EN Official Journal of the European Union C 200/16

Publication of an 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 200/08

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

SUMMARY

COUNCIL REGULATION (EC) No 510/2006

‘CINTA SENESE’

EC No: IT-PDO-0005-0491-06.09.2005

PDO ( X ) PGI ( )

This summary sets out the main elements of the product specification for information purposes.

1. Responsible department in the Member State:

Name: Ministero delle Politiche Alimentari Agricole e Forestali Address: Via XX Settembre 20 00187 Roma RM ITALIA Tel. +39 0646655104 Fax +39 0646655306 E-mail: saco7@politicheagricole.it

2. Group:

Name: Consorzio per la Tutela della Cinta Senese Address: Strada di Cerchiaia 41/4 53100 Siena SI ITALIA Tel. +39 0577389513 Fax +39 0577389513 E-mail: cinta-senese@libero.it Composition: Producers/processors ( X ) Other ( )

3. Type of product:

Class 1.1. Fresh meat (and offal)

4. Specification:

(summary of requirements under Article 4(2) of Regulation (EC) No 510/2006)

4.1. Name:

‘Cinta Senese’

4.2. Description:

The protected designation of origin ‘Cinta Senese’ is used exclusively to designate the meat of pigs of the cinta senese breed reared in the wild or semi-wild that are the offspring of pigs both of which are registered in the population register and/or the Herdbook of the genetic type ‘Cinta Senese’.

When released for consumption, ‘Cinta Senese’ PDO meat must have the following physical and chemical characteristics (per 100 g of edible meat — 24 hours post mortem): water content not above 78 %; fat content not less than 2,5 % (with reference to the Longissimus dorsi muscle); pH 45 (pH measured 45 minutes post mortem): from 6 to 6,5. Furthermore, it must have the following visual/organoleptic characteristics: vivid pink and/or red colour, fine texture, firm consistency, lightly veined with fat, tender, succulent and smelling of fresh meat.

4.3. Geographical area:

The production area includes the whole territory of the region of Tuscany up to a height of 1 200 metres above sea level; above this altitude the environmental conditions are not suitable for production.

4.4. Proof of origin:

Each phase of the production process must be monitored, listing all inputs and outputs. This, together with entry in the official registers — kept by the inspection body — of farmers, slaughterers, cutters, and the timely declaration of the quantities produced to the inspection body, guarantees product traceability throughout the production chain (upstream and downstream).

As for the feed used, relevant documentation issued to the farmers by the feed suppliers attests that it is sourced from the geographical production area. The farmers have therefore to keep their own records to provide evidence that the requirements set out in point 4.5 have been respected. The inspection body must have access to the documentation supplied by the producers and to the farmers’ own records during checks.

Furthermore, the pigs must be identified within 45 days of birth by affixing a distinctive marker to their ears (a tag or button), showing the identification code of the animal in question. Different colours may be used for the tag or button to distinguish between the animals to be used for breeding and those for slaughter. Immediately after slaughter each half-carcase is branded and the cuts and parts intended for human consumption are stamped. The branding and/or stamping must be carried out at the slaughter house and/or the cutting plant respectively. All operators, be they legal or natural persons, registered in the relevant lists, will be subject to checks by the inspection body.

4.5. Method of production:

The animals intended for slaughter must be reared in the wild/semi-wild once they are four months old. The maximum limit per hectare is 1 500 kg live weight. The pigs must be allowed to forage daily in areas of land that are either fenced off or not, and that may include shelters for the night and/or for inclement weather. Breeding sows and boars may be housed in appropriate structures (pens) in the mating period and pre- and post-partum to facilitate health controls and farrowing.

The pigs forage in woods and/or on pasture land sown with forage and cereal crops. Use of a daily food supplement as part of the permitted daily food ration is allowed for pigs over four months of age, and must not exceed 2 % of the live weight of the animal.

Only and exclusively in the event of or following weather conditions so adverse as to prevent the sole use of pasture land or woods for foraging, such as drought, prolonged periods of rain or cloud cover, is a daily food supplement of not more than 3 % of the live weight allowed so as to guarantee the animals a normal dietary input.

However, as piglets aged up to fourth months may be reared in pens, food supplements can constitute their total daily dietary requirements. At least 60 % of the total weight of the ingredients of the supplement fed to the animals must be sourced from the geographical production area. The supplement can be constituted of the following products:

— energy products: all wholegrain cereals,

— protein products: oilseeds (with the exception of soya and derived products) and all unprocessed vegetables,

— fibres: forage, fresh fruits and vegetables and the by-products of cereal milling.

In addition, vitamin and/or mineral supplements are authorised.

Slaughtered animals must be at least 12 months old.

4.6. Link:

The link between ‘Cinta Senese’ PDO and the area of origin is justified precisely because of how this breed is reared and fed, giving the product the characteristics described in point 4.2. The defined geographical area is distinguished by its mixed woodland, rich in types of oak tree, perfect for acorn production, and for its small amount of arable land. These pastures, often poor and with high levels of clay, are usually sown with forage crops and are a typical feature of Tuscany's soil and climatic conditions. Human invervention has, over the centuries, led to the development of the ‘Cinta Senese’ breed, which is strong limbed and robust in general and hardy, frugal, adaptable and disease resistant, such as to be able to survive almost exclusively on the natural resources that are native to the Tuscan environment; to this day, as in far-off times, the typical method of rearing is wild or semi-wild. In practice, the pigs forage in the woods and on suitable land, and are only kept in pens at night or during critical moments pre- and post-partum. This form of rearing, which allows the pigs to forage freely in the woods and on the land, limits health problems and means the animals are not stressed, which in turn results in high quality meat. Furthermore, in addition to the light intramuscular fat veining that is visible on the cuts, another characteristic is the minimal fat content specified in point 4.2, which is not common to all pigmeat and is considered to be an important factor that ensures the meat’s tastiness and flavour. The other aspect that renders ‘Cinta Senese’ meat of nutritional interest is its composition in unsaturated fatty acids — characterised by higher levels of oleic acid, the precursor of flavours that enhance the meat’s organoleptic characteristics, and lower levels of linoleic acid, which when they are too high undermine the quality of the product — which is the result of the pigs foraging freely in the Tuscan woods and pastures.

Furthermore, the pasturage influences the pigs’ genetic composition, making the meat better suited for consumption fresh and for processed products, in that this factor results in superior water retention capacity and therefore less shrinkage during cooking due to water loss and less loss of brine in the initial stages of curing processed products.

It must be pointed out that ‘Cinta Senese’ meat is today directly associated with its region of origin partly because in the past there was major promotion of its qualities as it was considered to be an integral part of Tuscan culinary tradition. Thanks to these initiatives organised by the regional administrations, the market share of ‘Cinta Senese’ meat steadily expanded, to the extent that even restaurant menus started to include the designation ‘Cinta Senese’ with regard to various cuts of meat.

To this day, ‘Cinta Senese’ meat is highly sought after to the extent that it commands much higher prices as compared to other meat, as evidenced by the price listing of the Siena Chamber of Commerce, Crafts and Agriculture of 2001 and 2002.

4.7. Inspection body:

The inspection body complies with standard EN 45011.

Name: Istituto Nord Est Qualità — INEQ Address: Via Nazionale 33/35 33030 Villanova di San Daniele del Friuli UD ITALIA Tel. +39 0432956951 Fax +39 0432956955 E-mail: info@ineq.it

4.8. Labelling:

The ‘Cinta Senese’ half-carcase must be branded at the following points: hind leg, back, belly, shoulder and cheek. The brand has to bear the ‘Cinta Senese’ PDO logo and the slaughterhouse code.

All cuts taken from the branded half-carcase and intended for the final consumer must be stamped with the following information:

— the logo,

— the name of the protected designation: ‘Cinta Senese PDO’,

— the EU symbol or the wording ‘Denominazione d’Origine Protetta’ (‘Protected Designation of Origin’),

— the traceability code from which the animal can be identified (place and date of birth), place and date of slaughter and cutting, in addition to the quantities put on sale.

The stamp, with the abovementioned information, must be done in such a way that it cannot be tampered with for anatomical cuts and/or pre-packaged products.

The logo consists of a red heraldic shield with a picture of a dark grey pig with a white band round its middle, the whole device surrounded by a dark red circle inside which is written ‘allevata in Toscana secondo tradizione’ (‘traditionally reared in Tuscany’). The words ‘Cinta Senese D.O.P.’ (‘Cinta Senese PDO’) figure below the heraldic shield outside the circle. The logo can be reproduced with the same device in black and white on various supports, either enlarged or reduced provided the proportions and layout of the text are respected.

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