt (Upper Rhine).

The honey collection areas, a determining factor for quality and specificity, are defined, but extraction can take place outside the area given that traceability is ensured.

4.4. Proof of origin: Beekeepers and production sites are identified, registered and checked. It is mandatory for production sites to be located in Alsace. Traceability of the honey is ensured through the keeping of records of labels which are checked against harvest declarations and stocks.

4.5. Method of production: Hives are placed in an area in which the forest or floral species are found that correspond to the type of honey sought: acacia, lime, pine, chestnut, forest or multi-flower honey. The honey is extracted when ripe without heating, is decanted, stored and packaged. Each batch is subjected to a physico-chemical and sensory analysis. The honey must also comply with the physico-chemical and organoleptic criteria set out in the specification.

4.6. Links 4.6.1. Distinctive features linked to the product: Each type of honey develops its own physico-chemical and organoleptic characteristics, which are defined in the specification and correspond to the floral diversity of the region. The diversity of Alsatian honeys stems directly from the diversity of the prevailing ecosystems. Alsace comprises several areas: an area of mountains covered with softwoods, an area made up of hills and plateaux with vines, meadows and beech and chestnut forests, and a plain consisting of cropped land and meadows. The resulting diversity of ecosystems hence allows harvesting to take place from early spring to early autumn, providing a wide variety of products.

4.6.2. Past and present reputation: - records of honey production in Alsace go back as far as the seventh century,

- in the 16th century, among the various works published was a treatise on apiculture dating back to 1580 which remained a reference for almost two centuries,

- the second half on the 19th century saw a new phase in the development of Alsatian apiculture; by the beginning of the 20th century there were more than 50000 hives in Alsace,

- Alsatian apiculture today is made up of a very large number of beekeepers (currently close to 4000) who are members of pyramid-shaped and decentralised unions. The regional show held at Colmar for the honeys from Alsace attests to the vitality of Alsatian honey production.

4.7. Inspection body Name: Certiqual (association certifying Alsace quality products)

Address: 2, rue de Rome, F-67309 Schiltigheim Cedex.

4.8. Labelling: The words "Miel d'Alsace" must figure on the label together with a reference to the type of honey (acacia, lime, silver fir, chestnut, forest, multi-flower).

Freshness, quality and taste guaranteed, compliance of characteristics certified by Certiqual, F-67309 Schiltigheim Cedex.

4.9. National requirements: -

EC No: G/F/00150/2000.08.24.

Date of receipt of the full application: 30 July 2001.