Publication of an application for registration pursuant to Article 6(2) of Council Regulation (EEC) No 2081/92 on the protection of geographical indications and designations of origin
Date: 2001-03-13
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: Languedoc-Roussillon, designation of origin, goats’ milk cheese, location of production, product designation, soft cheese

13.3.2001

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 81/5

Publication of an application for registration pursuant to Article 6(2) of Council Regulation (EEC)
No 2081/92 on the protection of geographical indications and designations of origin

(2001/C 81/03)

This publication confers the right to object to the application pursuant to Article 7 of the abovementioned
Regulation. Any objection to this application must be submitted via the competent authority in the
Member State concerned within a time limit of six months from the date of this publication. The
arguments for publication are set out below, in particular under 4.6, and are considered to justify the
application within the meaning of Regulation (EEC) No 2081/92.

COUNCIL REGULATION (EEC) No 2081/92

APPLICATION FOR REGISTRATION: ARTICLE 5

PDO (x)

PGI (

)

National application No: . . .

1. Responsible department in the Member State

Name:

Institut national des appellations d’origine

Address: 138, avenue des Champs-(cid:201)lysØes, F-75008 Paris

Tel.

Fax

(33-1) 53 89 80 00

(33-1) 42 25 57 97.

2. Applicant group

2.1. Name:

Association de dØfense du PØlardon

2.2. Address: Domaine de Saporta, F-34970 Lattes

2.3. Composition: Producer/processor.

3. Type of product: Cheese (cid:151) Class 1.3.

4. Specification

(Summary of requirements under Article 4 (2))

4.1. Name: PØlardon.

4.2. Description: PØlardon is a soft cheese made from raw goats’ milk in cylinders with rounded edges,
weighing over 60 grams, 60 to 70 mm in diameter and 22 to 27 mm high. It contains a minimum
of 40 grams of dry matter per 100 grams of cheese, and 45 grams of fat per 100 grams when
completely dry.

It has a thin rind, covered partially or totally with a pale yellow, white or blue mould-type down.
The cheese itself is ivory-white in colour, even in texture and smooth when cut, though can
become crumbly if matured for a lengthy period.

4.3. Geographical area: The geographical area spans part of four departments: Aude, Gard, HØrault and
LozŁre, and one commune of Tarn. The area comprises: to the north, the Cevenne valleys, from
the edge of the Causse mountains to the vine-growing plains; to the east and the centre, the
limestone mountains of the Gard and Herault scrubland; to the west, the upper valleys of the
Lergue, Orb, and Jaur rivers, and the south face of the Montagne Noire mountain, located in a
Mediterranean climate; lastly, to the south, the heart of the Hautes CorbiŁres mountains bordered
in the south by the Grau de Maury.

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4.4. Proof of origin: The origins of PØlardon are ancient; the most likely origin of the name is the one
given by the naturalist, Pliny, who mentions (cid:145)PØraldou(cid:146), a cheese highly valued for its unique
flavour. The name seems to derive from (cid:145)pŁbre(cid:146), which means pepper, due to its pungent taste.
(cid:145)PØlardon(cid:146), (cid:145)PØraldou(cid:146) or (cid:145)PØlardou(cid:146) cheese is also described in AbbØ Boissier de Sauvages’ Languedoc/
French dictionary of 1756, by FrØdØric Mistral, the renowned proven(cid:231)al poet, and in the Arts and
Crafts dictionary. PØlardon also features in 19th-century departmental statistics. Throughout the
20th century, the goat stock declined, farms were modernised and developed specialisations, but
PØlardon production continued and the cheese was fŒted by writers of the region. In the 1970s,
PØlardon production was revitalised by the new forms of goat-rearing that emerged.

Farm producers, manufacturers and processors must maintain daily stock records. Like all desig-
nation of origin cheeses, PØlardon must satisfy provisions contained in an approval procedure that
comprises analytical and organoleptic tests.

4.5. Method of production: The milk used must be from herds made up of goats of the Alpine, Saanen,

or Rove breeds and their crossbreeds. The goats are kept on a free-range basis.

It is forbidden for animals to be permanently confined in stock farm buildings. Goats must have
regular access to pasture in the geographically defined area, for at least 210 days per year for herds
located at an altitude below 800 metres and at least 180 days per year for herds located at higher
altitudes. The farmer must have a minimum of 2000 m2 of pasture or free-range grazing per goat
within the defined geographical area. The available fodder comprises annual and perennial
self-sown plants,
shrub and herbaceous vegetation, permanent pasture of
indigenous flora and ley containing grasses, legumes, or a combination of the two. Farmers are
permitted to distribute hay and supplement the diet with cereals and cake.

stands of

trees,

PØlardon cheese is produced by a process of mainly lactic slow coagulation and natural draining of
whole, raw goats’ milk which is non-standardised in terms of protein or fat content. The addition
of concentrated or powdered milk, colourings or flavourings and the use of ultrafiltration or
microfiltration treatments are banned.

Milk starters are added to the milk, made from whey from the previous processing. The use of
selected commercial starters is permitted only at the beginning of
in cases where
production or collection of milk is interrupted. Renneting can either be carried out after each
milking, or once a day, using a coagulant. The coagulant dose must be less than 1 ml per 10 litres
of milk. Coagulation time must exceed 18 hours, and be sufficient to obtain a pH of less than or
equal to 4,5.

lactation,

The fresh curd is then manually put through a cheese strainer and into moulds, for which a
distributor may be used. Only milk-collecting operators are permitted to use block-moulds. All
forms of mechanical mould are banned.

In-mould draining occurs naturally and lasts a minimum of 24 hours. During the draining stage a
minimum amount of turning must occur. Both sides of the cheese are salted, using only dry, fine
or semi-coarse, phosphate-free salt, and at least one side must be salted during draining. Pickling in
brine is prohibited.

The cheeses are drained for 18 to 24 hours at a temperature of 18 to 22 (cid:176)C, whereupon they are
dried for 24 to 48 hours in a ventilated area, with 65 to 80 % humidity, at a temperature of 12 to
18 (cid:176)C.

The ripening stage takes place at between 8 and 16 (cid:176)C, with 85 % to 95 % humidity, and cheeses
are turned at least every two days. The use of frozen curd and the freezing of the cheeses
themselves is banned. Cheese may only be sold under the name of the specific designation after
a minimum of 11 days following renneting.

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Official Journal of the European Communities

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4.6. Link: PØlardon is a cheese that maintains strong links with its origins, through goat rearing being
well suited to the terrain due to the specific nature of the vegetation growing there: German and
white oak forests, chestnut and pine trees, also acid soil scrub and limey soil scrubland. Goat-
rearing uses large tracts of grazing land (59 000 hectares of wooded land). The product and the
sector are therefore firmly rooted in the natural environment, and this is completed by an expert
knowledge of cheesemaking. Goat rearing, which is sometimes combined with soft fruit growing,
is often the sole agricultural activity in this area, which is very hilly and difficult to access. In the
scrubland, goat rearing enables rural activity to be sustained in an area where no other activities
can be practised because the landscape is so arid. Goats graze in areas which would otherwise be
liable to neglect. These distinctive characteristics of the natural landscape, that impart a unique
character to the milk used to make the cheese, and which are linked to rearing methods and
production techniques specific to the area, firmly anchor PØlardon cheese in its place of origin.

4.7. Inspection body

(cid:151) INAO, 138, avenue des Champs-(cid:201)lysØes, F-75008 Paris,

(cid:151) DGCCRF, 59, boulevard Vincent-Auriol, F-75703 Paris Cedex 13.

4.8. Labelling: Cheese intended to be sold to the consumer must carry individual labels, except batches
that are sold in a single pack, which carry only a single label if they are intended for sale to the
end consumer.

Labels must include the name of the registered designation of origin, in characters of a size equal
to, or two-thirds the size of the largest characters on the label, and feature the words (cid:145)appellation
d’origine contr(cid:244)lØe(cid:146), and (cid:145)farm cheese(cid:146) (fromage fermier), (cid:145)farm produced(cid:146) (fabrication fermiŁre) or
any other words implying that the product comes from a farm where these conditions are satisfied.
A logo with the letters (cid:145)INAO(cid:146), (cid:145)appellation d’origine contr(cid:244)lØe(cid:146) and the name of the designation of
origin must feature on the labelling.

4.9. National requirements: Decree relating to the protected designation of origin (cid:145)PØlardon(cid:146).

EC No: G/FR/00140/2000.09.19.

Date of receipt of the full application: 19 September 2000.