EN Official Journal of the European Union C 363/10

Publication of an application 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

(2013/C 363/11)

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).

SINGLE DOCUMENT

COUNCIL REGULATION (EC) No 510/2006

on the protection of geographical indications and designations of origin for agricultural products and foodstuffs (2)

‘NOISETTE DE CERVIONE — NUCIOLA DI CERVIONI’

EC No: FR-PGI-0005-01083-14.01.2013

PGI ( X ) PDO ( )

1. Name

‘Noisette de Cervione — Nuciola di Cervioni’

2. Member State or Third Country

France

3. Description of the agricultural product or foodstuff

3.1. Type of product

Class 1.6. Fruit, vegetables and cereals, fresh or processed

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

‘Noisette de Cervione — Nuciola di Cervioni’ is obtained from the Fertile de Coutard variety of the Corylus avellana genus.

3.2.1. The shell

The fleshy involucre (husk) is slightly longer than the fruit and has few veins. It is rather uneven and notched and opens wide when ripe.

‘Noisette de Cervione — Nuciola di Cervioni’ is shaped like a flattened heart. It is subspherical and slightly compressed laterally.

The size varies between 18 mm and 22 mm.

The shell is rather thick, smooth and polished, with striations that can barely be felt. The tip is covered with a light pubescence.

‘Noisette de Cervione — Nuciola di Cervioni’ is not uniform in appearance. It has dark and light striations running along the shell from the cupule towards the tip. The dark colours near the cupule become lighter towards the tip as the pubescence increases.

Colours: havana, tobacco, honey, bay and isabelline. The pubescent tip is much lighter, almost beige.

3.2.2. The kernel

The kernel has a rather remarkable heart-like shape not found in the other varieties. It has a uniform dark colouring that varies between brown and mahogany red. It has no striations.

The ‘flesh’ is firm and off-white to light ivory in colour.

The relatively light weight of the kernel results in a concentration of the taste and flavours that distinguishes ‘Noisette de Cervione — Nuciola di Cervioni’ from other hazelnuts, including those of the same variety produced outside the geographical area. The taste is frank and clear. It is not rancid, bitter or sour. There is a touch of woodiness but never a taste of damp undergrowth or of mustiness. It is sweet, like raw or brown sugar, and aromatic. There may be touches of arbutus and flour. Dry kernels have a strong, grilled and toasted flavour.

Their consistency, however, is neither floury nor watery. On the contrary, it is smooth. There is a clearly perceptible oily taste and greasy and buttery feel.

‘Noisette de Cervione — Nuciola di Cervioni’ may be marketed in shell or shelled.

3.3. Raw materials (for processed products only)

—

3.4. Feed (for products of animal origin only)

—

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

All of the operations (planting, production, harvesting, drying, storage, sizing, approval, breaking and sorting) must be carried out in the geographical area.

3.6. Specific rules concerning slicing, grating, packaging, etc.

For ‘Noisette de Cervione — Nuciola di Cervioni’ in shell: all sealed packages are authorised.

For kernels: all types of sealed materials intended to come into contact with food are authorised. The product may not be sold in nets.

‘Noisette de Cervione — Nuciola di Cervioni’ is packed in bags with a maximum capacity of 25 kg.

The kernels must be packed in the geographical area.

Indeed, the hazelnuts are dried naturally and their moisture content does not exceed 20 % upon receipt at the packing station, thanks to the particular hydroclimatological conditions of the geographical area (evaporation, influence of the winds, etc.). During drying, ‘Noisette de Cervione — Nuciola di Cervioni’ is stored in shell in crates, box pallets or silos in a sheltered and ventilated place until the breaking stage. These storage conditions prevent moisture from returning during storage.

If the product were transported outside the geographical area the kernels might become moist again.

If the hazelnuts are broken, this is done mechanically, on request and for small quantities. At this stage, the kernels are no longer protected by their shell and are therefore very sensitive to oxidation. In order to prevent any risk of oxidation and optimise the quality of the fruit, the kernels are sorted and packed immediately after the breaking stage. These two stages, sorting and packing, cannot be separated from each other and must be carried out in the geographical area.

3.7. Specific rules concerning labelling

The labelling must show:

— the product name: ‘Noisette de Cervione — Nuciola di Cervioni’,

— the European Union’s PGI logo.

4. Concise definition of the geographical area

The geographical area is defined according to the characteristics of the areas where the hazel was cultivated and to criteria favourable to its development (high humidity, weak potential evapotranspiration, soils that are well irrigated in the summer but remain drained in the winter, and an altitude of 0-700 m).

The geographical area covers the following municipalities in Haute-Corse:

Aghione, Aléria, Antisanti, Borgo, Campana, Campile, Canale-di-Verde, Carcheto-Brustico, Carpineto, Casabianca, Casalta, Casevecchie, Castellare-di-Casinca, Cervione, Chiatra, Croce, Felce, Ficaja, Ghisonaccia, Giocatojo, Giuncaggio, Linguizzetta, Loreto-di-Casinca, Lucciana, Matra, Moïta, Monaccia-d’Orezza, Monte, Nocario, Novale, Olmo, Ortale, Pancheraccia, Parata, Penta-di-Casinca, Perelli, Pero-Casevecchie, Piano, Piazzali, Piazzole, Piedicroce, Piedipartino, Pie-d’Orezza, Pietra-di-Verde, Pietroso, Poggio-Maraniccio, Poggio-Mezzana, Polveroso, Porri, La Porta, Prunelli-di-Fiumorbo, Pruno, Rapaggio, San-Damiano, San-Gavino-d’Ampugnani, San-Giovanni-di-Moriani, San-Giuliano, San-Nicolao, Santa-Lucia-di-Moriani, Santa-Maria-Poggio, Sant’Andréa-di-Cotone, Santa-Reparata-di-Moriani, Scata, Silvareccio, Sorbo-Ocagnano, Taglio-Isolaccio, Talasani, Tallone, Tox, Valle-d’Alesani, Valle-di-Campoloro, Valle-d’Orezza, Velone-Orneto, Venzolasca, Verdèse, Vescovato, Vezzani.

5. Link with the geographical area

5.1. Specificity of the geographical area

5.1.1. Natural factors

The geographical area features clayey-slaty valley floors that have a substantial loamy element, run from the mid-mountain zone (less than 700 m in altitude) to the sea coast and are oriented to the east of Corsica. This ensures a specific level of sunshine and humidity favourable to the cultivation of the hazel. Furthermore, the north-east orientation means that winter temperatures are relatively low and annual precipitation is significant.

The geographical area, situated on the edge of the Mediterranean Sea, benefits all year long from a light north-westerly/south-easterly breeze (2 m/s on average), which, in combination with the evaporation peaks in the summer (2,5-4,5 mm/day), contributes naturally to the drying of the hazelnuts.

The main pest of the hazel, the nut weevil, is not found in Corsica owing to its insularity. Unless there are health issues to deal with, no phytosanitary treatments are carried out in the orchards, unlike in all other production areas.

5.1.2. Natural factors

Cultivated since ancient times in Corsica

Authors living in ancient Rome, in particular, provide evidence that the hazel has been grown in the Mediterranean region for thousands of years. For example, Cato the Elder (234-149) refers to the existence of several varieties and advises how to cultivate them in Liber de agri cultura.

The cultivation of the hazel in Corsica expanded and reached its peak at the beginning of the 20th century. After the exceptional freezing weather of 1905, citron trees in Corsica died and were replaced by hazel plantations.

The spectacular development of the agri-foodstuffs industry between the wars encouraged the growing of hazels in Corsica and turned hazelnut production into a significant source of supplementary income.

Specific know-how

The management of Corsican hazel orchards, most of which today consist of the Fertile de Coutard variety, is characterised by the following:

— low plantation density. The density in most old orchards is low and the maximum density of new plantations is 400 seedlings per hectare. The planting distance between and within rows is a minimum of 5 m,

— small parcel areas (one hectare on average),

— the hazels in the orchards are trained to grow as bushes, which allows for the regeneration of the stems. The systematic removal of old or withered wood in this type of cultivation limits the risk of wood diseases and allows young branches to develop,

— mechanical weeding,

— the supply of nutrients solely in the form of organic fertilisers and improvers,

— the use of herbicides is prohibited,

— no preventive phytosanitary treatments in the orchards.

5.2. Specificity of the product

The principal characteristics of the ‘Noisette de Cervione — Nuciola di Cervioni’ are:

— its kernel is smaller than in other fruits of the same variety produced outside the geographical area,

— its kernel is relatively light-weight. Indeed, the weight of the kernel of ‘Noisette de Cervione — Nuciola di Cervioni’ rarely exceeds 30 % of the weight of the whole fruit while according to the findings of the CTIFL (Centre technique interprofessionnel des fruits et légumes) it ranges from 39 % to 44 % for hazelnuts of the same variety produced outside the geographical area,

— this characteristic results in a concentration of the taste and flavours that distinguishes it from other hazelnuts,

— the rather remarkable heart-like shape of its kernel, which is not found in other varieties,

— the uniform dark colouring that varies between brown and mahogany red and has no striations,

— a firm flesh ranging in colour from off-white to pale ivory.

‘Noisette de Cervione — Nuciola di Cervioni’ also has a well-documented reputation.

5.3. 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 causal link between ‘Noisette de Cervione — Nuciola di Cervioni’ and the geographical area is based on its specified quality and its reputation.

Traditional hazel orchards in the Cervione region consist exclusively of Fertile de Coutard, a variety that has adapted excellently to the natural and man-made conditions there.

The sunshine and humidity typical of the geographical area prevent excessive evapotranspiration that would be fatal to the hazel during its growth period. The winter temperatures are low enough to enable a sufficient period of dormancy, and the amount of rainfall is ideal for the cultivation of the hazel. These conditions, which deter the development of fungi and bacteria, also limit the risk of deterioration of the hazelnuts’ organoleptic quality.

Evaporation, which peaks during harvest time, and the sea breeze have a significant positive effect on the drying of ‘Noisette de Cervione — Nuciola di Cervioni’ in natural environmental conditions.

In addition, the specific management of orchards (low planting density, small parcel area, training the hazel to grow as a bush and mechanical weeding) makes it possible to benefit from these favourable natural conditions without depleting the soil’s resources.

By forgoing chemical fertilisation, it is possible to avoid excessive yields (and the risk of tasteless hazelnuts) and reduce the incidence of disease.

Training hazels to grow as bushes promotes the production of wood rather than of fruit and therefore limits yields and favours the development of small-sized fruit. As a result, ‘Noisette de Cervione — Nuciola di Cervioni’ has a kernel with a relatively low weight and a remarkable heart-like shape as well as a concentration of taste and flavours that distinguishes it from other hazelnuts. The exclusive use of organic improvers that release small quantities of nitrogen likewise helps to limit yields and thus to produce small kernels with an intense taste.

‘Noisette de Cervione — Nuciola di Cervioni’ has also become renowned for its quality, owing both to its healthy, natural and environmentally-friendly production method and to its fine taste.

The quality of ‘Noisette de Cervione — Nuciola di Cervioni’ and the quantities produced paved the way to great commercial success in the 1960s and 1970s and to the international distribution of the product. The product is also is well known on the island itself. It is common throughout Corsica to refer to the Cervione hazelnut (‘a nuciola di Cervioni’) when talking about hazelnuts. This reference is so well established that in the vocabulary of the different regions the word ‘nuciola’ is generally used to designate the Cervione hazelnut, although the usual term for hazelnuts in these regions is ‘nucellula’.

For 10 years now, the village of Cervione has hosted an agricultural and rural fair focusing on the hazelnut, ‘A fiera di a nuciola’, every second to last weekend in August. This highly popular event is an opportunity to present the in-shell or processed product to local visitors and tourists alike and to let them taste it.

Reference to publication of the specification

(Article 5(7) of Regulation (EC) No 510/2006 (3))

http://www.inao.gouv.fr/fichier/CDCIGPNoisettedeCervione-NucioladiCervioniV1.pdf

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

(2) OJ L 93, 31.3.2006, p. 12. Replaced by Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012.

(3) See footnote 2.