EN Official Journal of the European Union C 214/25

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 on quality schemes for agricultural products and foodstuffs

(2017/C 214/09)

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)

‘SAUCISSON DE LACAUNE’/‘SAUCISSE DE LACAUNE’

EU No: PGI-FR-02301 – 15.3.2017

PDO ( ) PGI ( X ) TSG ( )

1. Applicant group and legitimate interest

Syndicat des Salaisons de Lacaune BP8 81230 Lacaune FRANCE Tel. +33 561737780 Fax +33 561737782 Email: midiporc@midiporc.fr

This association includes all the operators in the ‘Saucisson de Lacaune’/‘Saucisse de Lacaune’ PGI sector (farmers, slaughterers, feed-makers, cutting plants, processors, slicing facilities, and packaging facilities) and therefore has a legitimate right to request amendments to the product specification.

2. Member State or Third Country

France

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

— ☐ Product description — ☒ Proof of origin — ☐ Method of production — ☐ Link — ☒ Labelling — ☒ Other: link, inspection body

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 and requiring 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)

Proof of origin

The paragraph:

‘The products are identified by labels bearing a logo defined by the group. Only meat-curers and other operators authorised in connection with the PGI may use this logo on their product. All operators marketing “Saucisson de Lacaune” or “Saucisse de Lacaune” must keep stock records with respect to these labels. This use of labels must be periodically compared to the number of consumer units sold.’

has been replaced by the following paragraph:

‘All operators marketing “Saucisson de Lacaune” or “Saucisse de Lacaune” must keep stock records with respect to the PGI, and periodically compare the number of consumer units sold with the number of “Saucisson de Lacaune”/“Saucisse de Lacaune” PGI labels used.’

Labelling:

The paragraph:

‘In addition to the information that must be provided by law, the labelling must contain:

— The name of the PGI: “Saucisson de Lacaune”/“Saucisse de Lacaune”,

— The following logo: ’

has been replaced by the following paragraph:

‘The labelling does not contain any compulsory information apart from that provided for in the legislation.’

The removal of the logo allows for all reference to the operator groups to be removed. This logo is a collective mark that made it possible easily to identify ‘Saucisson de Lacaune’/‘Saucisse de Lacaune’ before the name was registered as a PGI. Since this registration, the name ‘Saucisson de Lacaune’/‘Saucisse de Lacaune’ has been protected and identified by the consumer due to the EU legislation requiring the designation and EU symbol to be affixed to the PGI labels.

The single document has been amended to maintain consistency with the specification.

Other

Link:

The removal of the group’s logo in the ‘Labelling’ section of the specification entails the removal of the phrase ‘It serves to identify the production of “Saucisson de Lacaune”/“Saucisse de Lacaune”’ in the section dealing with the link. It is no longer necessary to make reference to the logo, nor to its usefulness prior to the registration of the name as a PGI, in the historical account of the collective approach.

The annexes have been removed from the end of the specification as they are accessible via a hyperlink.

Inspection body:

The contact details of the inspection body have been replaced with those of the competent authority for control. This amendment aims to prevent changes being made to the specification in the event that the inspection body changes.

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

https://info.agriculture.gouv.fr/gedei/site/bo-agri/document_administratif-940b8f0c-f486-44b4-9609-9019ffbd7cbf/telechargement

SINGLE DOCUMENT

‘SAUCISSON DE LACAUNE’/‘SAUCISSE DE LACAUNE’

EU No: PGI-FR-02301 — 15.3.2017

PDO ( ) PGI ( X )

1. Name(s)

‘Saucisson de Lacaune’/‘Saucisse de Lacaune’

2. Member State or Third Country

France

3. Description of the agricultural product or foodstuff

3.1 Type of product

Class 1.2. Meat products (cooked, salted, smoked, etc.)

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

‘Saucisson de Lacaune’ is a dried salami, more or less cylindrical in shape, packed in natural gut casing. Its weight ranges from 200 g to over 2 kg. It may be presented plain, in netting or trussed.

‘Saucisse de Lacaune’ is a dried sausage, evenly cylindrical in shape, packed in natural gut casing. It may be presented in various forms:

— curved sausage: curved into a u-shape, weighing between 200 g and 500 g,

— straight sausage, not curved, weighing between 200 g and 500 g,

— ‘stick’ sausage, wrapped around a stick for drying, it is presented in a series of loops of no specific number or weight.

‘Saucisson de Lacaune’/‘Saucisse de Lacaune’ is supple to firm and cohesive in texture. When the sausage is sliced, pieces of lean meat and fat are visible, characteristic of coarse mincing (minimum 8 mm), without tendons or cartilage. The crumbs of fat are clearly intact, firm and white in colour. The lean meat is red to dark red in colour. There is little greasiness in the appearance of ‘Saucisson de Lacaune’/‘Saucisse de Lacaune’.

‘Saucisson de Lacaune’/‘Saucisse de Lacaune’ has an aroma and taste typical of dried and matured meats, with a fairly distinct peppery note. The aromatic intensity is moderate. The smell and taste of fat is unobtrusive.

‘Saucisson de Lacaune’ and ‘Saucisse de Lacaune’ are made with 80 % and 70 % lean meat respectively. The proportion of the lean meat that is matured is at least 30 %.

Seasoning is a blend of salt, pepper and nutmeg. The addition of saltpetre, lactic fermenting agents, sugar and a surface coating of flour is permitted.

‘Saucisson de Lacaune’/‘Saucisse de Lacaune’ has the following physico-chemical criteria:

— moisture content with fat removed: ≤ 52 % or ≤ 56 % for salamis with a diameter greater than 70 mm,

— fat content (for a moisture content of 77 % with fat removed): ≤ 20 %,

— collagen/protein ratio: ≤ 13 %,

— total soluble sugar content (for a moisture content of 77 % with fat removed): ≤ 2 %,

— pH: ≥ 5,2 for products weighing under 1 kg and ≥ 5,0 for products weighing over 1 kg.

‘Saucisson de Lacaune’/‘Saucisse de Lacaune’ is sold:

— in one piece, labelled: loose or packaged in bags with large perforations; bagged in a protective atmosphere; or vacuum-packed,

— sliced: vacuum-packed or packed in a protective atmosphere, except when sliced on demand.

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

Boars weighing over 25 kg and sows are fattened on a diet containing at least 60 % cereals, cereal-based products and legume seeds.

The maximum linoleic acid content is set at 1,9 % of dry matter.

The matured meat used to make ‘Saucisson de Lacaune’/‘Saucisse de Lacaune’ comes from heavy pork sows and boars with carcasses weighing in excess of 120 kg. The rest of the meat comes from male pork pigs with carcasses weighing 80 kg or more.

The fat used is back fat. It is white and hard. Belly fat may also be used in ‘Saucisse de Lacaune’.

In the case of the meat and fat used fresh, they are minced, at the latest, on the sixth day after slaughter. If used frozen, freezing takes place 72 hours after slaughter at the latest. The meat and fat are stored at a temperature of – 18 °C or lower, for no more than 4 months.

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

The following steps take place in the defined geographical area: selection of the cuts; preparation of the ‘Saucisson de Lacaune’/‘Saucisse de Lacaune’, including mincing, stuffing and heat curing; and completion of the drying process.

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

—

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

—

4. Concise definition of the geographical area

The geographical area consists of the following 11 municipalities in the department of Tarn: Barre, Berlats, Escroux, Espérausses, Gijounet, Lacaune, Moulin Mage, Murat-sur-Vèbre, Nages, Senaux and Viane.

5. Link with the geographical area

Specificity of the geographical area

Natural factors:

The geographical area in which ‘Saucisson de Lacaune’ and ‘Saucisse de Lacaune’ are produced constitutes a homogeneous area among the mountains of Lacaune. It forms an east-west facing basin that makes up the catchment area of the Gijou River. It is bounded in the south, from the Montgrand to Montalet, by the main watershed, which reaches a height of more than 1 200 m, and in the north by a secondary watershed from Roquecézière to the peak of Le Merdélou, which lies at an altitude of roughly 1 000 m and passes through Sié Pass. These two physical barriers create a topographical basin within which the contrasting climatic influences of the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea alternate. In addition, the geographical area is also subject to an alpine climate as a result of its altitude.

Under this threefold influence, the area’s climate is characterised by:

— abundant precipitation spread evenly throughout the year,

— a relatively low average temperature with small fluctuations,

— a regular alternation in the nature of the wind, its direction and humidity, accompanied by significant variability in temperature and humidity, even in the space of a single day.

Human factors

Historically, production of ‘Saucisson de Lacaune’/‘Saucisse de Lacaune’ has its origins in the trade of ‘mazelier’, which was well-established in Lacaune in the Middle Ages. In the Occitan language, the term described a person who slaughtered cattle, sheep and pigs. Around the 15th century, with the advent of professional specialisation, this term came to designate a person who transformed pig meat, i.e. the equivalent of today’s pork butcher.

The know-how of meat curers is fundamental for working with this ‘living’ product. This is apparent at several levels.

Meat curers select, prepare and mince the meats and fat according to their own methods, equipment and the quality of the ingredients used, in particular how easy it is to mince them. Matured meats are preferred in combination with a high percentage of lean meat in the mixture.

Expertise in the use of slicing and/or chopping blades results in a homogeneous mixture. The latter comprises large, even-sized crumbs produced by a mincer of 8 mm minimum, or by any other grinding technique giving the equivalent minced appearance.

Seasoning is simple: salt, pepper and, possibly, nutmeg. There are no additives other than saltpetre.

The mixture is packed in natural gut casings only. It undergoes heat curing and drying in a stage that lasts at least 10 days for dried sausages and 18 days for other products. In order to check that oven fermentation is proceeding correctly, meat curers carry out a touch test or ‘handling’. The consistency must be firm when pressed by hand.

At each stage of manufacture, meat curers optimise the duration of the stages, and the temperature and humidity conditions, depending on the condition of the sausages. In drying rooms, there is daily monitoring in order to oversee the appearance and aroma of the products, as well as to manage the maturation conditions, i.e. air temperature and humidity, and thereby avoid irregularities in drying. Regardless of the technique used, and whether the drying rooms are natural or ventilated, operators must adapt to variations in air temperature and humidity outside. These are measured daily.

Specificity of the product

‘Saucisson de Lacaune’/‘Saucisse de Lacaune’ is characterised by lean meat that is red to dark red in colour, in coarse, evenly-sized crumbs, with a lean appearance when sliced.

Its distinguishing organoleptic features include moderate and balanced aromatic intensity, which does not overwhelm the natural flavour of the dried and matured meat. The texture, both to touch and in the mouth, is supple to firm and cohesive.

Finally, ‘Saucisson de Lacaune’/‘Saucisse de Lacaune’ is distinguished by being presented solely in natural gut casings.

Causal link

The causal link of ‘Saucisson de Lacaune’/‘Saucisse de Lacaune’ is based on the existence of ancestral, traditional and shared know-how that influences the quality of the products and gives them a solid reputation.

The geographical area of ‘Saucisson de Lacaune’/‘Saucisse de Lacaune’ is characterised by geographical and climatic conditions that traditionally favoured drying. The area has seen the development of an extensive network of meat curing businesses that possess the know-how of numerous generations. Today, traditional production methods still use matured meats. The minimum proportion of lean meat is 80 % in the manufacture of the saucisson and 70 % for the saucisse. This gives the lean meat of ‘Saucisson de Lacaune’/‘Saucisse de Lacaune’ its characteristic red to dark red colour and lean appearance when sliced.

The know-how is also apparent in the selection of cuts of meat, and in the mastery of mincing techniques to obtain a coarse crumb.

Packing in natural gut casings results in a specific form of presentation for ‘Saucisson de Lacaune’/‘Saucisse de Lacaune’.

The aromatic intensity of ‘Saucisson de Lacaune’/‘Saucisse de Lacaune’ is moderate owing to the absence of spices other than pepper and nutmeg. There is know-how involved in the amount of seasoning, as well as in daily management of drying rooms. This allows the fully matured ‘Saucisson de Lacaune’/‘Saucisse de Lacaune’ to retain a natural flavour of dried and matured meat after the maturation process has finished.

Skilful management of heat curing and drying help to produce a texture that is supple to firm and cohesive to the touch and in the mouth.

The reputation of ‘Saucisson de Lacaune’/‘Saucisse de Lacaune’ was already established at the beginning of the 20th century, when M. Cousin, in his Voyages gastronomiques au pays de France, praised the cured meats of the Hôtel Central de Lacaune: ‘an excellent collection of cured meat of the region, consisting of ham and sausage that are very deserving of attention’.

‘Saucisson de Lacaune’/‘Saucisse de Lacaune’ is described in the 1980 and 1986 codes governing cured meats, the curing process and preserved meats. The products also appear in the inventory of culinary heritage of France, under the title Midi-Pyrénées — produits du terroir et recettes traditionnelles of 1996.

A reputation and awareness study carried out in 2011 showed that 77 % of people surveyed in the Midi-Pyrénées and Languedoc-Roussillon regions are familiar with the dry-cured ham and sausages of the Lacaune geographical area. This confirmed the solid reputation of ‘Saucisson de Lacaune’/‘Saucisse de Lacaune’ and the perception that these are ‘local products’ and ‘traditional products’.

Furthermore, it is not unusual to read articles in the press that mention ‘Saucisson de Lacaune’/‘Saucisse de Lacaune’ as, for example, in the publication Midi Libre on 8 August 2009 entitled: ‘A basketful of aromas’.

Meat curers in the geographical area have also regularly won awards at the Concours général agricole de Paris. Since 2012, ‘Saucisson de Lacaune’/‘Saucisse de Lacaune’ has received 13 awards: five bronze medals, two silver medals and six gold medals.

Reference to publication of the specification

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

https://info.agriculture.gouv.fr/gedei/site/bo-agri/document_administratif-940b8f0c-f486-44b4-9609-9019ffbd7cbf/telechargement

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

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