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 153/05)

This publication confers the right to object to the application pursuant to Articles 7 and 12(d) of the abovementioned Regulation. Any objection to this application must be submitted via the competent authority in a Member State, in a WTO member country or in a third country recognised in accordance with Article 12(3) 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 (x) PGI ( )

National application No: 05/2001

1. Responsible department in the Member State: Name: Ministero delle Politiche agricole e forestali

Address: Via XX Settembre, 20, I-00187 Roma

Tel. (39-06) 481 99 68

Fax: (39-06) 42 01 31 26

E-mail: qualita@politicheagricole.it

2. Applicant group: 2.1. Name: Associazione Castanicoltori della Garfagnana

2.2. Address: Piazza Olindo Dini, 4, I-55032 Castelnuovo di Garfagnana (LU)

Tel. (39-05) 83 64 13 63

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

3. Type of product: Class 1.6 - Fruit, vegetables, cereals, whether or not processed - chestnut flour

4. Specification:

(Summary of requirements under Article 4(2))

4.1. Name: Farina di Neccio della Garfagnana

4.2. Description: flour of the following varieties of chestnuts grown in the area described in point 4.3:

- Carpinese,

- Pontecosi,

- Mazzangaia,

- Pelorosa,

- Rossola,

- Verdola,

- Nerona,

- Capannaccia.

The principal characteristics of Farina di Neccio della Garfagnana are as follows:

- grain size: fine, both to the touch and on the palate,

- maximum moisture content: 13 %,

- colour: from white to dark ivory,

- flavour: sweet with a bitterish aftertaste,

- smell: chestnut.

4.3. Geographical area: The geographical area in which Farina di Neccio della Garfagnana is produced is that covered by the following municipalities in the Province of Lucca: Castelnuovo di Garfagnana, Castiglione Garfagnana, Pieve Fosciana, San Romano di Garfagnana, Sillano, Piazza al Serchio, Minucciano, Camporgiano, Careggine, Fosciandora, Giuncugnano, Molazzana, Vergemoli, Vagli, Villa Collemandina, Gallicano, Borgo a Mozzano, Barga, Coreglia Antelminelli, Fabbriche di Vallico, Bagni di Lucca.

4.4. Proof of origin: Farina di neccio (chestnut flour), now used almost exclusively in confectionery production, was for many centuries one of the basic foodstuffs of the rural population of La Garfagnana. Various writers have praised the merits of the chestnut flour which in certain cases replaces cereal flour originating in the province of Lucca, where La Garfagnana lies. In terms of specific historical references to the flour, the Municipality of Barga laid down strict regulations from 1360 onwards concerning the harvesting and export of chestnuts and imposed a duty on farina di neccio. In addition, the authorities of the City of Lucca adopted a special law to protect chestnut groves and farina di neccio as early as 1489, demonstrating their importance to the local population. Carlo Roncaglia, in the statistics for the Province of La Garfagnana in 1847, estimates the number of chestnut trees at two million and states that their products, i.e. chestnuts and chestnut flour, made up for local shortfalls in cereal supplies. In order to guarantee the traceability of the flour, the inspection body will draw up lists of producers and of the metati and mills in which the product is processed.

4.5. Method of production: Since this is a forestry product, which does not lend itself to specialist agronomical methods, quality is ensured by restricting the planting density to a maximum of 150 trees per hectare.

The chestnuts must be dried in traditional structures known as metati over a slow fire using exclusively chestnut wood. A quantity of chestnuts is placed in the metato sufficient to form a layer between 20 cm and 90 cm deep so that the moisture can escape, as any trapped moisture could provoke chemical reactions that would leave the chestnuts with an unpleasant taste.

After being dried for at least 40 days, the chestnuts are peeled using traditional beating machines, ventilated mechanically or by traditional methods (tossed in the air using hand-held tools) and then checked by hand and any damaged parts removed. The yield of dried, peeled chestnuts, as a proportion by weight of the raw chestnuts used, must not exceed 30 %. The mills use stone grinders to process the dried chestnuts into farina di neccio.

Each mill may grind no more than 500 kg of dried chestnuts per day per grinder in order to prevent overheating caused by a high operating speed giving the product an unpleasant flavour and to ensure that the flour is not too coarse.

4.6. Link: Leaving aside the presence of the human population and the intensive exploitation of the chestnut tree, proof of a link with the area can be found in the very nature of the tree as a forest species.

Generally speaking, chestnut trees only grow in areas providing particularly favourable pedoclimatic conditions and it is difficult to introduce them to new areas in which voluntary chestnut trees are not already established, even when the pedological conditions are similar to those in the original area.

The benefits, both economic and dietary, of the chestnut tree and its products enjoyed by the inhabitants of the Province of Lucca and of La Garfagnana in particular, since antiquity are attested in numerous documents. Local people have therefore developed a close link with the tree in order to exploit its products to the maximum.

For hundreds of years buildings have been constructed in order to facilitate the special processing procedures required to manufacture chestnut flour and in particular Farina di Neccio della Garfagnana and the area contains a large number of structures used for drying chestnuts (metati) and for milling them.

It is estimated that in 1950 there were roughly 5000 metati in the defined area and that in 1800 there were approximately 245 mills.

The particular architectural and structural features of these constructions are such that both the specification and the municipal building regulations provide for their preservation as expressions of the local culture and proof of the link with the environment.

Another important aspect is the extent to which farina di neccio has influenced the local cuisine. Typical dishes include farina di neccio polenta, manafregoli (farina di neccio cooked with milk), castagnaccio (pizza baked in the oven made with farina di neccio, olive oil, walnuts and pine nuts) and what could be called the bread of La Garfagnana made with flour, water and salt and known as neccio.

4.7. Inspection body: Name: A.I.A.B.- Associazione Italiana Agricoltura Biologica

Address: Strada Maggiore, 29 I-40125 Bologna

4.8. Labelling: Farina di Neccio della Garfagnana PDO can be marketed only after 1 December each year.

Products made using Farina di Neccio della Garfagnana PDO, including after processing, may be marketed in packaging bearing a reference to the designation, without the Community logo, provided that:

- Farina di Neccio della Garfagnana PDO, certified as such, is the only chestnut flour contained in the product,

- users of Farina di Neccio della Garfagnana PDO are authorised by the holders of the intellectual property right conferred by registration of the designation Farina di Neccio della Garfagnana PDO, organised in an association for the protection of the PDO recognised by the Ministry of Agricultural and Forestry Policy. The recognised association will also enter the users in special registers and monitor the correct use of the protected designation. In the absence of a recognised association, the above tasks will be carried out by the Ministry of Agricultural and Forestry Policy as the national authority responsible for implementing Regulation (EEC) No 2081/92.

Where Farina di Neccio della Garfagnana PDO is used along with other chestnut flour, under the relevant rules it may be mentioned only as one of the ingredients of the product containing it or into which it is processed.

Farina di Neccio della Garfagnana PDO may be sold by the producer only if packaged in transparent bags placed in a protective cardboard envelope. Packages must be of either 500 g or 1 kg. Supplies to restaurants, bakers and other processors may be provided in 12 kg packs comprising two 6 kg sealed and boxed transparent bags.

Packages must be closed and sealed in such a way as to prevent the product being removed without breaking the seal. The seal is in the form of an irremovable label that must bear the following wordings:

(a) "Farina di Neccio della Garfagnana" followed immediately underneath by Denominazione Origine Protetta (D.O.P.) and the logo that forms an integral part of the specification;

(b) the forename and family name or the company name of the producer and the company name and address of the head office of the packer (whether or not the producer);

(c) the quantity of product originally contained in the package, expressed in accordance with the relevant measuring standards.

The label must also show the EU PDO logo as defined in Regulation (EC) No 1726/98.

It is prohibited to indicate on the label anything other than is expressly laid down, including adjectives such as extra, superiore, fine, scelta (choice) or selezionata (selected). It is also prohibited to use laudatory wordings that could mislead the consumer.

Information on the producer and the place of packaging may be given.

4.9. National requirements: -

EC No: G/IT/00196/01.05.15.

Date of receipt of the full application: 21 March 2003.