Publication of an application for approval of an amendment, which is not minor, to a product specification 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

(2021/C 27/10)

This publication confers the right to oppose the amendment application pursuant to Article 51 of Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012 of the European Parliament and of the Council (1) within three months from the date of this publication.

APPLICATION FOR APPROVAL OF AN AMENDMENT TO THE PRODUCT SPECIFICATION OF PROTECTED DESIGNATIONS OF ORIGIN/PROTECTED GEOGRAPHICAL INDICATIONS WHICH IS NOT MINOR

Application for approval of an amendment in accordance with the first subparagraph of Article 53(2) of Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012

‘Aischgründer Karpfen’

EU No: PGI-DE-0689-AM01 – 30.10.2019

PDO ( ) PGI (X)

1. Applicant group and legitimate interest

Name : Teichgenossenschaft Aischgrund [Aischgrund Pond Cooperative], Teichgenossenschaft Neustadt a.d. Aisch – Bad Windsheim [Neustadt an der Aisch – Bad Windsheim Pond Cooperative] Address : Brunnenweg 14, 91315 Höchstadt an der Aisch Country : Germany Tel. : +49 91935012085 Fax : +49 91935034127 Email : tg.aischgrund@gmx.de

Legitimate interest:

The applicant is the same as the original applicant. It is an association of producers of the protected products. It therefore has a legitimate interest in this amendment application and is also entitled to apply (Article 53(1) in conjunction with Article 3, point (2), of Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012).

2. Member State or third country

Germany

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

☐ Name of product

☒ Description of product

☐ Geographical area

☐ Proof of origin

☒ Method of production

☐ Link

☐ Labelling

☐ Other [to be specified]

4. Type of amendment(s)

☒ Amendment to product specification of a registered PDO or PGI not to be qualified as minor in accordance with the third subparagraph of Article 53(2) of Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012.

☐ Amendment to product specification of registered PDO or PGI for which a Single Document (or equivalent) has not been published not to be qualified as minor in accordance with the third subparagraph of Article 53(2) of Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012

5. Amendment(s)

The amendments concern Sections (b), Description of the product, and (e), Method of production,. of the product specification.

In Section (b), Description of the product (and also under point 3.2 of the Single document), third paragraph, the first sentence, ‘The live weight of a 3 year-old fish is between 1 000 g and 1 700 g’ is to be amended to ‘The live weight of this table carp (from K3) is between 1 000 g and 3 000 g’.

Section (b) (and also point 3.2 of the Single document), now reads:

‘The Aischgründer Karpfen, a mirror carp (Cyprinus carpio), is a table fish which is sold live or slaughtered. The Aischgründer Karpfen has a dark green, grey or greyish blue back, yellow-green to gold sides and a yellowish white belly. Its dorsal and caudal fins are grey, the caudal and anal fins have a reddish tone and the pectoral and pelvic fins are yellowish or reddish in colour. A distinguishing feature of the Aischgründer Karpfen is its high back, which develops in particular as a result of the warm weather and the high level of fertility in the ponds. Its typical height-to-length ratio is between 1:2 and 1:2,5. The live weight of this table carp (from K3) is between 1 000 g and 3 000 g. The Aischgründer Karpfen is a mirror carp characterised by its white meat, which is firm but tender and flavourful, and its low fat content of not more than 10 %. The fat content is kept low by limiting the stocking density (a maximum of 800 carp per ha at the K2 stage) and adapting the feed accordingly.’

The reason for the amendment is that the demand for fillets is said to have soared, larger carp being particularly well suited to filleting using the automatic filleters which have been developed.

The following amendments have been requested in Section (e), Method of production, and are reflected in Section 3.4 of the Single document:

In the last sentence of the first paragraph, the word ‘generally’ is to be inserted after ‘reach the desired weight’.

In the first sentence of the second paragraph, ‘starting in April of the year in question’ is to be amended to ‘starting in most cases in April of the year in question’.

In the second sentence of the second paragraph, the word ‘generally’ is to be inserted before the word ‘decisive’ and, in the last sentence, the word ‘usually’ before ‘increases by more than 1 kg per fish’.

In the fourth paragraph, ‘In the production of table fish (K2-K3)’ is to be amended to ‘In the production of table fish (from K2)’ and ‘from May to September’ to ‘, generally from April to September,’

Section (e) now reads:

‘As the carp grow during the warm summer months, their age is counted in summers. Table carp in the Aischgrund generally grow to maturity over the course of three summers. In the first year, what are known as K1 fish are raised from the eggs. After the subsequent winter, the fish grow to K2, are kept for another winter and then reach the desired weight generally in the third summer (i.e. as K3 fish). Aischgründer Karpfen must be kept in the geographical area for at least one production period (starting in most cases in April of the year in question) from fry (K2) to table fish (K3). The third year (K2 to K3) is generally decisive for the increase in weight and the development of the taste. During this period the weight of the fish usually increases by more than 1 kg per fish. The stocking density at the K2 stage may not be more than 800 carp per hectare. The carp feed predominantly on what is naturally available (bottom nutrients, zooplankton, etc.). In the production of table fish (from K2), generally from April to September, this is supplemented by legumes and grain (excluding maize). The feed quotient (added feed quantity (kg) per kilogram of growth) is approximately 2:1. In addition, mixed feed authorised under applicable national legislation is permitted. The mixed feed must consist of arable crops only and may not contain any ingredients of animal origin. It may not contain more than 16 % raw protein and the total phosphorus content must not be more than 0,6 %. The greenmeal content must be at least 10 %.’

The applicant gives the following reasons for the amendments:

As, in the Aischgrund, carp are farmed extensively (i.e. outdoors) in natural ponds, the weather has a strong influence on the growth of the fish. Table carp have developed very differently over recent years (as a result of climate change).

The applicant maintains that, in some years, early spring was so warm that the fish came out of hibernation early and started to feed. This meant that their natural food sources were not sufficient and had to be supplemented.

As it is not possible to tell how the climate will change in the future, a more flexible set of rules (dispensing with the rigid requirements currently applied) is essential.

SINGLE DOCUMENT

‘Aischgründer Karpfen’

EU No: PGI-DE-0689-AM01 – 30.10.2019

PGI (X) PDO ( )

1. Name(s) [of PDO or PGI]

‘Aischgründer Karpfen’

2. Member State or third country

Germany

3. Description of the agricultural product or foodstuff

3.1. Type of product

Class 1.7 Fresh fish, molluscs and crustaceans and products derived therefrom.

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

The Aischgründer Karpfen, a mirror carp (Cyprinus carpio), is a table fish which is sold live or slaughtered.

The Aischgründer Karpfen has a dark green, grey or greyish blue back, yellow-green to gold sides and a yellowish white belly. Its dorsal and caudal fins are grey, the caudal and anal fins have a reddish tone and the pectoral and pelvic fins are yellowish or reddish in colour. A distinguishing feature of the Aischgründer Karpfen is its high back, which develops in particular as a result of the warm weather and the high level of fertility in the ponds. Its typical height-to-length ratio is between 1:2 and 1:2,5.

The live weight of this table carp (from K3) is between 1 000 g and 3 000 g. The Aischgründer Karpfen is a mirror carp characterised by its white meat, which is firm but tender and flavourful, and its low fat content of not more than 10 %. The fat content is kept low by limiting the stocking density (a maximum of 800 carp per ha at the K2 stage) and adapting the feed accordingly.

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

The carp feed predominantly on what is naturally available (bottom nutrients, zooplankton, etc.). In the production of table fish (from K2), generally from April to September, this is supplemented by legumes and grain (excluding maize). The feed quotient (added feed quantity (kg) per kilogram of growth) is approximately 2:1.

In addition, mixed feed authorised under applicable national legislation is permitted. The mixed feed must consist of arable crops only and may not contain any ingredients of animal origin. It may not contain more than 16 % raw protein and the total phosphorus content must not be more than 0,6 %. The greenmeal content must be at least 10 %.

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

As the carp grow during the warm summer months, their age is counted in summers. Table carp in the Aischgrund generally grow to maturity over the course of three summers. In the first year, what are known as K1 fish are raised from the eggs. After the subsequent winter, the fish grow to K2, are kept for another winter and then reach the desired weight generally in the third summer (i.e. as K3 fish).

Aischgründer Karpfen must be kept in the geographical area for at least one production period (starting in most cases in April of the year in question) from fry (K2) to table fish (K3). The third year (K2 to K3) is generally decisive for the increase in weight and the development of the taste. During this period the weight of the fish usually increases by more than 1 kg per fish. The stocking density at the K2 stage may not be more than 800 carp per hectare.

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 includes all carp ponds in the rural districts of Erlangen-Höchstadt, Neustadt an der Aisch – Bad Windsheim, Fürth, Kitzingen, Bamberg, Forchheim and Nürnberger Land and the urban districts of Erlangen, Forchheim, Bamberg, Nuremberg and Fürth.

5. Link with the geographical area

5.1. Specificity of the geographical area

The development of pond farming in the Aischgrund can be traced back to the appearance of the area’s many monasteries in the Middle Ages and the resulting demand for fish during periods of fasting, which lasted for months at a time. For the monks the main thing was to have fish to put on the refectory table – the profitability of fish farming as a business was less of an issue.

In the centre of the Aischgrund the ground beneath the numerous ponds consists of impervious Late Triassic clay. The emergence and survival of this pond-rich region owed a lot to a number of basic physical/geographical factors: the complex alternation of sandstone deposits and layers of clayey, impermeable ‘Burgsandstein’, the gentle gradients of the valleys, the myriad swamp-prone springs, and soil that was not particularly suitable for farming.

While in other areas carp yields are restricted by the temperature profile, the same does not apply to the Aischgrund, which is the warmest pond-farming area in Germany. Annual temperatures average around 8 or 9 °C, depending on altitude. The limiting factor in the Aischgrund, on the other hand, is the supply of water to the ponds. Average precipitation is 600-650 mm a year, but this figure falls to about 530 mm as one moves from the north-west to the south-east. The ponds extend over an area of rain shadow to the east of the Frankenhöhe hills and the Steigerwald, where precipitation levels vary from year to year. Water supply to the majority of the ponds consists only of rainfall and snowmelt. The climate is warmer than in the Oberpfalz and the ponds are more fertile and give better yields as a result.

Carp farming is a distinctive feature not only of the landscape of the geographical area (which is the largest continuous area of ponds in Germany), but also of its culture. There are books of fish-farming anecdotes, songs about carp and even (art) exhibitions dedicated to the carp. The world’s largest carp statue has been erected in Höchstadt an der Aisch as a symbol of the region. Confectioners sell chocolate carp and it is also possible to buy ‘Aischgründer Kärpfla’, or carp-shaped fruit gums. Carp also adorn doorbell plates, carnival paraphernalia, club T-shirts, etc.

Aischgründer Karpfen is a traditional meal served in hostelries all over Franconia, many of which – like the delicacy itself – have been there for hundreds of years. Most of the innkeepers, who follow in a long family tradition of serving carp, keep them in tanks or basins so that they always have a ready supply of fresh fish.

5.2. Specificity of the product

The Aischgründer Karpfen is known throughout the region and beyond and is highly regarded among consumers. The fish has a number of other special characteristics: it has a height-to-length ratio of 1:2 to 1:2,5 and is therefore higher-backed than carp from elsewhere. This is due to the warm weather and the level of fertility in the ponds. Another distinctive feature of the Aischgründer Karpfen is its firm white flesh, which has its own typical flavour (not earthy or musty, pleasantly palatable and reminiscent of freshly boiled potatoes). As a result of the prescribed stocking density, Aischgründer Karpfen has a low fat content of practically no more than 10 % when filleted.

5.3. Causal link between the geographical area and a specific quality, the reputation or other characteristics of the product

The fish’s high back, which is a characteristic feature of Aischgründer Karpfen, is also due to the good breeding conditions in the Aischgrund, the warmest carp-farming area in Germany.

The high regard in which the Aischgründer Karpfen is held stems from the importance of pond farming in the region and from centuries of tradition.

Opinion polls conducted by Weihenstephan University of Applied Sciences and the Technical University of Munich show that Aischgründer Karpfen is highly regarded as a foodstuff throughout the region. The traditional carp season in Aischgrund runs from 1 September to 30 April and its opening is marked by numerous festivities. The carp is an integral part of cultural life in the geographical area. It is a highly prized foodstuff and a key component of the traditional cuisine – these factors too make the Aischgründer Karpfen a speciality of the region and give it a reputation that extends far beyond it.

Surveys conducted by Weihenstephan University of Applied Sciences in 2002 show that 79 % of those asked in Aischgrund and 49 % of those asked in Nuremberg prefer Aischgründer Karpfen to carp from other areas.

Reference to publication of the specification

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

Trade Mark Journal No 24 of 14 June 2019, Part 7a-bb, p. 17222

https://register.dpma.de/DPMAregister/geo/detail.pdfdownload/41798

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