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

(2003/C 40/04)

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 point 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: 82

1. Responsible department in the Member State Name: Subdirección General de Denominaciones de Calidad y Relaciones Interprofesionales y Contractuales

Dirección General de Alimentación

Subsecretaría de Agricultura, Pesca y Alimentación

Ministerio de Agricultura, Pesca y Alimentación

Address: Paseo Infanta Isabel, 1, E-28071 Madrid

Tel. (34-91) 347 53 94

Fax (34-91) 347 54 10

2. Applicant group 2.1. Name: Consejo Rector Producto de Calidad "Alcachofa de Benicarló"

2.2. Address: c/ Cesar Cataldo, 2 (Edificio Cámara Agraria)

E-12580 Benicarló (Castellón)

Tel. and fax (34) 96 46 16 74

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

3. Type of product: Globe artichoke. Class 1.6: fruit and vegetables

4. Specification

Summary of requirements under Article 4(2)

4.1. Name: "Alcachofa de Benicarló" or "Carxofa de Benicarló"

4.2. Description: flower buds of the globe artichoke plant (Cynara scolymus L.) belonging to the variety "Blanca de Tudela", to be eaten fresh, and to the categories Extra and I, provided they meet the requirements in the specification and the other requirements under the relevant laws in force.

4.3. Geographical area: "Alcachofa de Benicarló" is grown in the municipalities of Benicarló, Cálig, Peñíscola and Vinaroz, all of which are located close to the coast in the region of "Baix Maestrat", province of Castellón (Comunidad Valenciana). The production area covers a total of 25129 ha, of which proximately 16000 ha is cultivated. Green vegetables are grown on 3800 ha of this area with 18 % given over to artichoke cultivation.

Packaging and wrapping take place in the production area.

4.4. Proof of origin: the Consejo Regulador (regulatory council) keeps the following records: (a) a register of planting; (b) a register of storage facilities and packing plants. Only artichokes grown on land included in the registers of plantings and handled by businesses included in the relevant register may be sold with the protected designation of origin, identified by a numbered label.

Regular checks are carried out on the land in question and inspections are made on products marketed with the DO label. Regular inspections are also undertaken to ensure that artichokes meeting the requirements for a protected designation of origin are kept separately from those which do not.

4.5. Method of production Planting: plants selected by the farmer are propagated using cuttings. The cuttings are planted in July and August.

Cultivation: traditional irrigation by the furrow method is gradually giving way to localised irrigation since this involves the more rational use of water and better control of fertiliser inputs, which are applied throughout the year according to the plant's requirements. In the early stages of cultivation manual and chemical means of weed control are used and when the plant has three or four leaves, earthing up is carried out at longer and longer intervals until the shade created prevents the rapid spread of weeds.

Harvesting: artichokes are harvested from around October to April and are removed manually using a knife, having first been very carefully selected.

Packaging and wrapping: on arrival at the packaging plant, the product is rigorously screened and graded.

4.6. Link Historical link: the artichoke has enjoyed a long tradition in the region, mainly in the city of Benicarló. Its cultivation is very well adapted to the area and its importance to the city is reflected in the fact that it appears on its escutcheon. The presence of the artichoke and the land on which it is grown dates back a very long time, probably to the XIIIth century. The botanist Cabanilles called it Scolimus hispanicus and said that it was abundant in his time (late XVIIIth century) throughout the market gardening area of Valencia.

Current production and marketing of the artichoke started about 50 years ago, at the end of the forties, when farmers who were accustomed to growing the plant moved to large-scale cultivation with the expansion of trade and the nearness of markets brought about by the development of transport.

Natural link: growing conditions in the area covered by the DO are ideal for the cultivation of artichokes, which benefit from the combined effect of the special climate of the region and the characteristics of the soil of the coastal plains of the northern part of the Comunidad Valenciana.

Relief: this comprises a gently sloping (2 % on average) narrow coastal region protected by a mountain chain.

Soil: the parent rock is carbonate type with a slightly basic pH and a smooth texture.

Climate: dry sub-humid, Mediterranean-maritime, with mild but cool winters and a slight risk of frost. Average annual precipitation of 400 mm is distributed unevenly making irrigation necessary.

In these conditions, as a result of rigorous care during cultivation, the white varieties develop excellent quality flower buds with a compact and conical outside appearance. Artichokes from the area are very resistant to blackening after harvesting, a characteristic much appreciated by the trade.

Cultivation is labour intensive and requires great care, from the selection of the shoots by the grower to the day-by-day harvesting of the artichokes when they attain optimum ripeness. Growers undertake these different stages with great precision, the outcome of a professionalism and tradition going back several generations.

4.7. Inspection body Name: Instituto de Calidad Alimentaria de la Comunidad Valenciana

Address: Plaza Polo de Bernabé, 8. bajo, E-46020 Valencia

Tel. (34) 96 38 41 24; fax (34) 96 38 41 79

E-mail: instituto.calidad@agricultura.m400.gva.es

The Agri-foodstuffs Quality Institute, as the body responsible for designations of quality in the Comunidad Valenciana, has been given the task temporarily of monitoring production until the Consejo Regulador of the PDO "Alcachofa de Benicarló" complies with standard EN 45011.

4.8. Labelling: artichokes qualifying for the protected designation of origin are sold only in packagings bearing a numbered label issued and checked by the regulatory council on which the following words must appear: protected designation of origin "Alcachofa de Benicarló" or "Carxofa de Benicarló".

4.9. National requirements - Law 25/1970 of 2 December 1970 laying down the rules governing vines, wine and alcohol

- Decree 835/1972 of 28 March 1972 regulating Law 25/1970 of 2 December 1970

- Order of 25 January 1994 of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food incorporating into Spanish law Regulation (EEC) No 2081/92 on the protection of geographical indications and designations of origin for agricultural products and foodstuffs

- Royal Decree No 1643/99 of 22 October 1999 laying down the procedure for the management of applications for entry in the Community register of protected designations of origin and protected geographical indications.

EC No: G/ES/00202/01.07.31.

Date of receipt of the full application: 9 September 2002.