Publication of an amendment application pursuant to Article 6(2) of Council Regulation (EC) No 510/2006 on the protection of geographical indications and designations of origin for agricultural products and foodstuffs
Date: 2007-11-22
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: France, designation of origin, location of production, mode of production, product designation, soft cheese

22.11.2007

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 279/19

Publication of an amendment application pursuant to Article 6(2) of Council Regulation (EC)
indications and designations of origin for
No 510/2006 on the protection of geographical

agricultural products and foodstuffs

(2007/C 279/08)

This publication confers the right to object to the application pursuant to Article 7 of Council Regulation
(EC) No 510/2006. Statements of objection must reach the Commission within six months of the date of
this publication.

AMENDMENT APPLICATION

COUNCIL REGULATION (EC) No 510/2006

Amendment application pursuant to Article 9 and Article 17(2)

‘ÉPOISSES’

EC No: FR/PDO/117/0118/07.09.2004

PGI

PDO

1. Heading in the specification affected by the amendment

Name of product

Description of product

Geographical area

Proof of origin

Method of production

Link

Labelling

National requirements

Other [to be specified]

2. Type of amendment(s)

Amendment to Single Document or Summary Sheet

Amendment to specification of registered PDO or PGI for which neither the Single Document nor
Summary has been published

Amendment
(Article 9(3) of Regulation (EC) No 510/2006)

to Specification that requires no amendment

to the published Single Document

Temporary amendment
phyto-sanitary measures by public authorities (Article 9(4) of Regulation (EC) No 510/2006)

to Specification resulting from imposition of obligatory sanitary or

3. Amendments

The general aim of the requested amendments is to set out all the details needed to consolidate the condi-
tions governing the production of milk and the product itself.

These amendments serve to strengthen the link between the product and its geographical area, to
provide greater protection of the product's characteristics and to ensure compliance with the rules.

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Official Journal of the European Union

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Method of production

Addition of the following paragraph: ‘The milk used to produce Époisses is exclusively milk from cows of
the breeds Brune, Montbéliarde or Simmental Française. Farms that do not meet this requirement have until
31 December 2009 to comply’.

Explanation: The use of local breeds strengthens the link between Époisses and the geographical area.
However this provision will entail substantial changes for some farms. For this reason, a time period in
which farms can adjust to meet the new rules is requested.

Addition of the following paragraphs:

‘The total ration for the herd comprises, as a total annual average, at least 85 % of fodder produced in
the geographical area of production, as a percentage of dry matter’.

‘The proportion of fodder produced in the geographical area of production referred to above may not be
less than 80 % of the total daily ration, as a percentage of dry matter’.

‘The basic ration, excluding agricultural co-products, is produced in the above-mentioned geographical
area of production’.

‘Feed supplements make up less than 30 % of the total ration, as a percentage of dry matter’.

‘From the time the herd is turned out to pasture until at least 15 June, the fodder given to dairy cows
mainly consists of pasture grass, grazed or distributed fresh, the share of which is at least 50 % of the
basic ration for a minimum area of 20 acres per lactating cow or 15 acres per lactating cow in farms
that practice green feeding. At other times, fodder stored in dry form, i.e. containing over 85 % dry
matter, and hay stored in tied bales make up at least 30 % of the basic ration’.

‘Feed that may negatively impact the aroma or taste of milk or cheese, its coagulation properties or that
poses a risk of bacterial contamination may not be used in the basic ration’.

Explanation: The amendment lays down the fodder given to dairy cows, here again to strengthen the link
between the cheese and its area of origin. One of the main features is the use of fodder produced mainly
in the geographical area of production.

Addition of the following paragraphs:

‘The milk may not be concentrated by partially removing the watery part before coagulation’.

‘In addition to the dairy raw materials, the only ingredients or production aids or additives authorised in
the milk during production are rennet, innocuous bacterial cultures, yeasts, moulds and salt’.

‘Coagulation may be carried out only using rennet’.

‘The dairy raw materials, curd and fresh cheese may not be conserved by keeping them at below zero
centigrade during the production process’.

‘Fresh cheese and cheese undergoing the maturing process may not be conserved under a modified atmo-
sphere’.

Explanation: The use of treatments and additives to make cheese is subject to a set of general rules. Some
new techniques, including the use of treatments and additives, such as microfiltration, partial concentra-
tion of milk or enzymes for the maturing process, have a potential impact on the characteristics of
cheeses with designations of origin. Certain enzyme additives in particular appear to be incompatible
with maintaining the key characteristics of products with designations of origin.

It therefore became necessary to stipulate in the specification of each product with a designation of
origin, under the heading ‘Method of production’, the current practices regarding the use of treatments
and additives for milk and cheese production to prevent future practices not covered by the rules from
undermining the characteristics of cheeses with designations of origin.

Link with the geographical area

Addition of the following paragraph: ‘The breeds Brune, Montbéliarde and Simmental Française are consis-
tent with the traditional, local and historical practices of milk production and are adapted to this environ-
ment’.

Explanation: The purpose of this provision is to strengthen the link with the geographical area by
promoting the use of local breeds.

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Official Journal of the European Union

C 279/21

SUMMARY

COUNCIL REGULATION (EC) No 510/2006

‘ÉPOISSES’

EC No: FR/PDO/117/0118/07.09.2004

PDO ( X ) PGI ( )

This summary sets out the main elements of the product specification for information purposes.

1. Responsible department in the Member State:

Name:

Institut National de l'Origine et de la Qualité (INAO)

Address: 51, rue d'Anjou

F-75008 Paris

Tel.

Fax

(33) 01 53 89 80 00

(33) 01 53 89 80 60

E-mail:

info@inao.gouv.fr

2. Group:

Name:

Address:

Tel.

Fax

Syndicat de Défense de l'Époisses

Mairie d'Époisses
F-21460 Époisses

(33) 03 80 96 34 61

(33) 03 80 96 34 61

E-mail:

contact@fromages-epoisses.com

Composition: Producers/processors ( X ) Other ( )

3.

Type of product:

Class 1.3 — Cheeses

4.

Specification:

(Summary of requirements under Article 4(2) of Regulation (EC) No 510/2006)

4.1 Name:

‘Époisses’

4.2 Description: Made from whole cow's milk, this is a soft cheese with a washed, smooth or slightly
creased and glossy rind, pale orange to brick red in colour and cylindrical in shape. It comes in two
formats: either with a diameter of 95 to 115 mm and weight of 250 to 350 grams, or with a diameter
of 165 to 190 mm and weight of 700 to 1 100 grams. It has a fat content of at least 50 % of the dry
weight and at least 40 % dry matter. The cheese is pale beige in colour and is supple, creamy, soft and
slightly salty. It may be partially proteolysed in the centre, depending on the maturity of the cheese.

4.3 Geographical area: Part of the Departments of Côte d'Or, Yonne and Haute-Marne, in the Burgundy

Region.

— Department of Côte d'Or:

— The entire Cantons of Arnay-le-Duc, Bligny-sur-Ouche, Liernais and Pouilly-en-Auxois.

— The entire Cantons of Dijon (5th Canton), Gevrey-Chambertin, Grancey-le-Château, Is-sur-Tille,

Saint-Seine-l'Abbaye, Selongey and Sombernon.

— The entire Cantons of Aignay-le-Duc, Baigneux-les-Juifs, Châtillon-sur-Seine, Laignes, Montbard,
Précy-sous-Thil, Recey-sur-Ource, Saulieu, Semur-en-Auxois, Venarey-les-Laumes and Vitteaux.

— Department of Haute-Marne:

— The entire Cantons of Auberive and Prauthoy.

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— Department of Yonne:

— Entire Cantons of Avallon, Guillon and Isle-sur-Serein.

4.4 Proof of origin: Each operator must compile a ‘statement of suitability’ registered with the Institut
National de l'Origine et de la Qualité (INAO) which allows the INAO to identify all operators involved.
All operators must keep their registers and any other documents required for checking the origin,
quality and production conditions of the milk and cheese at the INAO's disposal.

As part of the checks carried out on the specified features of the designation of origin, an analytical
and organoleptic test is conducted to ensure that the products submitted for examination are of high
quality and possess the requisite typical characteristics.

4.5 Method of production: The milk is produced, and the cheese is manufactured and matured in the geogra-

phical area set out in point 4.3.

The milk used to produce Époisses is exclusively milk from cows of the breeds Brune, Montbéliarde or
Simmental Française. Farms that do not meet this requirement have until 31 December 2009 to comply.
The proportion of fodder produced in the geographical area of production referred to above may not
be less than 80 % of the total daily ration, as a percentage of dry matter.

From the time the herd is turned out to pasture until at least 15 June, the fodder given to dairy cows
mainly consists of pasture grass, grazed or distributed fresh, the share of which is at least 50 % of the
basic ration for a minimum area of 20 acres per lactating cow or 15 acres per lactating cow in farms
that practice green feeding. At other times, fodder stored in dry form, i.e. containing over 85 % dry
matter, and hay stored in tied bales make up at least 30 % of the basic ration.

In addition to the dairy raw materials, the only ingredients or production aids or additives authorised
in the milk during production are rennet, innocuous bacterial cultures, yeasts, moulds and salt.

Époisses is produced from full cow's milk by coagulating a predominantly lactic curd, set in moulds
after a rough cut without causing the curd to disintegrate. The product is left to drain naturally. It is
dry salted and matured for at least four weeks, during which it is washed with water containing marc
de Bourgogne, which lends the cheese its natural brick red colour due to the pigmentation of surface
bacteria. The use of colorants is forbidden.

4.6 Link: The product was created in the early XVIth century by Cistercian monks living in Époisses and
then further developed by local farmers. Praised by Madame de Sévigné and named the ‘Roi des fromages’
(king of cheeses) by Brillat-Savarin in 1825, it began to be traded more widely as of 1840.

Originally produced in the Pays d'Auxois, production then spread to nearby areas in similar slightly
hilly ground, with marly soil, ideal for developing natural pastures suited to stock breeding. These
pastures lend a specific mineral content to the milk of cows of the breeds Brune, Montbéliarde and
Simmental Française, which are suited to this environment and form an important part of the production
of Époisses cheese, as do the expertise of farmers (especially regarding the maturing process) and the
fact that many stages are still carried out manually.

This original production is part and parcel of the region's cultural and economic heritage. It has
enabled small production units to survive and has maintained the presence of traditional breeds of
cows on farms.

4.7 Inspection body:

Name:

Institut National de l'origine et de la qualité (INAO)

Address: 51, rue Anjou
F-75008 Paris

Tel.

Fax

(33) 01 53 89 80 00

(33) 01 53 89 80 60

E-mail:

info@inao.gouv.fr

The Institut National des Appellations d'Origine is a public administrative body with legal personality and
reports to the Ministry of Agriculture.

INAO is responsible for monitoring the production conditions for products with a designation of
origin.

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Official Journal of the European Union

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Failure to comply with the defined geographical production area or any of the production conditions
results in forfeiting the right to use the designation of origin in any form or for any purpose.

Name:

Direction Générale de la Concurrence, de la Consommation et de la Répression des Fraudes
(DGCCRF)

Address: 59, Boulevard Vincent Auriol

F-75703 Paris Cedex 13

Tel.

Fax

(33) 01 44 87 17 17

(33) 01 44 97 30 37

E-mail:

C3@dgccrf.finances.gouv.fr

The DGCCRF is a department of the Ministry of the Economy, Finance and Industry.

4.8 Labelling: The product must bear the logo containing the INAO acronym, the wording ‘Appellation

d'Origine Contrôlée’ and the name of the designation of origin.