Publication of an amendment application pursuant to Article 50(2)(a) of Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012 of the European Parliament and of the Council on quality schemes for agricultural products and foodstuffs
Date: 2013-08-15
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: Italy, agricultural product, consumer information, designation of origin, olive oil, product designation








C_2013237EN.01003601.xml










15.8.2013   


EN


Official Journal of the European Union


C 237/36





Publication of an amendment application pursuant to Article 50(2)(a) of Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012 of the European Parliament and of the Council on quality schemes for agricultural products and foodstuffs
2013/C 237/07
This publication confers the right to oppose the amendment application pursuant to Article 51 of Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012 of the European Parliament and of the Council (1).
AMENDMENT APPLICATION

COUNCIL REGULATION (EC) No 510/2006


on the protection of geographical indications and designations of origin for agricultural products and foodstuffs
 (2)


AMENDMENT APPLICATION IN ACCORDANCE WITH ARTICLE 9


‘TERRA D’OTRANTO’


EC No: IT-PDO-0117-1519-01.03.2011


PGI ( ) PDO ( X )

1.   Heading in the product specification affected by the amendment








—





Name of product




—


☒


Product description




—





Geographical area




—


☒


Proof of origin




—





Production method




—





Link




—





Labelling




—


☒


National requirements




—


☒


Other (to be specified)




2.   Type of change








—





Amendment to single document or summary sheet




—


☒


Amendment to specification of registered PDO or PGI for which neither the single document nor the summary 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)

3.1.   Product description

The product specification has been amended by introducing medians for the typical descriptors, eliminating the 6,5 rating (no longer relevant) and adopting the provisions of method COI/T20 Doc. No 22. Some specifications arising from the predominance of one of the two local varieties have also been added to the organoleptic analysis.
Applying the new method results in the following description:






—


colour: green or yellow with slight green tints,










—


aroma: fairly fruity (median level of fruitiness of between 3 and 6) flavour of olives at the right stage of ripeness, with a hint of leaves,










—


flavour: fairly fruity (median level of fruitiness of between 3 and 6), with notes of olives at the right stage of ripeness. Moderate or light notes of spiciness and bitterness according to the time of harvesting (median levels of spice and bitterness above 0 and up to 6). In addition, according to the time of harvesting and the varietal predominance, this fruitiness is complemented by notes of olive leaves, freshly cut grass, and cardoon/artichoke/chicory for Ogliarola, or fruit/tomato/berries for Cellina.




Some amendments have been made to the chemical criteria, with a reduction in the total maximum acidity expressed as oleic acid (from < 0,8 to the current level of < 0,65), and slight increases in the linolenic acid content (from ≤ 0,7 to ≤ 0,8) and K232 value (from ≤ 2,1 to ≤ 2,2). These amendments stem from a desire to increase the representativeness of the two most widespread varieties in the region, Cellina di Nardò and Ogliarola Salentina, which set the slightly different linolenic acid and K232 values for mono-varietal oils; these were previously not very representative at all.
3.2.   Proof of origin

The product specification has been adapted to meet the requirements of Regulation (EC) No 1898/2006 by including the procedures that operators must implement to establish proof of origin.
3.3.   National requirements

The requirements laid down by Law No 169 of 15 February 1992 on the rules governing the approval of registered designations of origin for virgin and extra-virgin olive oils, and by Ministerial Decree No 573/1993, have been abolished.
3.4.   Other

The amendments have been requested by the Consorzio di tutela (protection body) for ‘Terra d’Otranto’ extra-virgin olive oil, which is authorised to submit amendment requests. The Consorzio di tutela was set up after the original PDO registration application for ‘Terra d’Otranto’ had been made; at the time, this was submitted by APROL (olive-growers’ association), as the head of seven different associations of olive-growers.
SINGLE DOCUMENT

COUNCIL REGULATION (EC) No 510/2006


on the protection of geographical indications and designations of origin for agricultural products and foodstuffs
 (3)


‘TERRA D’OTRANTO’


EC No: IT-PDO-0117-1519-01.03.2011


PGI ( ) PDO ( X )

1.   Name

‘Terra d’Otranto’
2.   Member State or third country

Italy
3.   Description of the agricultural product or foodstuff

3.1.   Type of product







Class 1.5.


Oils and fats (butter, margarine, oil, etc.)




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

‘Terra d’Otranto’ is an extra-virgin olive oil with the following chemical and organoleptic characteristics:






—


maximum acidity: 0,65 %,










—


peroxides: ≤ 14 mEq O2/kg,










—


K232: ≤ 2,2,










—


K270: ≤ 0,17,










—


linolenic acid: ≤ 0,8,










—


colour: green or yellow with green tints,










—


aroma: fairly fruity (median level of fruitiness of between 3 and 6) flavour of olives at the right stage of ripeness, with a hint of leaves,










—


flavour: fairly fruity (median level of fruitiness of between 3 and 6), with notes of olives at the right stage of ripeness.




Moderate or light notes of spiciness and bitterness according to the time of harvesting; also according to the time of harvesting and the varietal predominance, the fruitiness is complemented by notes of olive leaves, freshly cut grass, and cardoon/artichoke/chicory for Ogliarola, or fruit/tomato/berries for Cellina.
3.3.   Raw materials (for processed products only)

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

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

The cultivation, production and pressing of ‘Terra d’Otranto’ extra-virgin olive oil must take place within the production area specified under point 4.
3.6.   Specific rules concerning slicing, grating, packaging, etc.

‘Terra d’Otranto’ extra-virgin olive oil must be put on the market in containers made of glass or tin with a maximum capacity of five litres. ‘Terra d’Otranto’ extra-virgin olive oil must be packaged within the geographical production area, to ensure that the product's origin is controlled and to avoid the product being transported in bulk outside this area, which could cause it to deteriorate and lose the specific characteristics described in point 3.2, especially the distinctive cardoon/artichoke/chicory features of the oil. The composition of the oil, characterised by a significant level of polyunsaturated fatty acids, means that it is likely to lose organoleptic quality and distinctiveness if exposed to oxygen in the air when being transferred, pumped, transported and unloaded — operations that are carried out more frequently if bottling takes place outside the production area.
3.7.   Specific rules concerning labelling

The designation ‘Terra d’Otranto’ must appear on the label in clear and indelible letters, fully distinguishable from any other wording, and must be followed immediately by the term ‘Denominazione di origine protetta’ or its acronym ‘DOP’ (protected designation of origin/PDO) and the relevant Community symbol.
All packaging used on the market must be marked with a serial number by the packager in accordance with the relevant control plan.
Any other description not expressly allowed is prohibited, including the following words: fine (fine), scelto (choice), selezionato (selected), superiore (superior).
However, the use of names, trade names and private brands is permitted, provided that they have no laudatory purport and are not such as to mislead the consumer.
The year of production of the olives from which the oil was made must be indicated on the label.
4.   Concise definition of the geographical area

The production area for the ‘Terra d’Otranto’ PDO includes the whole of Lecce province and parts of the Taranto and Brindisi provinces. The area covers an arc between the Ionian and Adriatic seas, from the Taranto Murge (range of hills) and the furthest slopes of the south-eastern Brindisi Murge, via the Lecce plateau, to the confluence of the two seas in the Serre Salentine peninsula.
5.   Link with the geographical area

5.1.   Specificity of the geographical area

The product owes its characteristics to the special soil and climatic conditions: the area's environmental factors and specific cultivars give ‘Terra d’Otranto’ oil a distinctive character. The soil is notable for its great uniformity, deriving from the Cretaceous-era limestone on which layers of limestone from the Tertiary period are laid down with calcareous, sandy and argillaceous deposits from the Pliocene and Pleistocene periods, with brown or red soils, often found in alternate layers, resting on a limestone base. In orographic terms, the area is characterised by wide plains bordered and broken up by low and gentle hills. The area lacks rivers and streams at surface level, but benefits from a powerful subterranean network of watercourses which gives the whole region a decidedly karstic quality. Due to its coastal nature and low latitudes, the area has a mild climate that tends to be warm.
5.2.   Specificity of the product

The olive-growing heritage of the region is characterised by the predominance of the local varieties Cellina di Nardò and Ogliarola Leccese, which give the oil produced its distinctive quality. Specification of the minimum percentage of 60 % of these two cultivars helps to determine the organoleptic characteristics of the oil, which range from notes of cardoon/artichoke/chicory to tomato/berries, according to the prevalence of each variety.
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)

Olive-growing is the main production sector in the area, and plays a fundamental role in the local economy. Even in the 19th century, the ‘Terra d’Otranto’ geographical indication included the current provinces of Lecce, Brindisi, and Taranto. This region has always been characterised by the importance of the olive, from which a ‘precious liquid’ could be extracted. The origins of the ‘Terra d’Otranto’ name are entwined with the region’s history of olive-growing itself; Phoenician and Greek farmers introduced olive-growing to the area in ancient times, and the work of the Basilian monks who settled there in the 10th century gave rise to the first prosperous market for precious oils from the Terra d'Otranto. ‘Terra d’Otranto’ refers to the medieval name for the Salento region, since Otranto was the most important town in the whole region during the Middle Ages.

Reference to the publication of the specification

(Article 5(7) of Regulation (EC) No 510/2006 (4))
The Ministry launched the national objection procedure with the publication of the proposal for amending the product specification for the ‘Terra d’Otranto’ protected designation of origin in Official Gazette of the Italian Republic No 297 of 21 December 2010. The full text of the product specification is available on the following website:
http://www.politicheagricole.it/flex/cm/pages/ServeBLOB.php/L/IT/IDPagina/3335
or by going directly to the home page of the Ministry of Agricultural, Food and Forestry Policy (http://www.politicheagricole.it) and clicking on ‘Qualità e sicurezza’ (at the top right of the screen) and finally on ‘Disciplinari di produzione all’esame dell’UE’.


(1)  OJ L 343, 14.12.2012, p. 1.

(2)  Replaced by Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012.

(3)  See footnote 2.

(4)  See footnote 2.