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: 2012-09-11
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: Germany, designation of origin, foodstuff, meat product, product designation








C_2012274EN.01000201.xml










11.9.2012   


EN


Official Journal of the European Union


C 274/2





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
2012/C 274/02
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.
AMENDMENT APPLICATION

COUNCIL REGULATION (EC) No 510/2006


AMENDMENT APPLICATION ACCORDING TO ARTICLE 9


‘SCHWARZWÄLDER SCHINKEN’


EC No: DE-PGI-0117-0686-03.12.2010


PGI ( X ) PDO ( )

1.   Heading in the product specification affected by the amendment:








—





Name of product




—


☒


Description of product




—


☒


Geographical area




—





Proof of origin




—


☒


Method of production




—


☒


Link with the geographical area




—





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 the summary sheet has been published




—





Amendment to specification that requires no amendment to the published single document (Article 9(3) of Regulation (EC) No 510/2006)




—





Temporary amendment to specification resulting from imposition of obligatory sanitary or phytosanitary measures by public authorities (Article 9(4) of Regulation (EC) No 510/2006)




3.   Amendment(s):

Amendments requested:






(b)


Description:






 


In the first sentence, the words ‘produced according to specific recipes and cold smoked using wood from the Black Forest with the addition of spices and, as a result, has a dark colour on the outside’ are to be replaced by ‘(i.e. without the injection of brine into the muscle) spiced according to the producers’ own specific recipes and cold smoked using fir wood from the Black Forest. As a result, it has a dark colour on the outside.’










 


Delete the word ‘and’ from the fourth sentence.










 


Add the following to the end of the paragraph:
‘ “Schwarzwälder Schinken” has a layer of fat. The fat is white in colour. Only in exceptional cases, e.g. rump off cuts, is there no fat visible. Ham with the fat removed, even when made and sliced from “Schwarzwälder Schinken”, must not be described as “Schwarzwälder Schinken.” ’




Reason:






 


The amendment requested makes it clearer that the smoking procedure must not only be carried out using ‘wood from the Black Forest’, but that the specific flavour of ‘Schwarzwälder Schinken’ particularly depends on the use of fir wood (as distinct from the use of deciduous wood). In that sense, the amendment requested also specifies the long-established exclusive use of fir wood.










 


‘Schwarzwälder Schinken’ has always had a layer of fat. Due to its high fat content, the layer of fat is necessary to convey the typical flavour of the ham. This addendum to the text is a necessary clarification, because individual cases have recently come to light of cold-smoked ham without a layer of fat being promoted as ‘Schwarzwälder Schinken’.














(c)


Geographical area:
The following should be inserted after ‘The Black Forest’: ‘The boundaries of the Black Forest lie between the B3 from Basel to Karlsruhe in the west, the Black Forest ridge from Pforzheim along the B3 past Karlsruhe in the north, from the Rhine to Basel via Lörrach in the south, and Schöpfheim to Waldshut, via the Wutachtal, Donaueschingen, Schwenningen, Rottweil, Oberndorf/Sulz, Nagold and Calw to Pforzheim in the east. Districts bisected by the abovementioned borders until the reform of municipality borders in Baden-Württemberg in the early 1970s are included in their entirety.’
Reason:
The description given above corresponds to the definition of the Black Forest area traditionally used as the basis of the specification. The reference to the district area reform of the early 1970s is important because after the municipality border reform, to a considerable extent, districts and entire town boroughs were merged together outside what until then had been the municipalities of the Black Forest. Following discussion with the Institute of Cultural Geography of the Albert Ludwigs University in Freiburg, it appears that no additional description of the area is needed in order to specify the territorial borders to a sufficient degree of accuracy.










(e)


Method of production:






 


The following sentence is to be inserted after the first sentence: ‘For buyers of fresh ham from the hind leg, product entry control ensures the desired high quality at the final stage.’










 


Sentence two thereby becomes sentence three, sentence three becomes sentence four, sentence four becomes sentence five, sentence five becomes sentence six, sentence six becomes sentence seven, and sentence seven becomes sentence eight.










 


The words ‘by hand’ should be deleted from sentence three and the words ‘large vats to mature’ replaced by ‘containers’.










 


In sentence four, the words ‘removed from the brine that has formed and the salt is scraped off’ are to be replaced by ‘removed from the brine’.










 


In sentence five, the word ‘now’ is to be inserted before ‘subsequent’, and ‘two weeks’ is to be replaced by ‘several days’, while ‘(smoking)’ is to be inserted after ‘dry curing’ and ‘on racks’ is to be deleted.










 


Sentence six is to be replaced by ‘The smoke for smoking the ham is obtained from brickwork chimneys. The ham is smoked in the chimneys or smoking chambers at 20 °C to approximately 30 °C. It is thoroughly smoked for at least a week over fir wood and sawdust from the Black Forest.’










 


In sentence seven, replace ‘degree of dryness, which amounts to approximately 20 % to 25 %’ by ‘degree of dryness of approximately 25 %’ and delete the word ‘equates to’.










 


The following sentence shall be inserted after the seventh sentence: ‘The water/protein ratio applies to the ham as a whole.’




Reason:






 


For reasons of hygiene in particular, ‘Schwarzwälder Schinken’ is no longer cured in ‘vats’, and, particularly for reasons of hygiene legislation and occupational ergonomics, it is no longer cured in wooden vats or other, impractical containers, but in stainless steel containers. Given this change in production method, there is a need to adapt the text accordingly.










 


Salting is a significant feature of the production process of ‘Schwarzwälder Schinken’. The salt used for curing is applied to the outside of the ham.










 


In the past, this was usually done by rubbing in the salt by hand. Since then — and this is the reason for amending this point of the specification — some firms began using spreading devices, which salted the ham by means of a riddle screen. Deleting the words ‘by hand’ will take this detail, which is purely the result of technical developments, into account.










 


It is important to note that curing by means of ‘injection of brine into the muscle’ is not permitted under any circumstances, nor would it be in accordance with the specification.










 


The previous specification stated a dry curing period of two weeks, but because of improved production conditions it has been noted during the production process that a dry curing period of two weeks is no longer required in order to achieve the appropriate flavour, which is why the amendment would allow for greater flexibility on the part of the firms producing the ham.










 


The rule that the smoking process must use fir wood from the Black Forest or fir wood sawdust from the Black Forest corresponds to the long-established production method and purely serves to make it clear that the use of wood from deciduous trees, or sawdust from them, is not permitted (see above, point b)). The degree of dryness of approximately 25 % corresponds to the practice followed up until now. In this way, the range of 20-25 % is made more specific. The water/protein ratio applies to the ham as a whole. This was necessary as under the old specification, for example, a small piece from a ham weighing 5 kg might not have met the prescribed water/protein ratio. It is therefore necessary to specify that the water/protein ratio applies to the ham as a whole. The pH values of the individual parts of a whole ham vary, making it necessary to point this out. For example, the pH value of the ‘rump’ is higher than that of the ‘hips’, which is why the water/protein ratio is higher in the ‘rump’ than in the ‘hip’ area.














(f)


Link with the geographical area:






 


Delete the word ‘dry’ from sentence one, and replace ‘in the heights of the Black Forest’ by ‘in the Black Forest’ and ‘the three-week (ham maturing period)’ by ‘(the ham maturing period which lasts) several weeks’.










 


In sentence two, replace ‘allow’ with ‘allows’.




Reason:
Since climate conditions are not completely uniform throughout the Black Forest, the description ‘dry’ is not particularly meaningful and for that reason has been deleted.










(i)


Community/national legislation:
A comma and the words ‘Food Additives Approval Regulation’ have been added under ‘(i)’ at the end of the text.
Reason:
The reference to the Food Additives Approval Regulation was made because this Regulation (BGB1. I p. 230, 231), dated 29 January 1998 and with which the production of ‘Schwarzwälder Schinken’ must comply, had not yet been adopted or entered into force at the time of the first application for ‘Schwarzwälder Schinken’ to be awarded a protected indication of geographical origin.




SINGLE DOCUMENT

COUNCIL REGULATION (EC) No 510/2006


‘SCHWARZWÄLDER SCHINKEN’


EC No: DE-PGI-0117-0686-03.12.2010


PGI ( X ) PDO ( )

1.   Name:

‘Schwarzwälder Schinken’
2.   Member State or third country:

Germany
3.   Description of the agricultural product or foodstuff:

3.1.   Type of product:







Class 1.2.


Meat products (cooked, salted, smoked, etc.)




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

‘Schwarzwälder Schinken’ is a trimmed, raw and smoked boneless ham from the hind leg of the pig (with or without topside) that is produced by special dry curing (i.e. without the injection of brine into the muscle), spiced according to the producers' own specific recipes and cold smoked using fir wood from the Black Forest. As a result, it has a dark colour on the outside. When you cut into it, it has a vibrant red meat colour and is characterised by a typical smoky aroma. The lean part has a specific ham taste; the enjoyment factor is enhanced and rounded off by the layer of fat. The fat portion must have a good nutty and spicy flavour. ‘Schwarzwälder Schinken’ has a layer of fat. The fat is white in colour. Only in exceptional cases, e.g. rump off cuts, is there no fat visible. Ham with the fat removed, even when made and sliced from ‘Schwarzwälder Schinken’, must not be described as ‘Schwarzwälder Schinken’.
3.3.   Raw materials (for processed products only):

Hindquarter ham. The hindquarter ham used to make ‘Schwarzwälder Schinken’ is taken from pigs that offer a guarantee in terms of husbandry, feeding and type (meat-type pig) of the desired top quality in the final stage of processing.
3.4.   Feed (for products of animal origin only):

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

The entire production process, from testing the specified quality of the uncured ham up until the final product is ready for sale, is carried out in the identified geographical area.
3.6.   Specific rules concerning slicing, grating, packaging, etc.:

—
3.7.   Specific rules concerning labelling:

—
4.   Concise definition of the geographical area:

The Black Forest. The boundaries of the Black Forest lie between the B3 from Basel to Karlsruhe in the west, the Black Forest ridge from Pforzheim along the B3 past Karlsruhe in the north, from the Rhine to Basel via Lörrach in the south, and Schöpfheim to Waldshut, via the Wutachtal, Donaueschingen, Schwenningen, Rottweil, Oberndorf/Sulz, Nagold and Calw to Pforzheim in the east. Districts bisected by the abovementioned borders until the municipality border reform in Baden-Württemberg in the early 1970s are included in their entirety.
5.   Link with the geographical area:

5.1.   Specificity of the geographical area:

The Black Forest is characterised by a favourable upland climate, which is particularly beneficial for the growth of the fir wood needed in producing ‘Schwarzwälder Schinken’ and the special type of cold smoking it requires. The strong respect for tradition and sense of connection to the region felt by the people living here are additional factors.
5.2.   Specificity of the product:

‘Schwarzwälder Schinken’ has a dark colour on the outside. When you cut into it, it has a vibrant red meat colour and is characterised by a typical smoky aroma. The lean part has a specific ham taste; the enjoyment factor is enhanced and rounded off by the layer of fat. The fat portion must have a good nutty and spicy flavour.
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):

‘Schwarzwälder Schinken’ has been produced in the Black Forest for a long time using traditional recipes that have been handed down through the generations.
The distinctive flavour of ‘Schwarzwälder Schinken’ comes in particular from the use of fir wood from the Black Forest during the smoking process. The Black Forest air, combined with the ideal climatic conditions that prevail in the Black Forest, plays an important role during the curing of the ham, which is done in climate-controlled rooms and takes several weeks after smoking. It allows the spicy flavour to develop in an ideal way and guarantees consistently high quality.
These advantageous conditions have made it possible for this special art of smoking to be developed in the Black Forest and to mature into its current advanced form.

Reference to publication of the specification:

(Article 5(7) of Regulation (EC) No 510/2006)
(http://register.dpma.de/DPMAregister/geo/detail.pdfdownload/3200)


(1)  OJ L 93, 31.3.2006, p. 12.