EN Official Journal of the European Union C 131/7

Application for approval of a minor amendment in accordance with the second subparagraph of Article 53(2) of Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012 of the European Parliament and of the Council

(2016/C 131/08)

The European Commission has approved this minor amendment in accordance with the third subparagraph of Article 6(2) of Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) No 664/2014 (1).

APPLICATION FOR APPROVAL OF A MINOR AMENDMENT

Application for approval of a minor amendment in accordance with the second subparagraph of Article 53(2) of Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012 of the European Parliament and of the Council (2)

‘GARDA’

EU No: IT-PDO-0217-01409 — 23.12.2015

PDO ( X ) PGI ( ) TSG ( )

1. Applicant group and legitimate interest

Consorzio di tutela olio Olio extravergine di oliva Garda DOP (Consortium for the Protection of Garda PDO oil, extra virgin olive oil) Via V. Veneto 1 37010 Cavaion Veronese (VR) ITALIA Tel. +39 0457235864 E-mail: info@oliogardadop.it

2. Member State or Third Country

Italy

3. Heading in the product specification affected by the amendment(s)

— ☐ Description of product — ☐ Proof of origin — ☐ Method of production — ☐ Link — ☒ Labelling — ☐ Other (to be specified)

4. Type of amendment(s)

— ☐ Amendment to product specification of registered PDO or PGI to be qualified as minor in accordance with the third subparagraph of Article 53(2) of Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012, that requires no amendment to the published single document. — ☒ Amendment to product specification of registered PDO or PGI to be qualified as minor in accordance with the third subparagraph of Article 53(2) of Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012, that requires an amendment to the published single document. — ☐ Amendment to product specification of registered PDO or PGI to be qualified as minor in accordance with the third subparagraph of Article 53(2) of Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012, for which a single document (or equivalent) has not been published. — ☐ Amendment to product specification of registered TSG to be qualified as minor in accordance with the fourth subparagraph of Article 53(2) of Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012.

5. Amendment(s)

Labelling

The sentence:

‘The label of the packaged product must indicate the following in clear, indelible letters that are larger than all other writing: “Garda” and “Protected Designation of Origin” or its acronym “PDO”.’

is replaced as follows:

‘The label of the packaged product must indicate the following in clear, indelible letters that are larger than all other writing: “Garda”. The word “Garda” must be accompanied by the EU PDO symbol provided for by Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 668/2014 (3). The indication “Protected Designation of Origin” or its acronym “PDO” may appear on the label’.

The product specification has been adapted to current European legislation in that ‘Protected Designation of Origin’ or its acronym ‘PDO’ no longer needs to be added in the same font size as the name of the product. Using the EU symbol is mandatory but adding the indication ‘Protected Designation of Origin’ or its acronym is optional under Article 12 of Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012.

The sentences:

‘All the indications referred to in points 2, 4 and 6 appearing on the label must have letters of a height and width not exceeding half of those used for the “Garda” protected designation of origin. All the indications referred to in point 5 appearing on the label must have letters of a height and width not exceeding half of those used for the additional geographical reference.’

are replaced as follows:

‘The indications referred to in point 2 appearing on the label must have letters of a size not exceeding half of those used for the “Garda” protected designation of origin. All the indications referred to in point 5 appearing on the label must have letters of a size not exceeding half of those used for the additional geographical reference.’

This amendment takes account of producers' need to present their products in a uniform manner even if they are obtained from several areas. Thus the requirement that the ‘Garda’ designation of origin must be in letters that are larger than all other writing on the label has been kept to ensure that the name stands out on the label, whereas it has been left to the operator to decide on the size of the letters used for the other indications.

Other

The email address of the inspection body, incorrectly stated as csqa@.it, has been corrected to csqa@csqa.it

6. Updated product specification (only for PDO and PGI)

http://www.politicheagricole.it/flex/cm/pages/ServeBLOB.php/L/IT/IDPagina/3335

SINGLE DOCUMENT

‘GARDA’

EU No: IT-PDO-0217-01409 — 23.12.2015

PDO ( X ) PGI ( )

1. Name(s)

‘Garda’

2. Member State or Third Country:

Italy

3. Description of the agricultural product or foodstuff

3.1. Type of product

Class 1.5. Oils and fats

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

The ‘Garda’ protected designation of origin, which may optionally be accompanied by the additional geographical references ‘Bresciano’, ‘Orientale’ or ‘Trentino’, is reserved for extra virgin olive oil having the following characteristics:

— a green to yellow colour of varying intensity;

— a fairly or slightly fruity aroma;

— a fruity taste;

— sweet notes and a typical almond after-taste.

Chemical assessment:

— acidity (expressed as oleic acid): max. 0,5 %;

— maximum peroxides: ≤ 14 Meq O2/kg;

Organoleptic assessment (IOC method)

Median interval

Minimum Maximum Greenly/ripely fruity > 0 ≤ 6 Almonds > 0 ≤ 5 Bitter > 0 ≤ 5 Pungent > 0 ≤ 6

The median of defects in the organoleptic assessment must be zero.

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

Extra virgin olive oil of the ‘Garda’ designation, which may be accompanied by the additional geographical references ‘Bresciano’, ‘Orientale’ or ‘Trentino’, is obtained from the following olive varieties found alone or in combination with each other in olive groves with the following specifications:

— Casaliva, Frantoio and Leccino, accounting for at least 55 %, and other varieties also found in olive groves in a proportion not greater than 45 % for the designations ‘Garda’, ‘Garda Bresciano’ and ‘Garda Orientale’,

— Casaliva, Frantoio, Leccino and Pendolino, accounting for at least 80 %, and other varieties also found in olive groves in a proportion not greater than 20 % for the designation ‘Garda Trentino’.

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

All of the steps in the production process (growing and harvesting of olives and oil extraction) must take place in the identified geographical area.

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

In order to maintain the product's specific characteristics throughout the production process and guarantee compliance with the quality requirements, ‘Garda’ oil has always had to be packaged within the area referred to in Article 4. Local producers know exactly how the oil behaves, e.g. filtration and settling times and methods and packaging temperature, in the pre-packaging and packaging phases; packaging in the area at the end of the production process also enables the organoleptic and other characteristics of the oil to be maintained since these would quickly deteriorate in contact with oxygen. Extra-virgin olive oil with the ‘Garda’ protected designation of origin must be marketed in glass or metal containers of a maximum capacity of 5 litres.

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

The label of the packaged product must indicate the following in clear, indelible letters that are larger than all other writing: ‘Garda’. The word ‘Garda’ must be accompanied by the EU PDO symbol provided for by Implementing Regulation (EU) No 668/2014. The indication ‘Protected Designation of Origin’ or its acronym ‘PDO’ may appear on the label.

These words may be accompanied on the label by one of the additional geographical references ‘Bresciano’, ‘Trentino’ or ‘Orientale’, but only if the oil has been produced entirely from olives grown in the area in question and pressing and packaging have taken place in the same area. The geographical location of olive groves may be indicated on the label if the product is obtained solely from olives harvested from the said groves and if the additional geographical reference is indicated on the label.

Names of holdings, estates or farms and their location may be given only if the product was produced exclusively from olives harvested in groves belonging to the holding, estate or farm in question.

It is prohibited to add qualifying adjectives such as ‘fine’ (‘fine’), ‘scelto’ (‘chosen’), ‘selezionato’ (‘selected’) or ‘superiore’ (‘superior’) to the ‘Garda’ protected designation of origin. Names, business names, brand names etc. can be used provided they have no laudatory purport and are not such as to mislead the consumer. A depiction of Lake Garda is permitted.

The year of production of the olives from which the oil was made must be indicated on the label.

The use of the designation logo is mandatory.

4. Concise definition of the geographical area

The area of production of ‘Garda’ PDO oil is situated in the Provinces of Brescia, Verona, Mantova and Trento and includes land overlooking the Lake Garda basin.

5. Link with the geographical area

Specificity of the geographical area

Environmental factors

The Garda olive tree is grown in the valley surrounded by the morainic hills of glacial origin encircling Lake Garda and bordered to the north by the Alps. The exposed terrain towards the lake and to the south is almost entirely given over to olive groves and vineyards. Proximity to the mountains ensures a good distribution of rainfall throughout the year, and particularly in spring and autumn.

Generally speaking, the area's climate, strongly affected as it is by the presence of the large body of water of the Lake and the protection afforded by the mountains, is characterised by hot but not oppressive summers and relatively cold winters; it is mild enough to be defined as a ‘mild Mediterranean’ climate, with some local micro-climates. The production area of the Garda olive is in fact the most northerly region in the world where olive trees grow. The presence of the Lake reduces the variation in day and night-time temperatures.

Human and historical factors

The tradition of olive growing in the Garda area forms part of the local way of life and gastronomy and is a component of farm incomes, as has been described in numerous documents.

Historical evidence of man's savoir-faire in the Garda olive plantations dates back to the Renaissance, when human intervention helped define the characteristics of the agricultural and general landscape of Lake Garda. It was in that period that the slopes began to be redesigned with complex growing arrangements, becoming genuine terraces overlooking the Lake that were suited to olive growing. The area became famous for this typical landscape, and has been known since 1968 as the ‘Olive Riviera’.

In terms of human traditions, it is customary among consumers and producers to use one of the three additional geographical references ‘Bresciano’, ‘Orientale’ or ‘Trentino’ in order to better identify ‘certain very important areas in terms of human and administrative tradition’, as the original documents indicated.

Specificity of the product

Garda oil and the olives from which it is produced are characterised by less intense and more delicate flavours and aromas than those obtained in other, hotter olive-growing areas further south.

Consumers particularly appreciate the delicate, balanced and harmonious taste and the distinctive, slightly almond after-taste, which make the oil unique and easily distinguishable from other Italian PDO oils.

As a result of these unique characteristics, it is used in many recipes in which its delicate flavour does not overpower but rather enhances the taste of the dishes concerned. It is well-suited to fish, white meat, raw and cooked vegetables, pulses, fresh or semi-ripened cheeses, thinly-sliced raw meat (‘carpaccio’), ‘carne salada’ (a type of cured meat) and desserts.

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)

The presence of the mountains to the north and the largest lake in Italy make the climate similar to a Mediterranean climate and mitigate the environmental effects which, at this latitude, would be hostile to the development of olive growing. The even distribution of rainfall throughout the year protects the olives from water stress and prevents the formation of stagnant water which would be harmful to the trees and the quality of the oil. The hilly terrain towards the lake and to the south heats up quickly at the end of the winter, thus allowing the fast recovery of the olive trees' vegetative state. This terrain, together with the ‘mild Mediterranean’ weather conditions in the Garda area, enable less intense and more delicate flavours and aromas to be obtained in the region's olives and oil than in the typical environmental conditions of hotter regions further south. These climatic and environmental characteristics help give the oil its distinctive fairly or slightly fruity taste and the almond after-taste which makes it unique and easily distinguishable for consumers from other Italian PDO oils.

Moreover, in the various local areas around Lake Garda stretching from the plain to the mountains, specific micro-climates exist which, while maintaining the uniformity of the oil's particular characteristics for the entire Garda designation, allow organoleptic differences to emerge which only experts are able to perceive.

The savoir-faire of producers at all stages in the production process, from the preparation of land (including traditional terracing) to olive growing and subsequent packaging, allows the specificity of the product, i.e. its sweetness and typical almond after-taste, to be maintained and protected.

Reference to publication of the specification

(the second subparagraph of Article 6(1) of this Regulation)

http://www.politicheagricole.it/flex/cm/pages/ServeBLOB.php/L/IT/IDPagina/3335

(1) OJ L 179, 19.6.2014, p. 17.

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

(3) OJ L 179, 19.6.2014, p. 36.