Publication of a request under Article 9 of Regulation (EEC) No 2081/92 to amend one or more parts of the specification of a name registered under Article 17 or Article 6 of that Regulation

(2002/C 203/02)

Publication confers the right to object within the meaning of Article 7 of the Regulation. Any objections to this request must be forwarded via the competent authority of a Member State within six months of the publication date.

The amendment is not a minor one and it must therefore be published under Article 6(2) of the Regulation.

COUNCIL REGULATION (EEC) No 2081/92

APPLICATION TO AMEND A SPECIFICATION: ARTICLE 9

1. Registered name: Caciocavallo Silano

2. Responsible department in the Member State Ministero delle Politiche agricole e forestali Dipartimento della qualità dei prodotti agroalimentari e dei servizi 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

3. Amendment(s) requested - specification heading(s):

[square ] name

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description

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geographical area

[square ] proof of origin

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method of production

[square ] link

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labelling

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national requirements

- amendment(s):

Description

In particular, they lay down that cows' milk used in the production of "Caciocavallo Silano" must be raw or, if necessary, heated to 58 °C for 30 seconds and must derive from a maximum of four consecutive milkings during the two days prior to cheese production.

Geographical area

The newly created Provinces of Crotone and Vibo Valentia have been included. The area in which the PDO is produced in those two provinces was already included in the specification as part of the Province of Catanzaro. A number of municipalities within and bordering on the specified provinces in the geographical area with a proven tradition of production of "Caciocavallo Silano" cheese have been included..

Method of production

It is permitted to use natural whey inoculum prepared in the same production facility as the milk so as to maintain the organoleptic properties of the product. The minimum maturing period is increased to 30 days in order to ensure the quality of the cheese. In addition, the surface of the cheese may be given a colourless, transparent treatment that does not affect the colour of the rind.

The treatment does not impair the specific character or quality of the cheese but considerably increases its shelf life by preventing damage caused by yeast and/or mould on the rind.

Labelling

The PDO must bear a thermally impressed identification number allocated by the "Consorzio di tutela formaggio Caciocavallo Silano" (Association for the Protection of Caciocavallo Silano Cheese) to each producer covered by the inspection system, which permits each PDO product marketed to be traced. In addition, the colour of the mark is stipulated and the mark itself is amended to make the PDO logo more visible and more easily identified.

National requirements

References to national rules in force before the adoption of Regulation (EEC) No 2081/92 are deleted.

4. Date of receipt of the full application: G/IT/00003/8 April 2002.