EN Official Journal of the European Union C 119/19

Publication of an amendment application pursuant to Article 6(2) of Council Regulation (EC) No 510/2006 on the protection of geographical indications and designations of origin for agricultural products and foodstuffs

2011/C 119/10

This publication confers the right to object to the amendment application pursuant to Article 7 of Council Regulation (EC) No 510/2006 (1). Statements of objection must reach the Commission within six months of the date of this publication.

AMENDMENT APPLICATION

COUNCIL REGULATION (EC) No 510/2006

AMENDMENT APPLICATION IN ACCORDANCE WITH ARTICLE 9

‘SPECK ALTO ADIGE’/‘SÜDTIROLER MARKENSPECK’/‘SÜDTIROLER SPECK’

EC No: IT-PGI-0417-0327-06.11.2008

PGI ( X ) PDO ( )

1. Heading in the specification affected by the amendment:

— Name of product — Description of product —  Geographical area —  Proof of origin — Method of production —  Link — Labelling — National requirements —  Other (to be specified)

2. Type of amendment(s):

—  Amendment to Single Document or Summary Sheet — Amendment to Specification of registered PDO or PGI for which neither the Single Document nor the Summary Sheet has been published —  Amendment to Specification that requires no amendment to the published Single Document (Article 9(3) of Regulation (EC) No 510/2006) —  Temporary amendment to Specification resulting from imposition of obligatory sanitary or phytosanitary measures by public authorities (Article 9(4) of Regulation (EC) No 510/2006)

3. Amendment(s):

3.1. Name of product:

It has been necessary to change the Italian version of the registered name ‘Speck dell'Alto Adige’ to ‘Speck Alto Adige’ not only to be consistent with long-standing commercial parlance but also for the sake of conciseness and in order to be in line with the equivalent version in German, where no preposition is used.

3.2. Description:

The chemical, chemico-physical, microbiological and organoleptic/sensory characteristics of the finished product are described in a more precise and detailed manner. These amendments are merely elucidations for the sake of greater completeness and clarity, the purpose of which is to provide clear-cut, definitive elements to be checked during the inspections aimed at safeguarding the total quality of the product.

3.3. Method of production:

An extensive detailed description of the raw material that may be used to produce ‘Speck Alto Adige’ PGI has become necessary in order to provide greater transparency with regard to the meats used to produce it. In order to ensure that customers can identify ‘Speck Alto Adige’, a hot brand is to be applied at the end of the aging period. The hot brand, bearing the alphanumeric identification code of the producer at whose premises it was affixed, is to be applied at least four times on the rind of the whole ‘Speck’ at the end of the aging period.

As regards the processing stage, the meaning of the phrase ‘traditional method’ contained in the registered specification is made clear. Such codification is necessary to ensure that, with the passage of time, the traditional processing technique is not lost.

3.4. Labelling:

Extensive detailed rules on labelling have become necessary. These allow, among other things, the use of terms in addition to the reference to the total traditional quality of the product, provided that the information in question is given separately from the identification mark. These traditional terms have been anchored in provincial legislation since 1978, with the aim of providing a further technical and material description of the product and making it easier to understand and more user-friendly through certain aspects linked to origin. This is done in a manner incorporating certain specific techniques that are traditionally associated with the product in local terminology to highlight distinctive elements of the production process. They are therefore not alterations or elements supplementing the name but rather attributes that have historically been used to describe certain specific aspects of production.

This is the context in which the additional term ‘Bauernspeck’ has been permitted on the label of ‘Speck’ bearing the ‘Speck Alto Adige’, ‘Südtiroler Markenspeck’ and ‘Südtiroler Speck’ PGI mark produced by producers using the hams of pigs raised and slaughtered in Alto Adige. ‘Bauernspeck’ gives additional information on the product, making reference to aspects linked to the historical origin of the phenomenon of ‘Speck Alto Adige’ production and the roots of its link with the geographical area.

Provision has also been made for the words ‘prodotto di montagna’ to appear on the label when production takes place in areas that are located at least 600 m above sea level and thus geographically classified as mountain areas.

3.5. National requirements:

Article 7 on inspections has been reworded with the removal of all references to provisions and procedures that predated the entry into force of Regulation (EEC) No 2081/92 and are no longer in line with current EU rules.

SINGLE DOCUMENT

COUNCIL REGULATION (EC) No 510/2006

‘SPECK ALTO ADIGE’/‘SÜDTIROLER MARKENSPECK’/‘SÜDTIROLER SPECK’

EC No: IT-PGI-0417-0327-06.11.2008

PGI ( X ) PDO ( )

1. Name:

‘Speck Alto Adige’/‘Südtiroler Markenspeck’/‘Südtiroler Speck’

2. Member State or third country:

Italy

3. Description of the agricultural product or foodstuff:

3.1. Type of product:

Class 1.2 — Meat products

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

‘Speck Alto Adige’ (in Italian), ‘Südtiroler Markenspeck’ and ‘Südtiroler Speck’ (in German) is produced from boned pork hams moderately salted and spiced, cold-smoked in special premises at a maximum temperature of 20 °C and appropriately aged in accordance with local customs and traditions. It has specific organoleptic qualities.

When released for consumption, ‘Speck Alto Adige’, ‘Südtiroler Markenspeck’ and ‘Südtiroler Speck’ is brown on the outside, while its slices are red with pinkish white parts. It has a pleasant aroma of smoke and spices and a characteristic intense flavour. Its chemical, chemico-physical and microbiological characteristics are as follows:

Total protein greater than or equal to 20 %;

Water-to-protein ratio less than or equal to 2,0;

Fat-to-protein ratio less than or equal to 1,5;

Sodium chloride less than or equal to 5 %;

Potassium nitrate less than 150 mg/kg;

Sodium nitrite less than 50 mg/kg;

Mesophilic microbe content in accordance with standard UNI ISO 4833 (2003);

Lactic acid bacteria at a maximum level of 1 × 108 colony-forming units/gram (CFU/g).

3.3. Raw materials (for processed products only):

Before boning, the whole hind legs used to produce ‘Speck Alto Adige’, ‘Südtiroler Markenspeck’ or ‘Südtiroler Speck’ must weigh no less than 10,5 kg. The boned and trimmed legs (also referred to as ‘baffe’) must weigh at least 5,2 kg. When delivered, their temperature must be between 0 °C and 4 °C measured at the core.

3.4. Feed (for products of animal origin only):

—

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

‘Speck Alto Adige PGI’, ‘Südtiroler Markenspeck g.g.A.’ or ‘Südtiroler Speck g.g.A.’ must be trimmed using the traditional method with or without the rump, dry salted and spiced, smoked and dry-cured at a temperature not exceeding 20 °C and aged at an ambient temperature of 10 °C to 15 °C with humidity between 60 % and 90 %.

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

‘Speck Alto Adige’, ‘Südtiroler Markenspeck’ or ‘Südtiroler Speck’ may be released for consumption loose or packaged under vacuum or in a modified atmosphere and it may be whole, cut or sliced.

‘Speck Alto Adige’, ‘Südtiroler Markenspeck’ or ‘Südtiroler Speck’ may be cut, sliced and packaged only in the production area identified in point 4 in order to ensure that the final consumer receives a product in which the characteristic flavour and most delicate aromas have been preserved.

3.7. Specific rules concerning labelling:

The name ‘Speck Alto Adige’ or ‘Südtiroler Markenspeck’ or ‘Südtiroler Speck’ must appear on the product released for consumption, followed by the phrase ‘protected geographical indication’ and the abbreviation ‘PGI’. The name of the protected geographical indication, ‘Speck Alto Adige’ or ‘Südtiroler Markenspeck’ or ‘Südtiroler Speck’, may not be translated into other languages and must appear on the label in clear, indelible characters that can be clearly distinguished from all other writing on the label. It must be followed by the phrase ‘Protected Geographical Indication’ and the abbreviation ‘PGI’, which must be translated into the language in which the product is being marketed. All labels must feature the logo of the ‘Speck Alto Adige’, ‘Südtiroler Markenspeck’ or ‘Südtiroler Speck’ PGI.

The additional words ‘prodotto di montagna’ may appear on the label when production takes place in areas that are located at least 600 m above sea level and thus geographically classified as mountain areas.

4. Concise definition of the geographical area:

The pork legs may be processed only by undertakings located in the autonomous province of Bolzano-Alto Adige.

5. Link with the geographical area:

5.1. Specificity of the geographical area:

The production area of ‘Speck Alto Adige IGP’, ‘Südtiroler Markenspeck’ or ‘Südtiroler Speck’ is entirely hilly or mountainous. Thanks to the presence of variable breezes and winds that blow through the numerous Alpine valleys, the area's climatic conditions are moderately dry; in addition, it enjoys more than 300 days of sun a year.

Moreover, this border area has always been the meeting point between the cultures of the Mediterranean and of Mitteleuropa, allowing the conditions to be created for the development of a very distinctive method of preserving pig meat that combines the smoking typical of Mitteleuropa and Mediterranean dry-curing.

5.2. Specificity of the product:

Unlike the hams of the Po Valley area, ‘Speck Alto Adige’ or ‘Südtiroler Markenspeck’ or ‘Südtiroler Speck’ is produced from boned, opened and drawn pork leg that is subsequently smoked and dry-cured. Its appearance is characterised by its brown outer colour resulting from the smoking process. When sliced, the lean part is red while the fatty part has a delicate pinkish white colour. ‘Speck Alto Adige’ or ‘Südtiroler Markenspeck’ or ‘Südtiroler Speck’ has the typical aroma of dry-cured meat, which is characterised by pleasant smoky hints. The flavour of the meat is intense although not salty.

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 ‘Speck Alto Adige’ or ‘Südtiroler Markenspeck’ or ‘Südtiroler Speck’ and the area in which it is produced is based on the specific microclimatic conditions in Alto Adige, which have influenced the distinctive, unique experience of the historical/cultural enclave of the South Tyrol. This border territory has since time immemorial been an area of historical, ethnic, economic and cultural transition between Europe north and south of the Alps, and has therefore been open to contributions from the experience of both areas of development. The breezes and winds from the north and south of the mountain system that blow through Alto Adige and meet in its valleys have made the climate particularly suitable for dry-curing ‘Speck Alto Adige’, ‘Südtiroler Markenspeck’ and ‘Südtiroler Speck’, encouraging the establishment of this form of meat processing whose roots can be traced to the Alpine tradition of farmsteads. The technique of preservation with the assertive use of smoke, of northern origin, has taken root in combination with the use of salt and gradual, slow drying under natural conditions, a technique originating in the Po Valley. The result is a product with a very balanced taste that is milder than the strongly smoked cold cuts of northern Europe and stronger than the mild hams of the Mediterranean area. It is perfectly aged and enriched by the aromas and local essences carried both by the air that circulates during dry-curing and the seasonings used during the initial processing stages. These are additional reasons why the reputation of Speck Alto Adige, Südtiroler Markenspeck and Südtiroler Speck is that of a flagship product of its geographical area of origin.

Reference to publication of the specification:

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

The Ministry has launched the national objection procedure for the proposal to amend the ‘Speck Alto Adige’, ‘Südtiroler Markenspeck’ or ‘Südtiroler Speck’ protected geographical indication.

The full text of the product specification is available on the following website:

http://www.politicheagricole.it/DocumentiPubblicazioni/Search_Documenti_Elenco.htm?txtTipoDocumento=Disciplinare%20in%20esame%20UE&txtDocArgomento=Prodotti%20di%20Qualit%E0>Prodotti%20Dop,%20Igp%20e%20Stg or

by going directly to the home page of the Ministry (http://www.politicheagricole.it) and clicking on ‘Prodotti di Qualità’ (on the left of the screen) and then on ‘Disciplinari di Produzione all'esame dell'UE [regolamento (CE) n. 510/2006]’.

(1) OJ L 93, 31.3.2006, p. 12.