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: 2014-06-13
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: Italy, consumer information, designation of origin, foodstuff, leaf vegetable, product designation




C_2014180EN.01002601.xml










13.6.2014   


EN


Official Journal of the European Union


C 180/26





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
(2014/C 180/14)
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 ACCORDING TO ARTICLE 9


‘Sedano Bianco di Sperlonga’


EC No: IT-PGI-0105-01187 – 13.12.2013


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 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):

The minimum total organic acid content and the minimum total sugar content have been amended:
—   Total organic acid content: no less than 100 mg/100g
—   Total sugar content: no less than 10,00 mg/g
These parameters are to be determined according to official methods of analysis, using the edible part of the ‘Sedano Bianco di Sperlonga’ PGI, i.e. the stalk.
The amendment application is justified by the findings of a technical scientific study conducted by the University of Cassino, which included a more representative number of plants and holdings than the reference study used to draft the original ‘Sedano Bianco di Sperlonga’ specification, which was the only study available in the literature at the time.
The study was carried out with a view to obtaining more representative data. A larger sample was prepared that would include only the edible part of ‘Sedano Bianco di Sperlonga’, in order to minimise the number of variables analysed and the effect of such variables in the sample.
SINGLE DOCUMENT

COUNCIL REGULATION (EC) No 510/2006


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


‘Sedano Bianco di Sperlonga’


EC No: IT-PGI-0105-01187 – 13.12.2013


PGI ( X ) PDO ( )

1.   Name

‘Sedano Bianco di Sperlonga’
2.   Member State or Third Country

Italy
3.   Description of the agricultural product or foodstuff

3.1.   Product Type

Class 1.6 Fruit, vegetables and cereals fresh or processed
3.2.   Description of product to which the name in (1) applies

The ‘Sedano Bianco di Sperlonga’ PGI is reserved exclusively for the Sperlonga celery ecotype of the variety Apium graveolens L. var dulce Mill., ‘Bianco di Sperlonga’ ecotype, with white or whitish sides. The characteristic light colour is an intrinsic element of the ecotype, which may be intensified by a denser planting pattern. When released for consumption, ‘Sedano Bianco di Sperlonga’ PGI must conform to the following specific characteristics of the local ‘Bianco di Sperlonga’ ecotype: plant of average height, compact in form, with 10-15 light green leaves; the stalks are white with a light-green tinge, not very fibrous, characterised by barely-visible ridges. Weight varies according to size: medium size, from 500 to 800 g; large size, more than 800 g. Its flavour is mild and only moderately aromatic, which makes it particularly well-suited to being eaten raw. Furthermore, ‘Sedano Bianco di Sperlonga’ has a total organic acid content of not less than 100,00 mg/100g; breaking strength not less than 20 N and a total sugar content of not less than 10,00 mg/g. These parameters are to be determined according to official methods of analysis, using the edible part of the ‘Sedano Bianco di Sperlonga’ PGI, i.e. the stalk.
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 identified geographical area

Seed production, cultivation and harvesting of ‘Sedano Bianco di Sperlonga’ must take place in the geographical production area.
3.6.   Specific rules concerning slicing, grating, packaging, etc.

The product is carefully packaged in the geographical production area in order to avoid friction, which could result in broken tissue and leakage of cell fluids. Furthermore, the time during which the product is left in the sun after harvest should be as short as possible.
The celery may be packaged:






—


in recipients containing 4 or 5 celery stalks in one layer, weighing a maximum of 5 kg,










—


or in a recipient containing 8 to 10 stalks in two layers, weighing a maximum of 10 kg.




For packs of 1 to 3 stalks, each head must be individually labelled.
3.7.   Specific rules concerning labelling

In addition to the Union graphic symbol and indications, the packaging must bear on the label the logo shown below and the following indications in clear legible print:






—


‘Sedano Bianco di Sperlonga’ followed by the acronym IGP (Protected Geographical Indication in Italian), in larger lettering than any other wording on the label;










—


the name, business name and address of the producer and packager;




It is forbidden to add any description that is not expressly provided for. However, it is permitted to use brand names provided these have no laudatory purport and are not such as to mislead the consumer, as well as the name of the undertaking from whose land the product comes and other truthful and documentable indications that are permitted under Union, national or regional law and that do not conflict with the purposes and content of the present summary sheet.
The name ‘Sedano Bianco di Sperlonga’ may not be translated.
The logo for ‘Sedano Bianco di Sperlonga’ is composed of a rectangle within which there is a square in which appear two celery stalks lying on four waves.



4.   Concise definition of the geographical area

‘Sedano Bianco di Sperlonga’ Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) must be grown within the territory of the municipalities of Fondi and of Sperlonga.
5.   Link with the geographical area

5.1.   Specificity of the geographical area

The area of production of ‘Sedano Bianco di Sperlonga’ is characterised by a climate and soil which very much favours the growing of celery. Typical of the production area is the presence of land where the water table is almost at the surface, lying between the drained area and the sea. It is on this land, referred to as ‘mudflats’ or marshes, that the growing of celery developed, at first in the open and subsequently under shelter. Therefore, the soils are characterised by a circulating solution with a high degree of salinity.
The climate of the area covered by the PGI is temperate maritime and is characterised by an average temperature of between 17 and 18 °C; average monthly temperature < 10 °C for 1-3 months; the average minimum temperature for the coldest month is 6,9 °C; annual average rainfall is between 727 and 1 133 mm and summer rainfall is between 61 and 83 mm. On the coast especially the climate is intensely dry from May to August. The soils and the climatic characteristics thus constitute the habitat of choice for the growing of ‘Sedano Bianco di Sperlonga’.
Special attention is given to local farmers, who are often called upon to manage holdings with an average area of less than a hectare, who have not only adopted techniques with a low impact on the environment but, by producing the seeds themselves through phenotype selection (that is to say by obtaining seeds from the best plants), have also made it possible to preserve the ‘Bianco di Sperlonga’ ecotype and ensure the safeguarding of the production techniques and the suitability of the plant.
5.2.   Specificity of the product

‘Sedano Bianco di Sperlonga’ of the ‘Bianco di Sperlonga’ ecotype has stalks with a characteristic light colour, which is an intrinsic feature of the ecotype. The product has distinctive organoleptic qualities, namely its flavour, the sweet and moderately aromatic taste that is enhanced by acidic notes which, together with the reduced breaking strength of its stalks, makes the product particularly well-suited to being eaten raw.
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)

Growing ‘Sedano Bianco di Sperlonga’ from the local ‘Bianco di Sperlonga’ ecotype relies on an important selection process which aims, in particular, to emphasise the light colour of the petioles (intrinsic to the ecotype) and to delay flowering in the stem (which is botanically important for ensuring the adequate length of the harvest period), as well as obtaining a compact shape and smaller size. These features, in addition to the organoleptic qualities already defined, enable ‘Sedano Bianco di Sperlonga’ to be distinguished from other forms of ribbed celery on the market.
‘Sedano Bianco di Sperlonga’ was introduced into the Fondi and Sperlonga area around the 1960s. Growing this type of celery immediately proved a viable use of the marshes in the area between the lake at Sperlonga and the Tyrrhenian Sea, characterised by the outcropping water table, which is now the preferred environment for cultivation. Cultivation of the crop in the Fondi and Sperlonga area is attested to by a mass of tax documents dating from the early 1960s to the present day, when ‘Sedano Bianco di Sperlonga’, after an initial introduction phase, rapidly gained commercial value and popularity among consumers on the markets in Rome. Over the last two decades, celery cultivation has steadily increased.

Reference to publication of the specification

(Article 5(7) of Regulation (EC) No 510/2006 (4))
The Ministry launched the national opposition procedure with the publication of the proposal for amending the product specification for the ‘Sedano Bianco di Sperlonga’ PGI in the Official Gazette of the Italian Republic No 239 of 11 October 2013.
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 alternatively:
by going direct to the home page of the Ministry of Agricultural, Food and Forestry Policy (www.politicheagricole.it) and clicking on ‘Qualità e sicurezza’ (at the top right 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 3.