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: 2010-09-21
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: Poland, designation of origin, fish, labelling, product designation








C_2010253EN.01000601.xml










21.9.2010   


EN


Official Journal of the European Union


C 253/6





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
2010/C 253/04
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.
SINGLE DOCUMENT

COUNCIL REGULATION (EC) No 510/2006


‘KARP ZATORSKI’


EC No: PL-PDO-005-0401-26.04.2007


PGI ( ) PDO ( X )

1.   Name:

‘Karp zatorski’
2.   Member State or third country:

Poland
3.   Description of the agricultural product or foodstuff:

3.1.   Type of product:







Class 1.7 Category:


Fresh fish, molluscs and crustaceans and products derived therefrom.




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

‘Karp zatorski’ (Cyprinus carpio) is a hybrid obtained from cross-breeding the pure ‘karp zatorski’ line with the following pure lines: Hungarian, Yugoslav, Gołysz and Israeli (Dor-70). ‘Karp zatorski’ is a live fish sold fresh and unprocessed. ‘Karp zatorski’ is raised exclusively in winter carp ponds, in accordance with the Zator rearing method, which is based on a two-year rearing cycle.
Appearance:
—   bodyweight of marketable fish: 1 100-1 800 g,
—   colour: olive or olivey blue,
—   scalation: mirror scales arranged in a dart, stripe or saddle pattern.
Chemical composition of the flesh of ‘karp zatorski’:
—   dry mass: 22,50 %,
—   crude ash: 1,23 %,
—   total protein: 19,25 %,
—   crude fat: 1,55 %.
3.3.   Raw materials (for processed products only):

—
3.4.   Feed (for products of animal origin only):

The fish feed predominantly on food naturally available in ponds. Owing to the high productivity of the carp ponds in the area in question, the fish have a diet based on food naturally available in the ponds. At all stages of production, this is supplemented only by natural cereal feeds (wheat, barley, triticale, maize), at least 70 % of which come from the area defined in (4) and which, owing to the specific soil and climatic characteristics, are of high quality and meet high sanitary standards. When purchasing cereals, account is taken of their quality and their moisture content, which must not exceed 11 %. Feed purchased outside the ‘karp zatorski’ production area is used only if the supply of feed in the area defined in (4) is insufficient. No food of artificial origin or feed supplements are used in the production of ‘karp zatorski’.
3.5.   Specific steps in production that must take place in the identified geographical area:

The entire ‘karp zatorski’ production cycle must take place in the geographical area defined in (4). Fish obtained by cross-breeding the pure ‘karp zatorski’ line with pure Hungarian, Yugoslav, Gołysz and Israeli (Dor-70) lines grow faster, are more resistant to diseases, have a better meat yield and are very well adapted to the natural conditions prevailing in the area defined in (4). The entire production cycle is based on the Zator rearing method, in which the production period is shortened to two years. The ‘karp zatorski’ production cycle comprises the following five stages:
1.   Spawning

Specimens with the best features are selected for spawning. Spawning takes place in natural spawning pools in the ground. Artificial spawning in a hatchery is also permitted. Hatchlings obtained in this way are placed in nursery ponds, without the use of summer fry rearing ponds.
2.   Rearing of fry

Hatchlings removed from spawning pools are transferred to ponds in which the summer fry are reared. The ponds have to be maintained in a highly cultivated state. The stocking density is 200 000 hatchlings per hectare. The summer fry are removed when they reach a weight of 2-4 g.
3.   Rearing and overwintering of autumn fry

In July, nursery ponds are stocked with summer fry or, in some cases, with hatchlings taken from spawning pools. In the nursery ponds, the fish are fed with the cereal feeds referred to in (3.4). The feed is initially ground to a fine flour and then, as the fish grow in size, feed of a coarser structure is used. The fish are fed three times a week until the end of September. At the end of the first season, the fish should have a unit weight of 60-150 g. The autumn fry are left in the nursery ponds to overwinter. Daily supervision of the ponds is essential.
4.   Stocking of commercial ponds

In spring, the carp are removed from the nursery ponds and placed in commercial ponds. The fish are fed in accordance with a predetermined feeding schedule from May to September. The most intensive feeding phase occurs in June, July and August. Removal of the fish begins in October. The fish are removed and transferred to special transport tanks. After being transferred, the fish are sorted according to size, then weighed and transported to fish storage facilities. The fish storage facilities are ponds that are 1,7-2,0 m deep, with no vegetation but with good water flow and oxygenation. This treatment means that the meat of ‘karp zatorski’ does not smell of mud.
5.   Removal of the carp from fish storage facilities

In December (during the pre-Christmas period), the fish are removed from the storage ponds, and the ‘karp zatorski’ is transported to points of sale, where the fish are placed in special oxygenated tanks.
3.6.   Specific rules concerning slicing, grating, packaging, etc.:

—
3.7.   Specific rules concerning labelling:

The name ‘karp zatorski’ is used for the purposes of marketing live fish; therefore, in the case of wholesale deliveries of the fish in transport tanks using motor vehicles, this name appears on the invoices, delivery receipts and transport documents, and may also appear on the tank or motor vehicle. At retail outlets, the fish are placed in special oxygenated tanks. The tanks bear clearly visible inscriptions that read ‘karp zatorski’.
4.   Concise definition of the geographical area:

‘Karp zatorski’ is produced in three municipalities situated in the western part of Małopolskie Province. These are: Zator and Przeciszów, in Oświęcimski County, and Spytkowice, in Wadowicki County. The area covers 134 km2, but production is concentrated mainly in Zator municipality.
5.   Link with the geographical area:

5.1.   Specificity of the geographical area:


Natural factor

Surface waters
A characteristic feature of the ‘karp zatorski’ production area is the dense network of waterways: a river network supplemented by a dense network of drainage ditches and channels supplying water to individual ponds. Fishponds occupy approximately 22 % of the area of Zator municipality. They have a high natural productivity, i.e. rapid biomass growth. The carp ponds in this area provide an abundant supply of natural food for the fish: zooplankton, phytoplankton and benthos. Owing to the numerous systems of lakes, ponds and pools in the geographical area defined in (4), this area is commonly known as ‘Dolina Karpia’ (Carp Valley).
Ground waters
The ‘karp zatorski’ production area is located in the Pre-Carpathian hydrogeological region. The water table is 5-10 m below the surface. The average thickness of the aquifer is estimated to be 4,8 m, with an infiltration coefficient of 244/24 h. The waters are of good quality (Class Ib).
Climate
The ‘karp zatorski’ production area is located within the Central European climatic zone, in the Carpathian climatic region, in the lower part of the moderately warm climatic level. The area's climate is subject to both continental and maritime influences. The climate is also influenced by the proximity of mountainous areas. The vegetation period (average daily temperature over 5 °C) is 224 days, and the period of intense vegetation (average daily temperature over 10 °C) lasts from the end of April until mid-October; the frost-free period is 172 days.
Soils
The ‘karp zatorski’ production area is characterised by a highly differentiated soil cover: brown earths and pseudo-podsols, fluvial muds, gley soils, black earths and peaty and marshy soils.
Protected rural areas
The area in which ‘karp zatorski’ is farmed is distinguished in particular by its clean air and an abundance of rich and rare fauna and flora. Owing to this great abundance of wildlife, these areas have been selected by the Polish Society for the Protection of Birds (OTOP), on the basis of Birdlife International criteria, to be part of the Natura 2000 network — the Lower Skawa River Valley (PL 125) — as a special protection area. This network plays a key role in safeguarding the natural resources of the European Union.

Human factor

Fishing and carp-farming in Zator date back to the late 11th and early 12th centuries, and the fisheries and — later — the fish-farming sectors have continued to evolve here since that time. It is the oldest centre of its kind in the region. The development of fish-farming was favoured by the dense network of waterways (the rivers Soła and Skawa and the upper Vistula), the right soil conditions for growing the four main types of cereals used to feed the carp, a temperate climate and the possibility of transporting fish by river to Kraków and surrounding areas. Ponds were constructed like strings of beads alongside the rivers. This facilitated the gravitational inflow and outflow of water, including the drying-out of pond beds. Fish-farming developed considerably after the end of World War I. A start was made on rebuilding ponds destroyed during the war, new technologies were introduced, and the trade in fish by small traders was regulated, with the first fishmonger’s shop opening in Kraków. In 1946, the State Estate at Zator was taken over by the Jagiellonian University and the Zootechnical Institute was set up, where work was carried out to improve the performance of the carp.
The indigenous line of carp, maintained as an inbred line since 1955 and never commercialised, was bred in the geographical area described in (4). Based on their observations, research and experience, local fish-farmers and scientists bred a cross between the pure ‘karp zatorski’ line and other lines of carp that was best adapted to the conditions prevailing in the area. From 1946, the Zator rearing method was gradually introduced, based on a two-year system, resulting in an increase in the bodyweight of the fish from 60 to 150 g in the first year and a survival rate of up to 86 %. Combined with the rich natural food supply from the region's waters, this method has made it possible to shorten the carp-farming cycle to two years. It yields carp weighing 1 100-1 800 g, exploiting the great potential for fish growth in the second year of the production cycle. The majority of the work connected with the production of ‘karp zatorski’ is carried out manually, with human knowledge and experience playing an important part. On the basis of many years of experience, farmers have developed the ability to carry out the various activities that make up the production process, such as selecting the initial fish-stocking density of 200 000 hatchlings per hectare in ponds, thus reducing the risk of spread of disease, limiting losses and making the most effective use of natural food sources. The ability to adapt the coarseness and dosage of the cereal feed depending on the weight of the fish is also very important.
5.2.   Specificity of the product:

The characteristic features of ‘karp zatorski’ that attest to its uniqueness are:






—


its compact shape,










—


a body depth factor of 2,2-2,4,










—


rapid growth,










—


a meat yield of 61-64 %,










—


a condition factor (Fulton’s factor) of 3,9-5,0,










—


meat that does not smell of mud, having a fresh fish smell and a delicate taste,










—


a food coefficient of 5 in the case of cereals,










—


a survival rate of 86 %,










—


higher-than-average resistance to diseases.




A product possessing the above characteristics is obtained as a result of a two-year rearing cycle.
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 exceptional quality of ‘karp zatorski’ is inextricably linked with the natural environment of the geographical area described in (4). The quality of ‘karp zatorski’ results not only from the unique properties of the natural environment but also from local fish-farming traditions and techniques. Only the combination of the above-mentioned factors makes it possible to obtain carp with the specific features described in (5.2).
The natural factors described in (5.1) mean that fish ponds produce sufficient quantities of high-quality natural food. Its production area also has favourable soil and climatic conditions for growing four major cereals. Owing, in particular, to the highly productive nature of the ponds, the fish have a diet that is based on natural food, without the use of artificial feeds and feed supplements. The presence of pathogens has been limited owing to the ponds’ great productivity and the absence of easily fermentable carbohydrate-rich artificial feed. This has an impact on the health of ‘karp zatorski’ and the product’s exceptional organoleptic properties. In particular, it results in the fresh fish smell and the delicate taste of the fish. The characteristics of the geographical area described above also mean that fish is obtained that has a good body depth and good flesh development, as borne out by its high condition factor referred to in (5.2). The production of ‘karp zatorski’ is closely linked to its place of origin, as the proximity of natural watercourses and bodies of water, including rivers and their tributaries, means that the area is abundant in the water that is essential for fish-farming. The construction of such large and functional pond complexes has been made possible owing to the area’s terrain. The soils on which the ponds have been built and the climatic conditions (in particular the long vegetation period), as well as the abundance and quality of the natural food supply, have a direct bearing on the high natural productivity of the ponds (i.e. the amount of fish that can be obtained per hectare without feed), which varies from 150 to 300 kg/ha.
The quality and attributes of ‘karp zatorski’ result not only from the natural environment, with which it is inextricably linked, but also from breeding traditions and techniques in the area. As a result of their observations, research and experience, local breeders and scientists selected the carp best adapted to the conditions prevailing in the area. A pure line of karp zatorski has thus been bred, crossed with pure Hungarian, Yugoslav, Gołysz and Israeli (Dor-70) lines. The progeny obtained has excellent production characteristics, such as a high survival rate and good feed utilisation, as reflected in low food conversion ratios. The effect of heterosis means that the fish grow faster, are more resistant to diseases, have a high meat yield and are very well adapted to the local natural conditions. The use of the Zator production method, adapted to the environmental conditions of the area defined in (4) makes it possible to obtain a product with the characteristics specified in (5.2). By shortening the breeding period to two years it has been possible to produce young carp with an excellent taste, organoleptic properties and meat with a lower fat content than found in older marketable fish obtained as a result of the longer production cycle that is generally used. It is because the fish is young that ‘karp zatorski’ has a delicate flavour that distinguishes it from carp produced in other geographical areas. This also determines the quality of the meat and its organoleptic properties, which are greatly appreciated by consumers. The properties of ‘karp zatorski’ are recognised by consumers, as borne out by the fact that it commands prices 10-15 % higher than the price of carp from other geographical areas.

Reference to publication of the specification:

(Article 5(7) of Regulation (EC) No 510/2006)
http://www.minrol.gov.pl/index.php?/pol/Jakosc-zywnosci/Produkty-regionalne-i-tradycyjne/Wnioski-przeslane-do-UE-od-kwietnia-2006-roku


(1)  OJ L 93, 31.3.2006, p. 12.