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: 2002-12-18
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: Spain, designation of origin, labelling, location of production, pip fruit, product designation, product quality

C 316/14

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Official Journal of the European Communities

18.12.2002

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

(2002/C 316/05)

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 (

)

PGI (x)

National application No: 66

1. Responsible department in the Member State

Name:

Subdirección General de Denominaciones de Calidad y Relaciones Interprofesionales y
Contractuales. Dirección General de Alimentación. Subsecretaría de Agricultura, Pesca y
Alimentación del Ministerio de Agricultura, Pesca y Alimentación

Address: Po Infanta Isabel, 1, E-28071 Madrid

Tel.

Fax

(34) 913 47 53 94

(34) 913 47 54 10

2. Applicant group

2.1. Name: —

2.2. Address

(a) Cooperativa de fruticultors Costa Brava, SCCL

Ctra. de Torroella a Verges, km 1,2
E-17140 Ullà, Baix Empordà (Girona)

(b) Girona Fruits, SCCL

Ctra. de Palamós, km 56
E-17462 Bordils, Gironès (Girona)

(c) Cooperativa Frutícola Empordà, SCCL

D. Narcís de Ciurana, 12
E-17470 Sant Pere Pescador, Alt Empordà (Girona)

2.3. Composition: producer/processor (x)

other (

)

3. Type of product: Apples — Category 1.6 — Fruit.

4. Specification

(summary of requirements under Article 4(2))

4.1. Name: Manzana de Girona or Poma de Girona

4.2. Description: Apple of the species Malus domestica Borkh L of the ‘Golden’, ‘Red Delicious’, ‘Gala’
and ‘Granny Smith’ groups of varieties. As a result of local environmental conditions the apples
have a hardness of 1,5 to 2 kg, i.e. above that of fruit of the same varieties grown elsewhere.

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‘Golden’

Fruit: yellow-green with a smooth skin. Large.

Flesh: whitish, firm, juicy, crisp, with a sweet and very aromatic flavour.

Tree: semi-erect, enters into production rapidly.

Flowers: pinkish white, large and highly resistant to frost.

Accounts for 60 % of the production of protected apples in the area.

‘Red Delicious’

Fruit: red. Large.

Flesh: whitish, firm, juicy and sweet.

Tree: weak-looking, enters into production rapidly.

Flowers: pinkish white, productive, slight sensitivity to frosts.

Accounts for 20 % of the production of protected apples in the area.

‘Gala’

Two-tone colour. Skin with pronounced stripes. Medium size.

Flesh: white, firm, juicy, subtle and very crisp. Sweet flavour.

Tree erect, vigorous, enters into production rapidly.

Flowers: pinkish white, large, resistant to frost.

Accounts for 5 % of the production of protected apples in the area.

‘Granny Smith’

Fruit: deep green. Large.

Flesh: whitish, compact, firm and juicy, slightly sharp flavour.

Tree: vigorous, with a drooping appearance, characteristic of a rapid entry into production.

Flowers: pinkish white, resistant to frosts and highly productive.

Accounts for 15 % of the production of protected apples in the region.

Ripeness parameters, by variety

Parameter

Variety

Golden

Red Delicious

Gala

Granny Smith

Sugar content (Brix)

12 or more

11 or more

13 or more

12 or more

Penetrometry (kg)

Starch

Harvesting

5-7

5-7

5-7

5-7

6-8

5-7

5-7

5-7

early September

early September

mid-August

mid-October

4.3. Geographical area: Land situated at the north-eastern tip of the autonomous community of
the Gerona province municipalities of Selva, Baix Empordà, Alt

Catalonia. Comprises all
Empordà, El Gironès and Pla de l'Estany.

The total area under cultivation in the area is 3 650 hectares, with 2 152 hectares of apple
orchards. The area likely to be covered by the PGI is 1 518 hectares.

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4.4. Proof of origin: The apples come from orchards situated in the production area.

The stations where they are selected and packed are located in that area and are on an official list
kept by the Regulatory Council. Apples which, at the production and packing stage, meet the
required standards, in particular the physical and chemical and organoleptic tests, are marketed
under the protected geographical
issued by the Regulatory
Council.

indication and a numbered label

4.5. Method of production: Apples belonging to authorised varieties are grown in accordance with
integrated production methods and, when they have reached the correct degree of ripeness, are
harvested as quickly and as carefully as possible.

At registered packing stations the apples undergo the following in particular: grading, storage
(normal, controlled or ultra-low volume cells), packing, extrinsic quality control and labelling.

The entire process, from production to labelling, takes place in the production area.

4.6. Link:

— Historical: Apples have, together with other tree-fruit crops, long been one of the traditional
crops of the Selva, Baix Empordà, Alt Empordà, Gironès and Pla de l'Estany districts in the
province of Gerona.

The earliest documented reference to the presence of apple trees locally comes from the district
of Selva and dates back to the year 1300: the seal of the Massaneda family with, at its centre,
an apple tree. The name Massaneda may itself have come from an early word for apple tree:
Manzaneda.

In his Diario de los viajes hechos en Cataluña, Francisco de Zamora describes in detail everything
he saw in the course of his journeys in Catalonia. He states, for instance, that there are already
apple orchards in the Plana de Bas. He refers also to the cultivation and consumption of apples
in several villages, including Sant Hilari Sacalm, whose high birth rate was said by the local
priest to be attributable to apples. Writing about a small village close to Arbúcies, de Zamora
points out that a variety of exquisite apple trees abound in the area, the most famous of which
are those known as ciri. Referring to the market held at Santa Coloma de Farners, the capital of
the district of Selva, he states that large quantities of pine kernels and apples are sold there
which are later sent to Mahón, Valencia, Cartagena, Cadiz and elsewhere.

There is accordingly a fully fledged apple culture, given that the fruit plays such a major role in
the economy and in the diet of its people and animals. The wide range of varieties and the
numerous methods of preserving them have helped to ensure a varied and sustained supply.
According to the gastronome Jaume Fàbrega the apple is traditionally the most highly
esteemed local dessert fruit: it can be traced back to the 18th century at least (pommes cuites
(baked apples' or the delicious botifarra dolça amb poma (sweet Catalan sausage with apple)).

Such was the importance of apples in the everyday life of the people of the various districts of
Gerona that a number of anecdotes and traditions centred on it have survived to this day. The
importance of apples in Gerona's culture can be gauged by the number of popular song lyrics
that refer to the fruit.

Large-scale commercial apple-growing dates back to the beginning of the 20th century. In the
1930s attempts were already being made to produce premium-quality fruit in the area, using
local varieties. A major development in the mid 1960s was the setting up of large-scale storage
and marketing cooperatives.

— Natural: The manzana de Girona has a homogeneous production area in terms of soil and
climate, thus lending itself to apple-growing. This set of factors provides the manzana de
Girona with very marked characteristic flavour and hardness that are recognised and
appreciated by consumers.

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The area's topsoil consists of material recently deposited by rivers. The land is flat, poses few
problems of erosion and features good drainage.

The climate is Mediterranean, i.e. mild and fresh, with sharp differences between daytime and
night-time temperatures and this, together with high relative humidity and sunshine at the end
of spring, gives the fruit good colouring and a high sugar content.

— Growing conditions: Layout of orchards: distance between trees: 1 to 1,80 metres; distance

between rows: 3,5 to 4 metres; planting density: 2 000 to 3 000 trees per hectare.

The rows of trees are laid out from north to south so that an even amount of light falls on the
leaves and fruit. The branches are trained along a central axis.

Cultivation and pruning: in accordance with the most modern cultivation techniques. Removal
of the older material by heavy pruning. The aim is to find a natural balance for the tree, i.e.
letting in a sufficient amount of light and allowing the production of quality fruit.

Harvesting: begins in mid-August in the case of Gala, September in the case of Golden and Red
Delicious and the middle or end of October in the case of Granny Smith. At all events it is
dependent on pre-set physical and chemical parameters (penetrometry, refractive index (Brix)
and starch regression rate) and so may vary from one year to the next.

4.7. Inspection body

Name:

Calitax

Address: Tuset, 10, E-08006 Barcelona

Tel.

(34) 932 17 27 03

Calitax complies with standard EN 45011 for apples.

4.8. Labelling: The labels must be approved by the Regulatory Council. The words ‘Indicación
Geográfica Protegida Manzana de Girona’ or ‘Poma de Girona’ must feature prominently on
them. The labels must be numbered and are supplied by the Regulatory Council.

4.9. National requirements:

— Law No 25/1970 of 2 December 1970, Estatuto de la Viña, del Vino y de los Alcoholes,

— Decree No 835/1972 of 23 March 1972 adopting the Regulation set out in Law No 25/1970,

— Order of 25 January 1994 specifying the correlation between Spanish law and Regulation
(EEC) No 2081/92 on the protection of geographical indications and designations of origin for
agricultural products and foodstuffs,

— Royal Decree No 1643/99 of 22 October 1999 governing the processing of applications for
inclusion in the Community Register of designations of origin and protected geographical
indications.

EC No: G/ES/00154/2000.19.04.

Date of receipt of the full application: 15 May 2002.