Publication of an application for registration of a name 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

(2022/C 223/09)

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) within three months from the date of this publication.

SINGLE DOCUMENT

‘Bardejovský Med / Med z Bardejova’

EU No: PDO-SK-02778 – 28.6.2021

PDO (X) PGI ( )

1. Name(s) [of PDO or PGI]

’Bardejovský Med / Med z Bardejova’

2. Member State or Third Country

Slovak Republic

3. Description of the agricultural product or foodstuff

3.1. Type of product

Class 1.4. Other products of animal origin (eggs, honey, various dairy products except butter, etc.)

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

‘Bardejovský Med / Med z Bardejova’ encompasses three separate products:

Fir-tree honeydew honey;

Lime-tree honeydew honey; and

Honeydew honey.

It is presented to the market in liquid or crystallised form

Fir-tree honeydew honey

Physicochemical characteristics

Water content: no more than 18 % on the surface in the vessel after settling

Hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) content:

for undissolved honey after centrifugation, no more than 5 mg/kg

for dissolved honey after crystallisation, no more than 15 mg/kg

Sucrose content: no more than 5 g/100 g

Glucose and fructose content: at least 60 %

Trace element content: more than 1 %

Electrical conductivity: at least 100 mS/m

It contains very high quantities of minerals and trace elements.

Organoleptic characteristics

Appearance

Colour : clear, dark to black, with slight hint of green following crystallisation 95-114 mm on the Pfund scale Crystallisation : crystallisation produces very fine crystals which dissolve rapidly at low temperature when the honey is dissolved Aroma : mild, not over-pronounced, delicately sweet buttery aroma Taste : delicately sweet with a mild, not over-pronounced buttery flavour

Lime-tree honeydew honey

Physicochemical characteristics

Water content: no more than 18 % on the surface in the vessel after settling

Hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) content:

for undissolved honey after centrifugation, no more than 5 mg/kg

for dissolved honey after crystallisation, no more than 15 mg/kg

Sucrose content: no more than 5 g/100 g

Glucose and fructose content: at least 60 %;

Trace element content: more than 1 %;

Electrical conductivity: at least 90 mS/m

Organoleptic characteristics

Appearance

Colour : clear, dark-brown to black, with slight trace of green following crystallisation 95-110 mm on the Pfund scale Crystallisation : the crystallisation of lime-tree honeydew is relatively rapid compared with that of other species; the crystals are quite large and resemble coarse grains of sand Aroma : spicy with a strong aroma of lime blossom Taste : slightly spicy with a distinctive flavour similar to menthol

Honeydew honey

Physicochemical characteristics

Water content: no more than 18 % on the surface in the vessel after settling

Hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) content:

for undissolved honey after centrifugation, no more than 5 mg/kg

for dissolved honey after crystallisation, no more than 15 mg/kg

Sucrose content: no more than 5 g/100 g

Glucose and fructose content: at least 60 %;

Trace element content: more than 1 %;

Electrical conductivity: at least 95 mS/m

Organoleptic characteristics

Appearance

Colour : clear, brownish red, brown to dark brown 95-110 mm on the Pfund scale Crystallisation : rapid, forming rather thick crystals Aroma : slightly spicy Taste : slightly buttery and spicy with a characteristic honeydew taste

3.3. Feed (for products of animal origin only) and raw materials (for processed products only)

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

All steps in the production of ‘Bardejovský Med / Med z Bardejova’, from the placement of hives to the filling of jars, must take place in the defined geographical area.

3.5. Specific rules concerning slicing, grating, packaging, etc. of the product the registered name refers to

‘Bardejovský Med / Med z Bardejova’ must be packaged in the defined geographical area referred to in point 4 so as to better protect the authenticity and quality of the product and to ensure the traceability of and supervision over the product.

This is the only way to preserve quality and prevent any changes to the physicochemical and organoleptic characteristics. Transporting the goods to a new location leads to changes in temperature and humidity, the absorption of extraneous odours, an increase in the quantity of HMF and a decrease in diastases. Packaging the product in the defined area reduces the risk of it mixing with honey from outside the area defined in point 4.

3.6. Specific rules concerning labelling of the product the registered name refers to

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4. Concise definition of the geographical area

‘Bardejovský Med / Med z Bardejova’ is made in the area of the Čergov Mountains in the Bardejov district, in the municipalities of Hertník, Šiba, Hervartov, Richvald, Kríže, Tarnov, Rokytov and Mokroluh, and in the following parts of Bardejov town: Koligrund, Bardejovská zábava, Poštárka and Bardejov-Mihaľov.

5. Link with the geographical area

The application for registration of the designation of origin ‘Bardejovský Med / Med z Bardejova’ is based solely on the specific quality and characteristics of the product, which result from the natural and human factors present in the geographical area.

The Čergov Mountains lie in the north-eastern part of Slovakia. The range has formed on a flysch base with sandstone and claystone. The surface is covered in mixed forests dominated by beech, fir and spruce. The Bardejov section of the hills has homogeneous fir stands that in one area are also interspersed with small-leaved lime trees and beech trees. The proportion of fir trees in the forests of this defined geographical area is very high – estimated at 70 %. Around 6 000 ha of the forested area is covered in fir, and the beehives are located in those areas on permanent or nomadic sites.

The entire Čergov range is in the cool climate zone, with average temperatures of -3 to -6 °C in winter and 14 to 16 °C in summer, and snow cover of 120 to 160 days annually. The area enjoys 10 to 30 days a year when the temperature reaches 25 °C or more. The climate is rather cool and humid, which creates suitable conditions for the life cycle of the green-striped fir aphid (Cinara pectinatae) in the Lachnidea family, and for its proliferation into large colonies. The aphid secretes honeydew and this is a basic resource for the production of ‘Bardejovský Med / Med z Bardejova’.

The aphids feed by piercing the branches of fir trees or the leaves of other deciduous or coniferous trees and sucking their sap. Their metabolism cannot process some of the sap’s components and so they excrete it in the form of sweet drops, which bees take to their hives and enrich with specific substances (enzymes); they thicken them, store them in honeycombs in the hives and produce honey from them. The Carniolan honey bee (Apis mellifera carnica) has been kept in this area for a long time, and it has adapted to the local climatic conditions and the gathering of honeydew.

Bees produce ‘Bardejovský Med / Med z Bardejova’ in hives located permanently in apiaries or in nomadic hives within the precisely determined boundaries of municipalities in the defined geographical area. The hives must be made of natural material: wood. Bees may not be kept in plastic or polystyrene hive assemblies.

The honey is obtained from honeycombs through centrifugation in honey extractors. Centrifugation is done when the honey is ripe and the water content does not exceed 18 %. Brood comb may not be centrifuged. During the beekeeping season, chemical medicinal products may not be used in the hives. The water content of the honey may not be reduced through technical evaporation. After centrifugation, the honey is filtered using screens to remove impurities (wax, bees etc.). Only impurities may be removed from the honey, and nothing may be added to it. The honey is then stored in containers intended for that purpose or it may be packaged immediately in glass jars intended for final sale to the consumer. After centrifugation, if the honey has been stored in containers, it may only dissolve at temperatures below 45 oC. The entire process of centrifugation and packaging of the honey may only take place in a plant designated for that purpose and approved by the relevant regional veterinary and food administration, and which must be located in the defined territory.

Beekeepers collect honey in a traditional, artisanal way, which is closely linked to the area. The skill of local beekeepers is in their selection of locations to place the apiaries, the way in which the honey is obtained, its centrifugation and the principles of storing and decanting the honey. Only old rotting wood from local trees, which produces harmless and non-irritating smoke, is used in the smoker. During the beekeeping season bees may not be fed with sugar or other feed. The honeycombs are uncapped in a traditional way using a fork. The honey is extracted from the frame by centrifugation, without the use of heat. It is not pasteurised.

The specificity of ‘Bardejovský Med / Med z Bardejova’ lies mainly in the fact that both lime-tree honeydew and honeydew honey also contain fir-tree honeydew, which influences their colour, from dark brown to black; the composition creates a very delicate taste. It owes this specific quality to its composition and its high flavonoid, mineral and trace element content. Honey originating in this way is characterised by a rather thick consistency, a delicate flavour, a dark colour and an aroma. It contains very high quantities of minerals and trace elements.

Quality ‘Bardejovský Med / Med z Bardejova’ produced at clean, natural sites has won several awards at prestigious global fairs. The quality of the product was also demonstrated in a text published in the newspaper Pravda on 5 July 2016: ‘For example, a while ago honeydew honey from Bardejov was declared the benchmark product of its type.’ A newspaper article in Nový čas dated 14 October 2012 carried the headline ‘Bardejov honey is the best in the world: Jozef the beekeeper wins gold’.

‘Bardejovský Med / Med z Bardejova’ has close links to its area of origin. The product’s specific qualities are linked to the geographical area. Homogeneous fir stands grow only in a very favourable and clean environment. The microclimatic conditions, the elevation above sea level, the climate and the humidity of the defined area create favourable conditions for aphids to reproduce, which in turn affect the production of honeydew. The hives are located in dense fir forests.

The electrical conductivity of honeydew honey in the defined geographical area is much higher than the usual conductivity of honeydew honeys in other areas. The electrical conductivity gives rise to the high content of trace elements and minerals, such as magnesium, manganese, iron, copper, cobalt, calcium, phosphorus and others. It is the presence of these minerals and trace elements in the local subsoil where the fir stands grow that gives ‘Bardejovský Med / Med z Bardejova’ its specific characteristics and quality. These rare substances enter the branches of the fir trees through the root system and are then secreted by the aphids that feed on their sap. The bees then transfer them to their hives, where the honey is produced. These facts have an impact on the composition and quality of the honey and give Bardejov honey its characteristic properties.

Honey has been produced from fir trees in this area for a very long and unbroken period. The experience and skill of the local beekeepers are reflected in the method of producing the honey. Thanks to their high skill level, local beekeepers are also able to comply with the many requirements placed on honey production and to produce honey with the specific characteristics ensuing from the exceptional nature of this geographical area.

Reference to publication of the specification

https://www.indprop.gov.sk/swift_data/source/pdf/specifikacie_op_oz/Specifikacia_Bardejov.pdf

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