Publication of an 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: 2007-12-19
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: Slovakia, designation of origin, labelling, location of production, mode of production, product designation, product quality, semi-soft cheese

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Publication of an 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

(2007/C 308/10)

This publication confers the right to object to the application pursuant to Article 7 of Council Regulation
(EC) No 510/2006 (1). Statements of objection must reach the Commission within six months from the date
of this publication.

SUMMARY

COUNCIL REGULATION (EC) No 510/2006

‘SLOVENSKÝ OŠTIEPOK’

EC No: SK/PGI/005/0549/30.03.2006

PDO ( ) PGI ( X )

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

1. Responsible department in the Member State:

Name:

Úrad priemyselného vlastníctva Slovenskej republiky

Address:

Jána Švermu 43, SK-974 04 Banská Bystrica

Tel.

Fax

(421-48) 430 02 53

(421-48) 430 04 03

E-mail:

joravcova@indprop.gov.sk

2. Group:

Name:

Address:

Tel.

Fax

Slovenský mliekarenský zväz

Záhradnícka 21, SK-811 07 Bratislava

(421-2) 554 109 45

(421-2) 554 109 45

E-mail:

plankova@smz.sk

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:

‘Slovenský oštiepok’

4.2. Description:

‘Slovenský oštiepok’ is a half-fat semi-hard cheese, which may be steamed or unsteamed
and smoked or unsmoked. The basic raw material used to produce ‘Slovenský oštiepok’ is sheep's milk,
a mixture of sheep's and cow's milk or cow's milk. ‘Slovenský oštiepok’ is produced either directly at a
salaš (small-scale mountainside sheep farm), using the traditional on-farm method of production, or at
dairies, using the industrial method.

‘Slovenský oštiepok’ is characterised by its special shape, that of a large egg, pine cone or ellipsoid with
decoration.

(1) OJ L 93, 31.3.2006, p. 12.

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Characteri stics

Colour: golden-yellow to golden-brown on the outside after smoking, white to buttery-yellow on the
inside.

Consistency: solid, firm, slightly fragile, with minor cracks and cavities appearing when cut.

Aroma and flavour: savoury, pleasant distinctive cheese flavour, mildly piquant to sour, moderately
salty, with a typical smoky aroma resulting from the smoking process; must not be overly acidic,
yeasty, tallowy, soapy, rancid, putrid, sharp, spicy or bitter or have other strange flavours.

Composition

— depends on the raw material used and the method of production,

— a minimum of 48 % dry matter by weight,

— a minimum of 38,0 % fat in dry matter by weight.

Microbiological requirements

‘Slovenský oštiepok’ is a half-fat semi-hard cheese which may or may not be steamed and may be
smoked or unsmoked. It is produced by adding an original culture comprising lactic acid bacteria of
the genus Lactococcus, which gives ‘Slovenský oštiepok’ its characteristic and specific properties. This
culture was isolated from raw sheep's milk and sheep's cheese produced on Slovak salaš sheep farms.

4.3. Geographical area: The geographical area comprises the mountainous part of the Slovak Republic, the
Western perimeter of which is formed by the Western slopes of the range comprising the White
Carpathian, Považský Inovec, Tríbeč, Vtáčnik and Štiavnica mountains and the Krupina highlands.

The Southern slopes of the Krupina and Cerová highlands, Stolica mountains, Slovak Karst and
Volovec and Slanec mountains make up the Southern perimeter.

The Eastern perimeter is formed by the slopes of the range comprising the Vihorlat mountains,
Popriečin, Beskidian Piedmont, the Bukovec mountains and the border with Ukraine.

The Northern perimeter is formed by the border with Poland, the slopes of the range comprising the
Laborec, Ondava and Ľubovňa highlands, the Pieniny mountains, Spiš Magura, the Tatra and Skorušina
mountains, the Sub-Beskydian highlands, Orava Beskids and Kysuce Beskids, the border with the Czech
Republic, the slopes of the range comprising the Turzovka highlands and the Javorníky and White
Carpathian mountains, and the Skalica border crossing.

The application includes the country's name, since the delimited geographical area concerned accounts
for more than 80 % of the territory of the Slovak Republic, the total area of which is 49 035 km2,
making it one of the smallest EU Member States and one whose area is comparable to that of certain
individual regions in other Member States.
is produced in the same way
throughout this delimited area, where the same breeds of sheep, i.e. Wallachian, Improved Wallachian and
Tsigai, and of cows, i.e. the Slovakian Simmental, Black Pied, Red Pied and Pinzgau, are grazed on
pastureland with the same flora of red fescue, tall fescue, Kentucky bluegrass and golden oatgrass and
under the same climatic conditions, with the result that the quality of the basic raw ingredient of
sheep's and cow's milk is uniform.

‘Slovenský oštiepok’

The production of ‘Slovenský oštiepok’ is historically linked to this area.

Written records and the family records of old bryndza cheese producers testify that ‘Slovenský oštiepok’
was produced as far back as the beginning of the 18th century.

The foundations for mass industrial production of ‘Slovenský oštiepok’ using cow's milk were laid by
the Galbavý family in Detva in 1921.

To this day ‘Slovenský oštiepok’ cheeses are produced on traditional salaš sheep farms as well as at
other farms, the basic raw material being sheep's milk or a mixture of sheep's and cow's milk.

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The industrial production methods used in dairies, where the production principle has been retained,
were developed in the 60s and 70s, which is also when the use of cow's milk as a raw material began.

The specific and exceptional quality of ‘Slovenský oštiepok’ is evidenced by the fact that the name
‘Slovenský oštiepok’ has been listed since 22 November 1967 in the ‘Lisbon Agreement for the Protec-
tion of Appellations of Origin and their International Registration’ in the international register of the
World Industrial Property Organisation (OMPI/WIPO), located in Geneva, and by the following bilateral
agreements: the Treaty of 19 January 1976 between the Swiss Confederation and the Socialist Republic
of Czechoslovakia on the protection of
indications of source, appellations of origin and other
geographic names, the Agreement between the Government of the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic
and the Government of the Republic of Portugal of 18 May 1987 on the protection of designations of
origin, data of origin and other geographical and analogous indications, and the Agreement between
the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic and the Republic of Austria of 20 January 1981 on protection of
designations of origin, data of origin and other indications of agricultural and industrial products.

At the time, Slovakia was part of Czechoslovakia, which split on 1 January 1993 to become two inde-
pendent States: the Czech Republic and the Slovak Republic.

It follows from the above that the use at the time of the name ‘Slovenský oštiepok’ had nothing to do
with a country, but referred to a particular piece of territory that then became a country following the
historic events leading up to 1 January 1993. Moreover, because this was a name that was already in
use and one that is internationally registered and protected, protected at national level and universally
known to consumers, the Slovak Republic is now applying to have the name ‘Slovenský oštiepok’
protected at European Community level as well.

Production continues and there has been no change in either the natural conditions or the geogra-
phical area originally delimited; the name now refers to a country in its own right, but the production
conditions and principles remain the same.

4.4. Proof of origin: The sheep's and cow's milk used to make ‘Slovenský oštiepok’ is produced exclusively
in the delimited mountainous area in the Slovak Republic. Small producers obtain sheep's and cow's
milk from their own livestock. Dairies purchase sheep's and cow's milk in the regions surrounding
them.

The production and purchase of sheep's and cow's milk is registered and controlled. Registration is
required in accordance with not only the obligations under the GHP (good hygiene practice) and
HACCP (hazard analysis and critical control points) systems, but also the legal obligation of every
producer to prove the origin of any raw material used to produce foodstuffs.

The traceability of ‘Slovenský oštiepok’ constitutes one of the basic principles of the HACCP system,
which must be established in all production units.

All stages of production take place within the delimited area.

Identification of the product is ensured by means of either the producer's name on the packaging or
the data plate which every producer must affix to the product. The guarantee that the product origi-
nates in the delimited area is the fact that the producer's operations are located within the precisely
delimited geographical area where ‘Slovenský oštiepok’ may be produced.

4.5. Method of production: The technique used to produce ‘Slovenský oštiepok’ within the delimited area in
the Slovak Republic has developed dramatically between the time long ago, when it was produced by
hand at a salaš or in the home, and now, with modern production in industrial dairies. The production
principles and the guarantee of maintenance of traditional quality were established by the results of
research carried out in the 60s and 70s.

‘Slovenský oštiepok’
is produced using sheep's milk obtained from grazing sheep, particularly the
Wallachian, Improved Wallachian and Tsigai breeds. These breeds are reared and graze in mountainous
areas on mountain slopes within the delimited area.

Small producers obtain cow's milk by hand or mechanically and process it immediately after milking.

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On-farm production of ‘Slovenský oštiepok’ — at a salaš, the stages involved are as follows:

— curdling,

— shaping,

— salting,

— drying, smoking.

Industrial production of ‘Slovenský oštiepok’ — the stages involved are as follows:

— pasteurisation,

— addition of cultures,

— curdling,

— curd stretching, pressing, acidification,

— steaming, shaping,

— salting, drying, smoking.

Dispatch and packing

The cooled cheeses are placed in hygienic food packaging. They are packaged whole to ensure that
their characteristic shape and decorations are retained (which would not be the case if they were cut
and then packed) and that the quality is preserved, the product is not adulterated and consumers are
not deceived. All stages of production take place within the delimited geographical area.

4.6. Link:

‘Slovenský oštiepok’ is a product whose special nature is determined in particular by the quality
of the milk, the specific characteristics of the original culture and the natural microflora afforded by
the soil and climatic conditions of the regions where the sheep are reared and grazed within the delim-
ited area in the Slovak Republic.

Pastures provide the most natural and healthy feed. The best pastures available are the dry pastures in
the high mountain locations. Sheep-grazing lasts from April until the end of October. Pastures within
the delimited area are covered mainly with the following species of grass: red fescue, tall fescue,
Kentucky bluegrass and golden oatgrass. In winter the sheep are fed with hay derived from the above-
mentioned species of grass.

Both of the original Slovak cultures used to produce ‘Slovenský oštiepok’, which were isolated from
sheep's milk and sheep's cheese from Slovak salaš sheep farms, are available to producers and may be
obtained from the Dairy Research Institute in Žilina, which is the originator and owner of these
original cultures.

Cows are also grazed and fed mainly on hay and cereals from the delimited area.

The grounds for the application for registration of a geographical indication for ‘Slovenský oštiepok’ lie
in both its reputation, exceptional nature, specific quality, characteristics and remarkable shape, and the
skill of its producers and the traditions behind it. The specific quality and characteristics of the product
are imparted by the quality of the milk obtained from the Wallachian, Improved Wallachian and Tsigai
breeds of sheep and from the Slovakian Simmental, Black Pied, Red Pied and Pinzgau breeds of cows
that graze in mountainous areas on mountain slopes within the delimited area. The quality of the
product is determined by the skills and expertise of the producers, which is also evidenced by the
recognition of the product and its entry since 1967 in the international register of the World Industrial
Property Organisation (OMPI/WIPO) located in Geneva and by the bilateral agreement comprising the
Treaty of 19 January 1976 between the Swiss Confederation and the Socialist Republic of
Czechoslovakia on the protection of indications of source, appellations of origin and other geographic
names.

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‘Slovenský oštiepok’ is characterised by its remarkable shape, that of a large egg, pine cone or ellipsoid,
and is decorated according to the practices and with the typical designs of the individual area in which
it is produced. The surface of ‘Slovenský oštiepok’ is firm, smooth and shiny. Subsequent smoking
gives the product its typical colour, aroma and taste. This special process originated in and is carried
out throughout the entire delimited area.

The export of ‘Slovenský oštiepok’ also has a significant impact on and boosts tourism. The cheeses
and cheese products typical to the Slovak Republic are part of what makes Slovakia Slovak. The more
discerning foreign visitor is turning away from standard travel agency packages in favour of something
more unusual and distinctive.

Tourists have traditionally associated the Slovak Republic with traditional cheese products, which are
good for the country's image; ‘Slovenský oštiepok’ and other cheese products are one of the reasons
why tourists come back to the country and seek out shepherd-style restaurants and traditional salaš
sheep farms.

‘Slovenský oštiepok’ is ever-present at the fairs (annual markets) that are organised each year in Slovak
cities and towns.

4.7.

Inspection body: Quality control and checks on compliance with the specification for ‘Slovenský
oštiepok’ are carried out regularly by BEL/NOVAMANN International s.r.o., CERTEX certification body,
accredited in accordance with EN 45011, under the authorisation of the Ministry of Agriculture of the
Slovak Republic.

Name:

BEL/NOVAMANN International s.r.o., Certifikačný orgán CERTEX

Address: Továrenská 14, SK-815 71 Bratislava

Tel.

Fax

(421-2) 502 132 68

(421-2) 502 132 44

E-mail:

tomas.ducho@ba.bel.sk, sekretariat@ba.bel.sk

4.8. Labelling: Any producer who makes ‘Slovenský oštiepok’ within the delimited area in accordance with
this specification is entitled to use the name ‘Slovenský oštiepok’ when labelling, advertising and
marketing the product. Labels affixed to the product must bear the name ‘Slovenský oštiepok’ promi-
nently and state whether the product is hand-made or factory-made and, where appropriate, the
percentage of sheep's and cow's milk.