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: 2005-09-30
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: citrus fruit, designation of origin, labelling, location of production

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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

(2005/C 240/07)

This publication confers the right to object to the application pursuant to Articles 7 and 12d of the above-
mentioned 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 recognized 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.

SUMMARY

COUNCIL REGULATION (EEC) No 2081/92

‘CLÉMENTINE DE CORSE’

EC No: FR/00300/02.07.2003

PDO ( ) PGI ( X )

This summary has been drawn up for information purposes only. For full details, in particular for the
producers of the PDO or PGI concerned, please consult the complete version of the product specification
obtainable at national level or from the European Commission (1).

1.

Responsible department in the Member State:

Name:

Institut National des Appellations d'Origine (INAO)

Address: 51, rue d'Anjou, F-75008 Paris

Tel.:

Fax:

(33-1) 53 89 80 00

(33-1) 42 25 57 97

e-mail:

info@inao.gouv.fr

2.

Group:

2.1 Name: Association pour la Défense et la Promotion de la Clémentine de Corse (APRODEC)

2.2 Address: Maison Verte 15, avenue Jean Zuccarelli — F-20200 Bastia

Tel.: (04-95) 31 74 34
Fax: (04-95) 31 74 34
e-mail: www.aprodec@wanadoo.fr

2.3 Composition: Producers/processors (X) Other (X): Nursery gardeners

3.

Type of product:

Class 1.6. Fresh or processed fruit, vegetables and cereals.

4.

Specification

(summary of requirements under Article 4(2))

4.1 N a me :

‘Clémentine de Corse’

(1) European Commission, Directorate-General for Agriculture and Rural Development, Agricultural product quality

policy, B-1049 Brussels.

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4.2 De scr i p ti on:

The ‘Clémentine de Corse’ is a pipless clementine (Citrus clementina) which should have the following
characteristics:

— a reddish-orange colour with up to 1/5 of the surface area of the peel green,

— medium-sized to small, with a maximum cross-section diameter of between 46 and 68 mm,

— a minimum juice content of 42 %,

— a tart taste,

— an internal ripeness defined by the proportion (E/A) of sugar content of its juice (E), expressed in
Brix concentration, to the acidity of the same juice (A) expressed in grams of citric acid per
100 g. The proportion E/A should be between 8 and 17, where the acidity level is between 0.65
and 1.4,

— at least 30 % of the fruit marketed with one or two leaves attached to the stalk.

4.3 G e o g r a p h i ca l a r e a :

The Clémentine de Corse's geographical production area covers the territory or part of the territory of
certain municipalities in the Haute-Corse and Corse-du-Sud Departments, which make up the island
of Corsica in the Mediterranean. Most of the territory lies in coastal areas and is defined by altitude,
slope and distance from the sea (see paragraph 4.6).

Production, harvesting and packaging operations are all done in the PGI area.

4.4 Pr oof of or i g i n:

Each operator is inspected in advance and authorised by the applicant group and the certification
body. An initial
identification of each orchard block ensures traceability, which is maintained
throughout the various stages leading to the final consumer.

Each holding has an orchard list identifying the clementine tree parcels and orchard blocks. A
grower's notebook makes it possible to keep track of the type of work carried out by grower and by
orchard block. Each consignment of fruit harvested is identified by grower and by orchard block. It
keeps this identification number on delivery to the packing station, for the ‘in’ and ‘out’ registration
and on dispatching and transporting.

At the stage of sale to the final consumer, the packs are consequently identified by a number which
includes the number of the packaged batch, the number of the packing station, the number of the
holding and the orchard block from which the batch comes.

4.5 M e th od of p r odu c ti on:

The production system used by Corsican citrus fruit growers is based on agronomic management
measures applied by orchard block.

— An ‘orchard block’

is a number of clementine trees satisfying the following conditions: they
comprise a single variety, are found in a homogeneous area (from the point of view of soil, expo-
sure, altitude), managed in a uniform way, independent of other orchard blocks on the holding
(times and methods of
irrigating, health protection, various treatments, pruning,
harvesting etc.)

fertilising,

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— The know-how, obtained by pooling the experience of growers, the result of twenty years of local
agronomic research and the development of tools to aid network decision-making make it possible
to obtain a homogeneous and specific quality of fruit.

— The clementine trees are pruned each year.

— Fertilisation and irrigation are adjusted on the basis of regularly measured agronomic and analytic

parameters. Parcels must have an irrigation system.

— The fruit is harvested manually as soon as the fruit has attained its optimum colour and ripeness
on the tree. There are several pickings to optimise the homogeneity of the batches harvested. The
fruit is picked with its leaves to guarantee freshness.

— Once the fruit has been picked, it may not be treated chemically. The use of colour enhancers is
prohibited. At the packing stage the clementines are merely coated in natural wax and selected to
comply with the quality standards for the ‘Corsican clementine’.

— Size grading and packing operations take place in the PGI area to preserve the quality of the fruit,
ensure produce traceability and facilitate checks on these stages of production. The rules on
sizing, adopted collectively by the operators, make it possible to achieve a strict definition of a
given size class. Fruit certified under the PGI comprises only sizes 1 to 5. The final PGI approval is
based on packed consignments.

— The packaging guarantees the identification and quality of the fruit until it is sold to the final

consumer.

4.6 L i nk:

While the cultivation of clementine trees plays an important part in the island's present-day economy,
the tradition of growing citrus fruit is very old in Corsica. Some authors date its introduction from
the very beginning of the Christian era with orchards situated especially on the terraces of the east
coast foothills up to Cap Corse and Balagna. Apart from citrons, abandoned as cash crops on account
of exceptionally bad weather conditions whose consequences were accentuated by an unfavourable
economic situation, the island's old citrus fruit orchard also comprises orange, mandarin and lemon
tree plantations, to which numerous writers allude and which survive here and there, bearing witness
to the citrus-growing history of the island.

— When the clementine tree was discovered in Algeria in the 1920s, plants were frequently brought
to Corsica and planted there. Thereafter, detailed technical and economic studies conducted by the
San Giuliano Agricultural Research Station, set up in Corsica at the end of the 1950s, demon-
strated that the clementine tree should be given pride of place in citrus-growing in this region.

— From 1964, citrus growers had no hesitation in planting clementine trees extensively. Nowadays,
the Corsican orchard covers more than 2 000 hectares and gives an average yield of 22 000
tonnes.

— Today it may be said that the Clémentine de Corse is clearly renowned and that the leaf attached
to it is closely associated with its origin. The Corsican clementine is considered to be a specific
product in terms of its qualities (size, taste, juiciness and colour).

— That said, the specific qualities, while influenced by the growers, also reflect the soil and climate

of the island, and its very insularity:

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— The citrus growing soil of the PGI area of Corsica is distinguished from the soil frequently found
elsewhere in the Mediterranean by its granite and slate origins and by its often more acid and
lighter character, resembling the soil found in temperate maritime climates. This soil makes it
possible to develop specific rootstocks which give the fruit a special quality.

— The maritime influence and neighbouring presence of mountains give the production area a
special climate typified by moderate temperatures, high rainfall and atmospheric humidity, which
help to produce a fruit with a specific colour and taste (more acidic, less sweet).

— In addition, the fact that Corsica is an island helps to keep the clementine trees free from various
serious viral diseases. The small size of the orchards, together with the mountainous terrain, is
conducive to a better control over the evolution of parasites which could affect the fruit.

— These are all reasons why the geographical area has been defined as where these soil and climatic
conditions are to be found, together with a certain number of easily identifiable distinct criteria
for indicating location, as follows:

— Altitude: only areas between 2 and 300 metres are taken into consideration. Below two metres the
soil is systematically unfavourable (salt, hydromorphic, peatland, too sandy). Above 300 metres
the slope and climate are unfavourable.

— Slope: it should be less than 25 %.

— Distance from the sea: it should be less than 15 km, the limit for benefiting from the maritime

climate.

4.7 Inspe c ti on body :

Name:

CERTIPAQ. Centre de Certification des Produits Agricoles et Alimentaires de Qualité.
Approved Certification Body under No CC 14 and accredited, in accordance with standard
EN 45011, by COFRAC (Comité Français d'Accréditation) under No 7-10/97.

Address:

9, avenue Georges V — 75008 Paris

Tel.:

Fax:

01 45 30 92 92

01 45 30 93 00

e-mail:

certipaq@certpaq.com

4.8 L a b e lli n g :

The specific presentation for dispatching fruit under the PGI ‘Clémentine de Corse’ and the special
labels on the packaging are validated by the inspection body.

In addition to the compulsory information in line with the commercial regulatory requirements, the
following terms should appear on the unit packets ‘Protected Geographical Indication: Clémentine de
Corse’.

4.9 N a ti ona l r e q u i r e me nt s: —