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: 2013-09-11
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: Italy, Umbria, consumer information, designation of origin, olive oil, product designation








C_2013262EN.01000601.xml










11.9.2013   


EN


Official Journal of the European Union


C 262/6





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 262/05
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 protected geographical indications and protected designations of origin for agricultural products and foodstuffs
 (2)


AMENDMENT APPLICATION IN ACCORDANCE WITH ARTICLE 9


‘UMBRIA’


EC No: IT-PDO-0117-1520-17.10.2011


PGI ( ) PDO ( X )

1.   Heading in the product specification affected by the amendment








—





Name of product




—


☒


Product description




—


☒


Geographical area




—


☒


Proof of origin




—


☒


Method of production




—





Link




—





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 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 rating (no longer relevant) and adopting the provisions of method COI/T20 Doc. No 22.
3.2.   Geographical area

The ‘Colli Assisi Spoleto’ production area has been extended to include the municipality of Nocera Umbra. This is the first municipality in the pre-Appenine range to serve as the geographical production area of PDO Umbria olives under the place name ‘Colli Assisi Spoleto’, and is characterised by olive groves and soils with the pedoclimatic features described in the product specification. In Nocera Umbra, which is in the foothills, olive-growing is very important in hydrogeological terms in that it helps with water regulation and soil stability.
3.3.   Proof of origin

The product specification has been amended in line with Regulation (EC) No 1898/2006 by including the procedures the growers must follow in order to establish proof(s) of origin.
3.4.   Method of production

Regarding olive harvesting, the initial condition, i.e. the ripeness of the olives, has been added, and the deadline for harvesting has been brought forward to 31 December.
The requirement for the olives to be pressed in the various sub-areas has been abolished, although the condition that it must be carried out in the area identified in the product specification has been retained. Technological innovations and the new rules governing processing have led to a reduction in the number of oil mills and made it necessary to abolish the requirement for the olives to be pressed within the individual sub-areas. Accordingly, the area in which it is possible to press the olives to be used to produce ‘Umbria’ PDO will be extended to the whole Region.
3.5.   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.
3.6.   Other

—
SINGLE DOCUMENT

COUNCIL REGULATION (EC) No 510/2006


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


‘UMBRIA’


EC No: IT-PDO-0117-1520-17.10.2011


PGI ( ) PDO ( X )

1.   Name

‘Umbria’
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 (1) applies

‘Umbria’ extra virgin olive oil, labelled with the place names ‘Colli Assisi Spoleto’, ‘Colli Martani’, ‘Colli Amerini’, ‘Colli del Trasimeno’ or ‘Colli Orvietani’, must be produced exclusively from olives of the following varieties: Moraiolo, Leccino, Frantoio, San Felice, Rajo and Dolce Agogia. Other varieties are also permitted but not exceeding 20 %.
While the proportions of the abovementioned varieties vary according to the place where the oil is produced, the common element is the obligatory use of the Moraiolo variety characteristic of ‘Umbria’ extra virgin olive oil. The proportions of varieties are as follows:






—


‘Umbria’ extra virgin olive oil, ‘Colli Assisi Spoleto’:






—


Moraiolo: ≥ 60 %,










—


Leccino, Frantoio, alone or in combination: ≤ 30 %,










—


Other varieties: ≤ 10 %.














—


‘Umbria’ extra virgin olive oil, ‘Colli Orvietani’:






—


Moraiolo: ≥ 20 %,










—


San Felice, Leccino, Frantoio, alone or in combination: ≤ 80 %,










—


Other varieties: ≤ 10 %.














—


‘Umbria’ extra virgin olive oil, ‘Colli Amerini’:






—


Moraiolo: ≥ 15 %,










—


Rajo, Leccino, Frantoio, alone or in combination: ≤ 85 %,










—


Other varieties: ≤ 10 %.














—


‘Umbria’ extra virgin olive oil, ‘Colli del Trasimeno’:






—


Moraiolo, Dolce Agogia, alone or in combination: ≥ 15 %,










—


Leccino, Frantoio, alone or in combination: ≥ 65 %,










—


Other varieties: ≤ 20 %.














—


‘Umbria’ extra virgin olive oil, ‘Colli Orvietani’:






—


Moraiolo, Dolce Agogia, alone or in combination: ≥ 15 %,










—


Frantoio: ≤ 30 %,










—


Leccino: ≤ 60 %,










—


Other varieties: ≤ 20 %.








When released for consumption, ‘Umbria’ PDO extra virgin olive oil has the following characteristics:






 


Sensory characteristics






—


median defects = 0,










—


mean fruitiness: ≥ 3,










—


mean bitterness: ≥ 3,










—


mean sharpness: ≥ 3.














 


Chemico-physical characteristics






—


colour: green to yellow,










—


maximum total acidity by weight per 100 gm of oil, expressed as oleic acid: ≤ 0,65,










—


peroxide value: ≤ 12,










—


K 232: ≤ 2,










—


K 270: ≤ 0,20,










—


oleic acid: ≤ 82 %,










—


total polyphenols: ≥ 100 ppm.








The colour, oleic acid and polyphenol content varies within strict limits depending on the location, as set out below:






—


‘Umbria’ extra virgin olive oil, ‘Colli Assisi Spoleto’:






—


colour: green to yellow,










—


oleic acid: ≤ 82 %,










—


total polyphenols: ≥ 150 ppm.














—


‘Umbria’ extra virgin olive oil, ‘Colli Orvietani’:






—


colour: green to yellow,










—


oleic acid: ≤ 82 %,










—


total polyphenols: ≥ 125 ppm.














—


‘Umbria’ extra virgin olive oil, ‘Colli Amerini’:






—


colour: green to yellow,










—


oleic acid: ≤ 82 %,










—


total polyphenols: ≥ 100 ppm.














—


‘Umbria’ extra virgin olive oil, ‘Colli del Trasimeno’:






—


colour: green to golden yellow,










—


oleic acid: ≤ 81 %,










—


total polyphenols: ≥ 100 ppm.














—


‘Umbria’ extra virgin olive oil, ‘Colli Orvietani’:






—


colour: green to yellow,










—


oleic acid: ≤ 82 %,










—


total polyphenols: ≥ 100 ppm.








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 ‘Umbria’ extra-virgin olive oil must take place within the production area specified under point 4.
3.6.   Specific rules concerning slicing, grating, packaging, etc.

‘Umbria’ extra-virgin olive oil must be released for consumption in glass bottles or tins. ‘Umbria’ extra virgin olive oil must be packaged in the geographical production area so as to better guarantee the product’s proof of origin and avoid deterioration and loss of the product’s specific characteristics, defined in 3.2 above, when it is transported in bulk, in particular the typical bitter and sharp notes of ‘Umbria’ extra virgin olive oil, determined by the phenol antioxidant content and the profile of aromatic substances. Exposure to oxygen in the air when being transferred, pumped, transported and unloaded — operations carried out more frequently if bottling takes place outside the production area — could cause the ‘Umbria’ extra virgin olive oil to lose the specific characteristics defined in 3.2 above.
3.7.   Specific rules concerning labelling

The packaging must carry on the label the following indications:






—


PDO protected designation of origin,










—


the place where the olives were harvested,










—


the year when the olives from which the oil was produced were harvested,










—


the mandatory elements regarding labelling of extra virgin olive oil contained in current Italian and EU law.




The name of the protected designation of origin ‘Umbria’ must appear on the label in distinct, indelible lettering of a colour that strongly contrasts with that of the label itself such as to be clearly distinguishable from the other information given on the label.
The font for the place names must not be larger than that used for the PDO ‘Umbria’.
4.   Concise definition of the geographical area

The area where the olives are produced and where the ‘Umbria’ extra virgin olive oil is packaged comprises the entire administrative territory of the Umbria Region.
5.   Link with the geographical area

5.1.   Specificity of the geographical area

The geographical production area of ‘Umbria’ extra virgin olive oil is characterised by the following elements: The Umbria Region, situated in the interior of the Italian peninsula, is not subject to the typical Mediterranean influences which temper the climate and which therefore characterise the coastal zone. The regional terrain is predominantly mountainous with a morphology typical of the ‘inland mountains’, where olive growing has been established almost exclusively. Average annual rainfall is between 850 and 981 mm, and the average annual temperature is generally 12,9° ± 7 °C.
The region's temperature variations are often large due to the absence of the sea's mitigating influence and the presence of mountain ranges in the production area of ‘Umbria’ extra virgin olive oil. Due to the characteristics of Umbria, where olives are typically grown on mountains and foothills, the mechanisation of olive-growing operations is limited, meaning that a large human factor is involved, particularly during harvesting which, moreover, must be carried out early so as to preserve the olives' quality characteristics.
5.2.   Specificity of the product

‘Umbria’ extra virgin olive oil owes its special characteristics to the presence of the Moraiolo variety which, thanks to its high polyphenol content, determines the oil's intense bitterness at the organoleptic level. The area's particular pedoclimatic conditions have a strong influence on the oil's sharpness, while the temperature variations affect its fruitiness.
The early harvest, carried out by hand, also characterises ‘Umbria’ extra virgin olive oil, as this preserves the olives' natural antioxidants, the concentration of which decreases as the olives become more mature.
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)

‘Umbria’ extra virgin olive oil for consumption essentially owes its properties to the special pedoclimatic environment and to the specific olive variety, Moraiolo in particular, which, together with the way the olives are harvested and the oil is produced and packaged, give the product its unique and recognisable characteristics.
Olive growing in Umbria goes back to antiquity. Initial archaeological finds indicate that olives were already being grown there in the 1st century B.C. Many fragments of bottles and mills have been found in the municipalities of Amelia, Montefalco and Terni. Over the centuries olive growing has developed to become a major element in the Umbria Region's economy, above all for the resulting trade.
Olive growing, which is one of the main production sectors in the area, plays a prominent role in the area's economy, particularly in view of the commercial importance which the production of high quality olive oil has in the Region. Olive growing in Umbria takes place almost exclusively on mountains, and this makes it difficult to use machinery. Therefore manpower plays a determining role in making sure that the ‘Umbria’ olive oil maintains its specific quality, above all during harvesting, which takes place at a very early stage.
The production chain, which is still based on the local economy of the past, means that today there are still many small and medium-sized olive mills. The knowhow of the local millers enables them to turn the olives into the finest oil, further evidence of the uniqueness of this product.

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 recognising ‘Umbria’ as a protected designation of origin in Official Gazette of the Italian Republic No 181 of 5 August 2011.
The full text of the product specification is available on the following web site:
http://www.politicheagricole.it/flex/cm/pages/ServeBLOB.php/L/IT/IDPagina/3335
or alternatively:
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’ (in the top right-hand corner of the screen) and then on ‘Disciplinari di Produzione all’esame dell’UE’.


(1)  OJ L 343, 14.12.2012, p. 1.

(2)  OJ L 93, 31.3.2006, p. 12. Replaced by Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012.

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

(4)  See footnote 2.