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: 2008-12-23
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: Italy, designation of origin, meat product, pigmeat, product designation

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Official Journal of the European Union

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OTHER ACTS

COMMISSION

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

(2008/C 328/12)

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 of the date of
this publication.

SINGLE DOCUMENT

REGULATION (EC) No 510/2006

‘CIAUSCOLO’

EC No: IT-PGI-005-0557-11.10.2006

PGI ( X ) PDO ( )

1. Name

‘Ciauscolo’

2. Member State or Third Country

Italy

3. Description of the agricultural product or foodstuff

3.1. Type of product

Class 1.2 — Meat and meat products

3.2. Description of the product to which the name in (1) applies

‘Ciauscolo’ is a pigmeat product, comprising a mixture of the following cuts (in decreasing order): belly,
up to 70 %; shoulder, up to 40 %; ham and loin trimmings, up to 30 %. The principal characteristic of
‘Ciauscolo’ is its spreadability, i.e. it spreads easily on bread.

‘Ciauscolo’ PGI is presented for consumption as a cylinder of soft consistency weighing between
400 and 2 500 g, with a diameter of between 4,5 and 10 cm and a length of between 15 and 45 cm.

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

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On cutting, the product is pink, uniform and homogeneous and free from rancidity. It has a typical,
delicate, aromatic, distinctive and spicy smell (salt, ground black pepper, wine and crushed garlic are
added to the mixture) with a delicate and savoury taste which is never acidic.

‘Ciauscolo’ PGI has the following chemical properties:

pH: 4,8 or higher.

Protein: a minimum of 15,00 %.

Fat: between 32 % and 42 %.

Ratio of water to protein: maximum of 3,10.

Ratio of fat to protein: maximum of 2,80.

As regards the product's microbiological properties, the aerobic mesophilic bacteria, aciduric lactic
bacteria and lactic bacteria that develop during ageing must exceed 1 × 107 colony-forming units/g.

3.3. Raw materials (for processed products only)

The following may be used: the traditional Italian Large White and Landrace breeds of pig, as improved
in accordance with the herd book, or offspring of boars of these breeds; pigs bred from Italian Duroc
boars, as improved in accordance with the Italian herd book; pigs bred from boars of other breeds or
mixed-breed boars, born in Italy or abroad, provided that
they are bred under selection or
cross-breeding schemes whose aims are not incompatible with those of the Italian herd book for the
production of heavy pigs.

The following are not eligible: pigs carrying antithetic traits, with particular reference to the gene
responsible for propensity to porcine stress syndrome (PSS); breeds and specimens deemed not to
comply with the provisions of this product specification; pure bred Belgian Landrace, Hampshire,
Pietrain, Duroc and Spotted Poland animals.

Pigs are sent to slaughter between the end of the ninth month and the end of the 15th month.

They must be in excellent health. Boars and sows are not sent for slaughter. In addition, carcases that
have not been properly bled or show clear signs of myopathy (PSE and DFD) or obvious signs of
phlogistic processes or lesions may not be used.

The average live weight of pigs sent for slaughter must be 170 kg and each pig must weigh between
145 and 200 kg.

The carcases obtained after slaughter must be classified as heavy in accordance with Regulation (EEC)
No 3220/84, Commission Decision 2001/468/EC of 8 June 2001 and Ministerial Decree of 11 July
2002 and must fall within the mid-range category of the official system for assessing meat content.

3.4. Feed (for products of animal origin only)

The stock-breeding methods used, the type of feed allowed and the quantities and feeding methods
employed are designed to produce heavy pigs. This is achieved over time by means of moderate daily
increases in the ration and a feeding regime that complies with the general rules in force.

Together with the rearing techniques, the feed must help ensure the production of a heavy pig by
moderate daily increases in the ration.

The feed used must comply with trade standards.

Mineral and vitamin supplements may be added to rations within the limits laid down by general
legislation.

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3.5. Specific steps in production that must take place in the identified geographical area

Production and ageing of ‘Ciauscolo’ PGI must be carried out exclusively in the geographical production
area described in point 4.

3.6. Specific rules concerning slicing, grating, packaging, etc.

‘Ciauscolo’ PGI must be packed in natural pig or bovine gut. The two ends of the casing are tied off
using hemp string.
‘Ciauscolo’ PGI can be sold loose or vacuum packed or packed in a modified
atmosphere, whole or in slices.

3.7. Specific rules concerning labelling

The name ‘CIAUSCOLO’, followed by the words ‘Indicazione Geografica Protetta’, must appear on the
in clear and indelible lettering, clearly identifiable from any other wording on the label and
label
followed immediately by the initials ‘IGP’, which must be translated into the language of the country in
which the product is sold, and/or the Community logo. The use of names, trade names and private
logos is permitted, provided that they have no laudatory purport and are not such as to mislead the
purchaser and/or the consumer. It is also permitted to indicate the name or trade name of the pig
farms from which the product originates, providing the raw material was obtained exclusively from
those farms. It is forbidden to add any description that is not expressly provided for under this point.
The word ‘CIAUSCOLO’ must be in Italian.

4. Concise definition of the geographical area

The production area of ‘Ciauscolo’ PGI comprises a number of municipalities in the Provinces of
Ancona, Macerata and Ascoli Piceno. This definition of the area takes account of the traditional nature
of the product and its popularity among farming families. To this is added the particular climatic condi-
tions obtaining in the defined area, which has a predominantly continental climate, particularly in the
high hills and mountains of the specified municipalities in the provinces concerned.

5.

Link with the geographical area

5.1. Specificity of the geographical area

The correct definition of the area, which covers a number of municipalities in the Provinces of Ancona,
Macerata and Ascoli Piceno, takes account of the traditional nature of the product and its popularity
among farming families. The farmers, who lived permanently on the holdings, raised pigs to supply the
needs of their families and of the holding. Often, because the meat was for personal consumption, the
single pig reared was divided in two, half for the farmer and half for the landowner. ‘Ciauscolo’ was a
by-product after the prime cuts had been removed. One of the particularities of the defined area up
until the 1950s was the existence of holdings held on share tenancy, which had increasingly small
dimensions (4-5 hectares), as the surplus agricultural workforce caused increased fragmentation of land
holdings. Farms would therefore rear a single pig, since this could be combined with cattle raising and
crop production and would help meet their food needs. As well as these economic and historical
factors relating to the mountain economy, an important role is played by the area's particular climate,
which is predominantly continental, particularly in the high hills and mountains. The cold winter
weather, influenced by the Sibylline Mountains, have a positive effect on ageing and therefore on the
keeping qualities of the product.

5.2. Specificity of the product

The application for registration of ‘Ciauscolo’ as a PGI is justified by the product's fame and reputation.
‘Ciauscolo’ is known for its unique spreadability, which clearly distinguishes it from other sausages.
Unlike all other charcuterie, ‘Ciauscolo’ is not sliced but is ‘spread’ on bread and other similar products
and this highly appreciated characteristic is a direct consequence of the particular composition of the
meat mixture, with its high fat content, the way the meat is finely minced and the special manufac-
turing techniques used. Another characteristic of ‘Ciauscolo’ that clearly distinguishes it in the eyes of
the consumer is its softness to the touch.

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5.3. Causal link between the geographical area and the quality or characteristics of the product (for PDO) or a specific

quality, the reputation or other characteristic of the product (for PGI)

The processing, conservation and ageing techniques and methods used today to manufacture the char-
cuterie product known as ‘Ciauscolo’ stem directly from the traditional know-how of the farming and
rural families of the Piceno district. The domestic slaughter and processing of pigs has always been the
occasion for families and neighbours to socialise and trade and for gifts in kind from the farmer to the
landowner (‘padrone’). This has always been a traditional winter social event and the related customs
and folklore and the costumes worn are reflected and maintained in popular culture. The name
‘ciaùscolo, ciavuscolo’ is said to derive from ‘ciabusculum’ or small meal or snack consumed in small
quantities in accordance with rural tradition between breakfast and lunch or between lunch and dinner.

Various documents attest to the traditional use of the name ‘Ciauscolo’ and prove that the product has
been present in the defined area for several centuries. By way of example, an extract from the ‘Prezzi
dei generi’ (Price of Foodstuffs) of October 1851, contained in the Notarial Archive of the Municipality
of Camerino,
lists among the various products (grain, veal, pork, ham, salami, sausage, stockfish)
‘Ciauscolo’ and its price. It should be noted that the document lists the precise name for which registra-
tion as a PGI is requested.

In more recent times, the fame of the product is demonstrated by the inclusion of the name and an
accurate definition in the ‘Dizionario Zingarelli della lingua italiana’ (Zingarelli Dictionary of the Italian
Language). The Dictionary defines ‘ciauscolo’ as a ‘very soft sausage, made with high-quality pork fat
and very finely mined meat, flavoured with garlic and spices, slightly smoked, characteristic of the
Marches’ and dates the origin of the name to 1939.

Finally, the fame of ‘Ciauscolo’ is also attested to by the inclusion of the name on the national list of
traditional foodstuffs since 2000 (Ordinary Supplement to the Official Gazette — General Series
No 194 of 21 August 2000). The list catalogues products manufactured in Italy. in order to prevent
knowledge of products with a long tradition disappearing as one generation gives place to the next.
The inclusion of the name ‘Ciauscolo’ on the list of the Marches Region is a sure sign of the fame of
the product, since for a product to be included proof must be provided that it has been in production
for at least twenty-five years.

6. Reference to publication of the specification

The Government launched the national objection procedure with the publication of the proposal for
recognising ‘Ciauscolo’ as a protected designation of origin in Official Gazette of the Italian Republic
No 64 of 17 March 2006.

The full text of the product specification is available on the following web:

site:www.politicheagricole.it/DocumentiPubblicazioni/Search_Documenti_Elenco.htm?txtTipoDocumen-
to=Disciplinare%20in%20esame%20UE&txtDocArgomento=Prodotti%20di%20Qualit%E0>Prodotti%
20Dop,%20Igp%20e%20Stg

or

— by going directly to the home page of the Ministry (www.politicheagricole.it) and clicking on
‘Prodotti di Qualità’ (on the left of the screen) and finally on ‘Disciplinari di Produzione all'esame
dell'UE (Reg. CE 510/2006)’.