Commission Regulation (EC) No 736/2005 of 13 May 2005 supplementing the Annex to Regulation (EC) No 2400/96 as regards the entry of a name in the ‘Register of protected designations of origin and protected geographical indications’ (Miel d’Alsace) — (PGI)
Date: 2005-05-13
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: Alsace, designation of origin, honey, location of production

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COMMISSION REGULATION (EC) No 736/2005

of 13 May 2005

supplementing the Annex to Regulation (EC) No 2400/96 as regards the entry of a name in the
‘Register of protected designations of origin and protected geographical
(Miel

indications’

d’Alsace) — (PGI)

THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES,

(5)

Having regard to the Treaty
Community,

establishing the European

Having regard to Council Regulation (EEC) No 2081/92 of
14 July 1992 on the protection of geographical
indications
and designations of origin for agricultural products and food-
stuffs (1), and in particular Article 7(5)(b), Article 6(3) and the
first indent of Article 6(4) thereof,

Whereas:

(1)

(2)

(3)

(4)

In accordance with Article 6(2) of Regulation (EC) No
2081/92, France’s application to register ‘Miel d’Alsace’
was published in the Official
the European
Union (2).

Journal of

Germany opposed the registration under Article 7 of
Regulation (EEC) No 2081/92. This opposition arose
from a failure to comply with the conditions
laid
down in Article 2 of Regulation (EEC) No 2081/92. In
Germany’s view, some details of the specification relating
to proof of origin in particular were inadequate as
regards the definition of a geographical indication.

By letter of 6 February 2003 the Commission asked the
Member States concerned to seek agreement among
themselves in accordance with their internal procedures.

reached between France and
As no agreement was
Germany within three months, the Commission must
adopt a decision in accordance with the procedure
provided for
in Article 15 of Regulation (EEC) No
2081/92.

As a result of the contacts between France and Germany
on Miel d’Alsace, clarifications were made to the product
specification in question, particularly as
the
honey’s chemical features and proof of origin. Point 4
of the specification summary has been amended as a
result.

regards

In light of the above, the name should thus be entered in
the ‘Register of protected designations of origin and
protected geographical indications’.

The measures provided for in this Regulation are in
accordance with
the Regulatory
Committee on the Protection of Geographical Indications
and Designations of Origin for Agricultural Products and
Foodstuffs,

opinion of

the

(6)

(7)

HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION:

Article 1

The name in Annex I to this Regulation is hereby added to the
Annex to Commission Regulation (EC) No 2400/96 (3).

Article 2

A summary of the main points of the specification is given in
Annex II to this Regulation.

Article 3

This Regulation shall enter into force on the 20th day following
its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union.

This Regulation shall be binding in its entirety and directly applicable in all Member States.

Done at Brussels, 13 May 2005.

For the Commission

Mariann FISCHER BOEL
Member of the Commission

(1) OJ L 208, 24.7.1992, p. 1. Regulation as last amended by Regu-

lation (EC) No 806/2003 (OJ L 122, 16.5.2003, p. 1).

(2) OJ C 71, 20.3.2002, p. 11.

(3) OJ L 327, 18.12.1996, p. 11. Regulation as last amended by Regu-

lation (EC) No 205/2005 (OJ L 33, 5.2.2005, p. 6).

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ANNEX I

PRODUCTS LISTED IN ANNEX I TO THE EC TREATY, INTENDED FOR HUMAN CONSUMPTION

Other animal products (eggs, honey, various milk products except butter, etc.)

FRANCE
Miel d’Alsace (PGI)

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ANNEX II

COUNCIL REGULATION (EEC) No 2081/92
‘MIEL D’ALSACE’

(EC No: FR/00150)

PDO (

)

PGI (X)

This summary has been drawn up for information purposes only. For full details, in particular the producers of the
products covered by the PDO or PGI concerned, please consult the complete version of the product specification
obtainable at national level or from the European Commission.

1. Responsible department in the Member State

Name:

Address:

Telephone:
Fax:

Ministère de l’agriculture et de la pêche — direction des politiques économique et internationale —
bureau des signes de qualité et de l'agriculture biologique
3, rue Barbet de Jouy
F-75349 07 SP
(33) 149 55 81 01
(33) 149 55 57 85

2. Group

2.1. Name:

Confédération régionale des apiculteurs d’Alsace

2.2. Address:

Telephone:
Fax:

Espace européen de l’entreprise
2, rue de Rome
F-67300 Schiltigheim
(33) 388 19 16 78
(33) 388 18 90 42

E-mail:

alsace-qualite@alsace-qualite.com

2.3. Composition:

producer/processor (X)

other (

)

3.

Type of product

Class 1.4 Honey

4.

Specification

(summary of requirements under Article 4(2))

4.1. Name

‘Miel d’Alsace’

4.2. Description

A product made by bees from sugars produced by plants in the form either of exudates of flowers (nectar) or of sap
gathered by aphids (honeydew). Each product is characterised by its maximum water content, conductivity, acidity,
HMF, colour and distinctive taste.

Honey made from silver fir is brown in colour with green lights, smell is mildly resinous and aroma balsamic.

Honey made from chestnut is light to dark brown in colour, smell is reminiscent of overripe apples and taste is
tannic and slightly stringent.

Honey made from acacia is light-coloured, smell is fragrant of acacia flowers, aroma is reminiscent of false acacia
and taste reminiscent of the hive.

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Honey made from lime is light to dark yellow in colour, smell is mentholated and taste slightly bitter.

Forest honey has a distinctive intense colour, subtle aromas due to the mixture of honeydew and nectars, a flavour
that is intense and a taste that is slightly stringent.

Multi-flower honey is light to dark coloured, aromas are complex owing to the mixture of nectars, taste is very
sweet.

4.3. Geographical area

The production hives must be installed in Alsace. In the case of honey from silver fir, the perimeter is limited to the
Alsatian slopes of the Vosges and Jura mountain ranges. Chestnut honey is gathered in the hills south of the Vosges
(Lower Rhine and Upper Rhine in the forests of Brumath and Haguenau). Lime honey comes from the forests of
Hardt (Upper Rhine).

The honey collection areas, a determining factor for quality and specificity, are defined, but extraction can take place
outside the area provided that traceability is ensured.

4.4. Proof of origin

Bee-keepers and production sites are identified, registered and checked. Production sites must be located in Alsace.
Traceability of the honey is ensured through the keeping of records of labels which are checked against harvest
declarations and stocks.

Proof of origin is also checked through microscopic analysis of 30 % of all Miel d’Alsace production, by designation.

4.5. Method of production

Hives are placed in an area in which the forest or floral species are found that correspond to the type of honey
sought: acacia, lime, pine, chestnut, forest or multi-flower honey. The honey is extracted when ripe without heating,
is decanted, stored and packaged. Each batch is subjected to a physico-chemical and sensory analysis. The honey
must also comply with the physico-chemical and organoleptic criteria set out in the specification.

4.6. Link

Distinctive features linked to the product:

Each type of honey develops its own physico-chemical and organoleptic characteristics, which are defined in the
specification and correspond to the floral diversity of the region. The diversity of Alsatian honeys stems directly from
the diversity of the prevailing ecosystems. Alsace comprises several areas: an area of mountains covered with
softwoods, an area made up of hills and plateaux with vines, meadows and beech and chestnut forests, and a
plain consisting of cropped land and meadows. The resulting diversity of ecosystems hence allows harvesting to take
place from early spring to early autumn, providing a wide variety of products.

Past and present reputation:

Records of honey production in Alsace go back as far as the seventh century.

— in the 16th century, among the various works published was a treatise on apiculture (1580) which remained a

reference for almost two centuries,

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— the second half of the 19th century saw a new phase in the development of Alsatian apiculture; by the beginning

of the 20th century there were more than 50 000 hives in Alsace,

— Alsatian apiculture today is made up of a very large number of bee-keepers (currently close to 4 000) who are
members of pyramid-shaped and decentralised unions. The regional show held at Colmar for the honeys from
Alsace attests to the vitality of Alsatian honey production.

4.7. Inspection body

Name:
Address:

Telephone:
Fax:
E-mail:

Certiqual (Association certifying Alsace quality products)
Espace européen de l’entreprise
2, rue de Rome
F-67300 Schiltigheim
(33) 388 19 16 79
(33) 388 19 55 29
certiqual2@wanadoo.fr

4.8. Labelling

The words Miel d’Alsace must figure on the label together with a reference to the type of honey (acacia, lime, silver
fir, chestnut, forest, multi-flower).

Freshness, quality and taste guaranteed, compliance of characteristics certified by Certiqual F-67309 Schiltigheim.

4.9. National requirements

—