Publication of an application for registration pursuant to Article 6(2) of Regulation (EEC) No 2081/92 on the protection of geographical indications and designations of origin
Date: 2003-11-18
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: Sicily, designation of origin, labelling, location of production, olive oil, product designation, product quality

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Official Journal of the European Union

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

(2003/C 277/09)

This publication confers the right to object to the application pursuant to Articles 7 and 12d of the
abovementioned Regulation. Any objection to this application must be submitted via the competent
authority in a Member State, in a WTO member country or in a third country recognised in accordance
with Article 12(3) 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: 7/2002

1. Responsible department in the Member State

Name:

Ministero delle Politiche agricole e forestali

Address: Via XX Settembre, 20 — I-00187 Roma

Tel.

Fax

(39-06) 481 99 68

(39-06) 42 01 31 26

E-mail:

qualita@politicheagricole.it

2. Applicant group

2.1. Name:

Associazione ‘Cultori della Nocellara del Belice’

2.2. Address: Via Ugo Bassi, 12 — I-91022 Castelvetrano (TP)

2.3. Composition: producer/processor (x)

other (

)

3. Type of product: Category 1.5, extra virgin olive oil

4. Specification

(summary of requirements under Article 4(2))

4.1. Name: ‘Valle del Belice’

4.2. Description: extra virgin olive oil of the following chemical and organoleptic characteristics:

— maximum acidity 0,5 %

— panel test score ‡ 7

— peroxides £ 12 meq02/kg

— polyphenols ‡ 100 ppm

— colour: green to yellow with pale green highlights

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— odour: olive fruit from unripe to ripe

— taste: fruity from medium to intense; mildly to intensely bitter; mildly to intensely pungent

4.3. Geographical area: The production zone for the Valle del Belice protected designation of origin is
the territory of the communes of Castelvetrano, Campobello di Mazara, Partanna, Poggioreale,
Salaparuta and Santa Ninfa, located in Trapani Province, Sicily Region. The zone is defined in the
production specification.

4.4. Proof of origin: Agriculture and food production is the main economic resource of the Valle del
Belice and the olive has been grown since the history of its people began. The arrival of the first
inhabitants is to be linked to the foundation of Selinunte from Megara in the 7th century BC as a
colony in Magna Graecia. In ancient Selinunte the olive was, given the manifold uses of its oil, a
symbol of peace, wisdom and prosperity. Its people grew and propagated the olive, settling the
valleys and other fertile land of the interior: that they produced oil is shown by the crushing
equipment for olives dating back to the 5th century BC found near Temple E. As Pliny relates,
Selinunte became a nodal point in the trade of Magna Graecia and the Mediterranean thanks to its
powerful commercial fleet and the foodstuffs involved, wine, cereals and oil. The olive remained
the primary crop of the Valle del Belice. It was the characteristic crop on the 17th century estates
and historical research shows intensive cultivation in the 18th century. All this demonstrates the
is understood from the grafting
historical
technique adopted that varietal selection was already a feature in the 18th century, presumably
involving the Nocellara del Belice cultivar, already present in the zone and extensively cultivated at
the present time.

tradition behind olive cultivation in the zone.

It

The presence of the Belice river, an element of continuity throughout history, and the area's
physical geography and climate, permitting settlement of the ancient population in its valleys,
have meant that
the entire Valle del Belice area has always enjoyed a distinctive character
indissolubly linked to the growing of this particular olive cultivar.

Growing, processing and bottling all take place within the delimited zone. Bottling has been
confined it because of the need to safeguard the particular characteristics and the quality of
Valle del Belice oil by ensuring that the inspection carried out by the third party organisation
is itself monitored by the producers, to whom the protected designation of origin is of decisive
importance, offering as it does in line with the purposes of the Regulation an opportunity of
supplementing their incomes. Moreover, bottling has traditionally been done in the delimited
geographical zone.

The olives come from groves located in the production zone. The growers enter their own groves
in a correctly run and updated register. Oil extraction, conditioning and bottling are carried out
within the delimited zone at establishments deemed to be of appropriate standard and also listed
in a register. The inspection structure checks that the requirements of the production specification
for entry on the registers are met and also that the various links in the production chain fulfil their
obligations for the purpose of ensuring product traceability.

4.5. Method of production: Valle del Belice extra virgin olive oil is produced from olives harvested, from
October onwards but not after the end of the year. These are primarily of the variety Nocellara del
Belice, which has a minimum presence of 70 % in the traditional plantations. Use can also be
made of other varieties grown in the production zone such as Ogliarola Messinese, Biancolilla,
Cerasuola, Giaraffa, Buscionetto and Santagatese, which are present in varying percentages but
neither individually nor in combination exceed 30 % of the trees in plantations. In the plantations
in production the traditional cultivation care is given: mechanical
tillage, manure/fertiliser
application, phytosanitary attention of the integrated or organic type, annual spur pruning, irri-
gation and/or fertirrigation in irrigated areas.

Olive production may not exceed 10 000 kg/ha in the specialised groves in crop years. Maximum
oil yield is 23 %.

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The olives are picked by hand and/or with the aid of tools. Machines can be used provided that
any contact of the fruit with the ground is avoided. The use of abscission products is prohibited.
Until they are crushed, which must be within two days of being picked, the olives have to be kept
in a cool ventilated place. They may not be transported or stored in bags of any type of material.

Valle del Belice extra virgin olive oil is extracted exclusively by mechanical means. Before crushing
the leaves are removed and the olives thoroughly washed, both by machine. The temperature of
the pulp being worked must not exceed 30 °C. The oil must be kept in places where constant
temperature can be maintained and in containers protected from air and light.

4.6. Link: The defined zone is strongly homogeneous in its soil and weather conditions. The presence
of the sea and of the Belice river softens the climate, creating favourable conditions for growing
olives. The microclimate to be found in the zone is a Mediterranean weather system characterised
by mild winters and hot summers. The maximum temperatures, often above 32 °C, occur in July
and August and average minimum temperature during that period is 24 °C. In the winter months
the temperature rarely drops bellow 0 °C. Rainfall is irregularly distributed and concentrated in a
few months, mainly in autumn and winter. The Valle del Belice undergoes a good five months of
drought. Recorded rainfall is 500 to 700 mm/year. There are persistent fairly strong winds. The
common feature of the area's soil structures is the presence of brown soils leached to a greater or
lesser extent. These are associated with red soils in the littoral areas and with vertisols, regosols
and lithosols in the interior. These conditions permitted over time development in the zone of an
indigenous cultivar that is particularly widespread. It is the strong link between the Nocellara del
Belice cultivar, the soil and the specific climate of the Valle del Belice that allows its qualitative and
quantitative potential to be achieved in these surroundings but not elsewhere. The local growers
have over time developed cultivation techniques (pruning, protection, manuring/fertilising,
irri-
gation and harvesting), that are more akin to those for growing fruit than to the traditional
techniques for olives, that upgrade the quality of the fruit of this double aptitude cultivar. A
is thus obtained, noted for its low acidity, excellent keeping quality and
highly prized oil
pronounced aromatic note.

4.7. Inspection body

Name: Agroqualità Società a r.l.

Address: Piazza Sallustio, 21 — I-00187 Roma

4.8. Labelling: Olio extra vergine di oliva ‘Valle del Belice’ Denominazione di Origine Protetta

The designated name must appear on the label
in clear indelible letters of a colour sharply
contrasting with that of the label itself. It must be clearly distinguished from the set of indications
appearing above it.

The oil must be released for consumption in containers holding not more than five litres.

4.9. National requirements: —

EC No: IT/00258/2002.11.04.

Date of receipt of full application: 4 November 2002.