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: 2015-01-15
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: France, consumer information, designation of origin, foodstuff, fresh meat, meat product, poultry, product designation




C_2015011EN.01001801.xml










15.1.2015   


EN


Official Journal of the European Union


C 11/18





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
(2015/C 11/08)
This publication confers the right to oppose the 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


‘Canard à Foie Gras du Sud-Ouest (Chalosse, Gascogne, Gers, Landes, Périgord, Quercy)’


EC No: FR-PGI-0105-1000-25.5.2012


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


—
   
☒
 Labelling


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☒
 National requirements


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☒
 Other (Details of the group and certification bodies, type of product, geographical area, specific rules on packaging and changes in the wording of the ‘Link’ section.)
2.   Type of amendment(s)



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☒
 Amendment to Single Document or Summary Sheet


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☐
 Amendment to Specification of registered PDO or PGI for which neither the Single Document nor the Summary Sheet has been published


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☐
 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 group wished to amend its product specification firstly in order to clarify and explain certain points (particularly to take account of the specific characteristics of small-scale operators, developments in the ways products are presented to consumers and the ways in which foie gras is sold in traditional markets, which continue to reflect the rural, gastronomic culture of the South-West of France) as part of a progressive approach and, secondly, to take account of technical advances in the sector since the product was registered as a PGI in 2000.
3.1.   Product description

The following amendments have been made:








1.


A description of the whole duck (with or without the liver) and eviscerated carcass has been added.
Traditionally sold in the foie gras markets of the South-West (markets — known as marchés au gras — specialised in the sale of duck and geese reared for foie gras production and cuts from those animals), the various presentation forms of whole duck have been added.
These forms correspond to the whole slaughtered animal and to different degrees of evisceration, from which the cuts and offal referred to in the 2000 product specification (raw or processed products) are derived.
The whole duck (with or without the liver) and eviscerated carcass are presented either fresh or frozen/deep-frozen.
Of the entrails or offal, only the liver, heart and gizzard can be sold separately under the PGI.
The group chose to retain the list of the pieces of meat and offal referred to in the specification for the registered PGI, in keeping with the history and reputation of fattened duck products traditionally sold in the South-West. The group chose not to widen the scope of the PGI to include non-traditional cuts.












2.


Addition of presentation in the form of secondary cuts for all products except whole duck (with or without the liver) and eviscerated carcasses.
The idea is to enable the product to be sold to the end consumer in portions.
Moreover, the Single Document explains that the product can be presented in preserved, semi-preserved, frozen or deep-frozen form. It involves one point of the product specification in force.












3.


Addition of the presentation of raw foie gras in seasoned form.
The idea is to offer a ‘ready-to-cook’ product. Raw foie gras sold in seasoned form refers to the product as it is prepared before it is processed further as a PGI. The seasoning is defined the same way for the seasoned raw product as for processing: ‘Salt, nitrite curing salt, sugar, spices and herbs, spirits, liqueur wine, wine, truffles (Tuber melanosporum), ascorbic acid or sodium ascorbate. Seasoning is limited to 4 % of the weight of the preparation, with a maximum 2 g of sucrose per kg of preparation’.












4.


Addition of the possibility to present raw foie gras in deveined form.












5.


Definition of magret (fillet of duck breast) trimming.












6.


Clarification regarding dried and smoked magret in the product specification and Single Document: in practice, magret is always dried, but it may also be smoked.




3.2.   Proof of origin

The tables have been updated to reflect the changes made in the chapter ‘Method of production’ and in the regulations in force. The content of a number of documents has been clarified.
The obligation to keep stock records for each site (see Article 6(2) of Commission Regulation (EC) No 1898/2006 (3)) has been added.
The concept of a ‘lot’ has been defined.
3.3.   Method of production

This section has undergone numerous changes in form and content in the light of developments in PGI specifications at national and Community level.
The following changes have been made:
1.   Hatching

The requirements for hatching have been revised in order to clarify in this section that the ducks in question come from male ducks of the species Cairina moschata, known as Muscovy duck, or from a crossing of the species Cairina moschata × Anas Platyrhinchos (Muscovy male × common female duck), known as Mulard duck. This involved moving a pre-existing provision of the product specification rather than any actual change.
The specification points out that the parent lines used for these crossings must be selected according to the criteria set by the French Poultry and Aquaculture Breeders Association (SYSAAF).
2.   Rearing







—


The product specification now refers to the possibility for ducklings to be transferred from one holding to another (before or after 42 days) within the geographical area. The idea is to reflect how the industry is organised and the current practice among operators, which involves using ‘initiated’ animals rather than 1-day-old ducklings.










—


The difference in density within buildings and on runs between animals placed in the same building throughout the rearing stage and animals moved has been replaced by a reference to density within buildings according to the animals’ age.










—


The concept of the split use of runs has been introduced to improve the quality management of these runs and to limit mud formation and its effects on the animal’s development (e.g. lameness). Such split use is limited to a maximum 50 % reduction in the surface area available to each duck at any one time. It can be combined with the rotation of runs, which aims to allow the use of another run, for the same reasons. In addition to these changes, the rest time for runs between two flocks has also been changed (12 weeks) and replaced by a maximum rest time for runs of 168 days per calendar year.




3.   Formulation of feed ration

The feed ration given to animals before 42 days has been defined and the percentage of products derived from cereal grains limited from the 43rd day.
Feed materials have been classified in accordance with the terminology used in the EU regulations in force (Commission Regulation (EU) No 68/2013 of 16 January 2013 on the Catalogue of feed materials).
4.   Force-feeding

Several elements have been introduced:






—


A minimum weight for force-fed animals in addition to their average weight.










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Continuous force-feeding for farm producers, i.e. force-feeding ducks of different ages simultaneously.










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Sanitary requirements for force-feeding (cleaning, disinfecting, depopulation).










—


The duration of force-feeding has been reduced from 12 to 10 days minimum and 24 to 20 meals minimum. This reduction is thanks to the various scientific and technical improvements in selection, rearing and force-feeding, and does not affect the weight of the liver. The qualitative aim, particularly in terms of the melting rate, is to achieve a liver weighing around 550 g. This weight is achieved or even exceeded within 10-12 days. It is therefore better to be able to shorten the duration of force-feeding to allow operators to control liver size. Only the duration of force-feeding has been changed; there is no change in the duration of rearing, and the minimum liver size remains 350 g.










—


The type of maize used in force-feeding has been specified: grain and/or ground maize (wet mash).




5.   Slaughter

A minimum age at slaughter of 91 days for Mulard ducks and 92 days for Muscovy ducks has been introduced. These figures correspond to the sum of the minimum rearing period (81 or 82 days) and minimum force-feeding period (10 days).
6.   Provisions on carcasses







—


Additions have been made to the section on evisceration in order to specify that the bile is removed during evisceration, which occurs when the carcass is warm or cold, and to define deveining.










—


Details on the cooling of livers and carcasses have also been given.










—


The reference to the time-lag between evisceration and cutting (24 hours) and between slaughtering and freezing/deep-freezing (48 hours) has been replaced by specific hygiene rules for each operator.




7.   Seasoning of foie gras

The seasoning of raw foie gras has been defined and limited to 4 % of the weight of the preparation.
8.   Processing of foie gras







—


Details have been given on the presentation of raw foie gras intended for processing. Such foie gras may be presented whole, deveined, sliced or seasoned.










—


Three states of preservation have been set: chilled, frozen or deep-frozen. The conditions for using frozen or deep-frozen foie gras have been specified.










—


As with raw foie gras sold in seasoned form, the seasoning of foie gras intended for processing has been defined and limited to 4 % of the weight of the preparation.










—


For the cooking of foie gras in a cloth (torchon), which in the past was similar to poaching, details on the stock used have been added, as this is a traditional cooking method.










—


Details on ‘whole foie gras’ or ‘foie gras’ products have been added: the possibility of including just a single lobe in an item of packaging with a net weight of 250 g or less, the composition of the jelly coating, and the minimum truffle rate required to be allowed to mention this ingredient in the sales description.










—


The possibility of using PGI foie gras already processed and cooked in a block of foie gras in a proportion of up to 10 % of the emulsion is explicitly stated.










—


Details have been given on the conditions required to be allowed to indicate on the labelling the presence of bits, the composition of the jelly coating and the minimum truffle rate.




9.   Processing of meat

A ban has been introduced on the use of salting in brine for processed meat:






—


For dried and smoked magret:






—


details on drying have been added,










—


ban on the use of flavourings,










—


for smoking, ban on processes such as washing, soaking or spraying with liquid smoke,










—


a list of authorised ingredients has been added.














—


For confit (preserved) meats:






—


a reference has been added to the fact that the meat is cooked thoroughly in the case of packaging that does not undergo thermal stabilisation,










—


stabilisation by heat treatment (the second cooking process) affects only packaging for which it is technically possible,










—


rules on the use of confit sales denominations according to the pieces contained in the packaging have been added.








3.4.   Labelling

In the light of developments in national regulations, the name of the certification bodies is no longer compulsory on the labelling of PGI products. The group has therefore decided to delete this requirement from the product specification.
The provisions on labelling have been revised to bring them into line with the registered denomination.
The use of collective labelling elements has been introduced, as have rules on the size of characters for the geographical name in the product’s sales denomination.
The collective labelling elements have been defined in a charter, which the group has made available to all operators.
3.5.   National requirements

In the light of developments in national legislation and regulations, the ‘National requirements’ heading now contains a table indicating the main items to be checked and the evaluation methods to be used.
3.6.   Other


Details of the group and certification bodies

The details of the group have been updated and those of the certification bodies added.

Type of product

The wording of the product classes has been updated in line with the terminology of the Community regulations in force. This wording is given in the chapter ‘Description of the product’.

Geographical area

There have been no changes to the definition of the geographical area of the PGI. Changes have been made, however, to its presentation: the list of cantons has been replaced by a list of the corresponding communes.

Specific rules on packaging

A reference to the fact that all operations from rearing to packaging must take place in the defined geographical area has been added. The obligation for packaging to occur in the geographical area therefore appears explicitly in the ‘Geographical area’ section of the product specification.
That was already implied by the following provisions in the product specification in force:






—


page 34, ‘confit meats are packaged as a final product’,










—


pages 32 and 34 provide for the vacuum-packing of magret and foie gras,










—


page 32, the final heat treatment of foie gras preparations occurs after packaging.




Packaging the product in the geographical area helps preserve its characteristics.
Duck offal and meat are fragile products that tend to become oxidised when exposed to the air. Packaging these products in the geographical area reduces the time between preparation and packaging and is one way to prevent them from deteriorating.
For processed foie gras and confit (preserved) products, packaging forms an integral part of the production process, since these products undergo final stabilisation heat treatment after packaging.
Finally, packaging these products in the geographical area makes it easier to trace and monitor them.

Changes in wording, particularly in the ‘Link’ section

This section has been reworded in order to demonstrate the link with the geographical area for the new products added and to bring it into line with current drafting requirements.
It is divided into the following three chapters, which have been amended:






1.


The chapter ‘Specificity of the geographical area’ has been rewritten and reorganised in order to better:






—


locate the geographical area, the boundaries of which are set in relation to the surrounding geographical or administrative units,










—


describe the defining natural factors of the geographical area, i.e. climate conditions, landscapes and the predominance of maize-growing. The soil type has not been retained, as the main reason for the development of maize-growing lies in the climate conditions of the geographical area. Exact figures have been added to this point,










—


describe the human factors retracing the traditional characteristics of rearing in the South-West since the Middle Ages and the development of the sale of foie-gras duck there.














2.


The chapter ‘Specificity of the product’ sets out the specific characteristics of all products covered by the PGI, particularly those of the product class introduced under the amendment application (whole duck (with or without the liver) and eviscerated carcass).










3.


The chapter ‘Causal link’ has been rewritten in order to point out that it is based essentially on reputation, which is demonstrated using more specific elements.




Traditional elements, such as the introduction of maize-growing in the region, the peasant-farming economy based on the rearing of fattened duck, and particular preservation techniques, have been retained but reorganised and clarified.
The causal link is now based on the following elements:






—


the geographical area’s climate conditions are suited to maize-growing,










—


maize was introduced to the region in the 16th century and soon became one of the main feed materials for poultry in general and duck in particular,










—


the wide distribution of this cereal enabled farmers to specialise in the rearing of fattened duck and to develop specific know-how in intensive but gradual duck fattening (force-feeding),










—


this method of rearing fattened duck forms the basis of their specificity, which involves having not only a high fat rate but also good muscle development,










—


the rise in this farming method was accompanied by the development of original preservation techniques (using duck fat (confisage) or aseptic canning (appertisation),










—


these preservation techniques enabled the products to be sold on a wider scale by specialised sales firms,










—


the appearance of these firms helped develop the reputation of ‘Canard à foie gras du Sud-Ouest’ not only in its own region, but also at national and even international level.




Numerous drafting changes have been made, including rewordings, clarifications, moving around paragraphs and deleting superfluous paragraphs.
SINGLE DOCUMENT

COUNCIL REGULATION (EC) No 510/2006


on the protection of geographical indications and designations of origin for agricultural products and foodstuffs
 (4)


‘Canard à Foie Gras du Sud-Ouest (Chalosse, Gascogne, Gers, Landes, Périgord, Quercy)’


EC No: FR-PGI-0105-1000-25.5.2012


PGI ( X ) PDO ( )

1.   Name


‘Canard à Foie Gras du Sud-Ouest (Chalosse, Gascogne, Gers, Landes, Périgord, Quercy)’

2.   Member State or Third Country

France
3.   Description of the agricultural product or foodstuff

3.1.   Type of product

Class 1.1. Fresh meat (and offal)
Class 1.2. Meat products (cooked, salted, smoked, etc.)
3.2.   Description of the product to which the name in 1 applies

The ‘Canard à foie gras du Sud-Ouest’ comes from the male Muscovy duck or male Mulard duck.
The ‘Canard à foie gras du Sud-Ouest’ is reared in the open air (free-range) then force-fed from the age of 81 days for the Mulard duck and 82 days for the Muscovy duck.
The ‘Canard à foie gras du Sud-Ouest’ is force-fed for 10 days minimum and 20 meals minimum.
It is then slaughtered and in some cases cut up and processed.
The skin and fat of the ‘Canard à foie gras du Sud-Ouest’ is off-white to yellow in colour.
The various products derived from the ‘Canard à foie gras du Sud-Ouest’ are the following:






—


Fresh meat and offal: Whole duck (with or without the liver) and eviscerated carcass, foie gras, magret (fillet of duck breast), leg, aiguillette (a thin strip of flesh), heart, manchon (the thickest part of the wing), gizzard.
A whole duck with the liver refers to a whole slaughtered, plucked and non-eviscerated duck.
A whole duck without the liver refers to a slaughtered, plucked duck which has not been eviscerated but whose liver has been removed.
An eviscerated carcass refers to a whole, slaughtered, plucked and fully eviscerated duck.
Raw foie gras is supple and homogeneous in colour and does not present any lesions. It weighs at least 350 g and may be presented in seasoned form.
The magret refers to fillets taken from the breast (not including the aiguillette muscle). Each magret weighs at least 300 g and is presented with the skin and subcutaneous fat covering it. The fat content (fat + skin/total weight) is between 25 % and 45 %. The magret is completely plucked and carefully trimmed. The trimming should be even and form a ring, with a small proportion of fat visible on the meat side.
The leg refers to all the pieces of meat, skin and fat enveloping the femur, tibia and fibula. The two cuts must be made at the joints. The pieces should not present any bruising or scratching. They are fully plucked and carefully trimmed and the stubs have been removed properly.
The aiguillette refers to the inner part of the pectoral muscle attached to the carcass. There is no sign of bruising and it is presented whole.
The heart is presented whole, without any cuts and with the aorta removed.
The manchon refers to the proximal phalanx of the wing. It is presented properly trimmed, without any fractures, splinters or bruising.
The gizzard refers to the second digestive pocket of the duck, made up of a thick muscle, and is edible. It should be properly peeled on the inside and defatted on the outside and not contain any pieces of oesophagus.
These products may be sold to the consumer fresh, frozen or deep-frozen.
They may be presented as cuts, except for whole duck and the carcass.










—


Meat products: whole foie gras, foie gras, block of foie gras (with or without bits), dried (or dried and smoked) magret, confit (the wing, leg, magret, manchon, gizzard).
Whole foie gras is a preparation composed of a whole foie gras or one or more lobes of foie gras and a seasoning.
Foie gras is a preparation composed of compressed bits of lobes of foie gras (any bit of the lobe of foie gras the weight of which, in the final product, is at least equal to 20 g) and a seasoning.
A block of foie gras (with or without bits) is a preparation composed of reconstituted foie gras and a seasoning, with the possible addition of bits of foie gras.
Dried (or dried and smoked) magret is prepared using the magret, cured with dry salt and dried (or dried and smoked), to which other ingredients may have been added.
Confit is a preparation derived from cooking pieces of the meat of foie-gras duck, pre-cured in dry salt, in duck fat only. The only parts of the animal that can be used are the leg, the wing (with the magret and manchon attached), the magret, the manchon and the gizzard.
These products may be sold to the consumer in preserved, semi-preserved (or half-cooked), frozen or deep-frozen form. They may be presented in the form of a secondary cut.




3.3.   Raw materials (for processed products only)

Foie gras-based preparations (whole foie gras, foie gras, blocks of foie gras with or without bits) must be made from PGI foie gras.
Dried (or dried and smoked) magret must be made from PGI magret.
Confit is prepared using pieces of PGI meat pre-cured in dry salt and cooked in duck fat.
3.4.   Feed (for products of animal origin only)

At least 50 % of the feed material for farmed ducks consists of cereal grains or their derived products and of legume seeds, up to 42 days. Then, until the animals are force-fed, at least 70 % consists of cereal grains or their derived products and of legume seeds, with a minimum 15 % maize and maximum 40 % wheat.
At least 95 % of the force-fed ration consists of maize harvested in the geographical area of the South-West. The ducks are force-fed on whole or ground maize for at least 10 days and at least 20 meals.
This practice is based on traditional customs. The introduction and cultivation of maize in the South-West formed the basis for the establishment of the foie-gras duck and goose sector, as it is a cereal with recognised properties for poultry-fattening.
3.5.   Specific steps in production that must take place in the identified geographical area

The ‘Canard à foie gras du Sud-Ouest’ is reared, force-fed, slaughtered and in some cases cut up and processed in the geographical area.
3.6.   Specific rules concerning slicing, grating, packaging, etc.

Packaging the product in the geographical area helps preserve its characteristics.
Duck offal and meat are fragile products that tend to become oxidised when exposed to the air. Packaging these products in the geographical area reduces the time between preparation and packaging and is one way to prevent them from deteriorating.
For processed foie gras and confit (preserved) products, packaging forms an integral part of the production process, since these products undergo final stabilisation heat treatment after packaging.
Finally, packaging these products in the geographical area makes it easier to trace and monitor them.
3.7.   Specific rules concerning labelling

The labelling of the marketed product consists of:






—


the name ‘Canard à foie gras du Sud-Ouest (Chalosse, Gascogne, Gers, Landes, Périgord, Quercy)’,










—


a description of the products in addition to one of the following geographical terms: Sud-Ouest, Chalosse, Gascogne, Gers, Landes, Périgord or Quercy. In this case, the final product is derived from a duck reared, force-fed, slaughtered, cut up, prepared and packaged in the production areas referred to,










—


the various labelling elements according to the collective charter in force, drawn up by the group and made available to all operators. Any change will be disseminated among all operators, as well as the inspection body and competent inspection authorities.




4.   Concise definition of the geographical area

The geographical area consists of the following regions, departments and/or cantons:
AQUITAINE (Dordogne, Gironde, Landes, Lot-et-Garonne, Pyrénées-Atlantiques),
MIDI-PYRÉNÉES (Lot, Tarn-et-Garonne, Gers, Hautes-Pyrénées, Haute-Garonne, Ariège, Tarn, Aveyron),
LIMOUSIN: Corrèze and the neighbouring cantons of the Haute-Vienne department: Saint-Mathieu, Chalus, Saint-Yrieix-la-Perche, Aude: the cantons of Castelnaudary Sud and Castelnaudary Nord, Salles, Belpech, Fanjeaux.
CHALOSSE consists of the following cantons of the Landes department: Pouillon, Montfort, Amou, Hagetmau, Saint-Sever.
GASCOGNE consists of the Gers, Landes and Hautes-Pyrénées departments and the Saint-Gaudens district (Haute-Garonne).
GERS corresponds to the Gers administrative department.
LANDES corresponds to the Landes administrative department.
PÉRIGORD consists of the Dordogne department, and the neighbouring cantons of the Haute-Vienne (Saint-Mathieu, Chalus, Saint-Yrieix-la-Perche), Corrèze (Lubersac, Juillac, Ayen, Larche, Brive-la-Gaillarde), Lot (Souillac, Payrac, Gourdon, Salviac, Cazals, Puy-l’Évêque) and Lot-et-Garonne departments (Fumel, Monflanquin, Villereal, Castillonnes, Lauzun, Duras).
QUERCY consists of the Lot department and the following cantons of the Tarn-et-Garonne department: Montaigu-de-Quercy, Bourg-de-Visa, Moissac, Lauzerte, Molières, Lafrançaise, Montauban, Montpezat-de-Quercy, Caussade, Négrepelisse, Monclar-de-Quercy, Villebrumier, Caylus and Saint-Antonin-Noble-Val.
5.   Link with the geographical area

5.1.   Specificity of the geographical area

(a)   Natural factors

The geographical area corresponds overall to the geological entity of the Aquitaine basin, a vast sedimentary basin formed in the secondary era, which takes up much of the South-West. It is bordered to the west by the Atlantic Ocean, to the south by the Pyrenees, to the east by a line between the Massif Central and the town of Castelnaudary and to the north by the administrative boundaries of the Poitou-Charentes region.
It is characterised by a succession of arable plains and hills and by the mildness of its semi-oceanic climate.
Temperatures are high, and significant rainfall occurs in summer. All parts of the geographical area record average rainfall above 900 mm (Source: Météo France for the period 1981-2010).
By virtue of these climate conditions, the geographical area is historically a region suited to maize-growing: ‘Maize is the most commonly grown secondary cereal, because it only needs water at a somewhat later stage. The South-West is the preferred region for this grain […]. This is the only region that has the right heat and humidity conditions for growing maize’ (De Lavergne, M.L. (1860) Economie rurale de la France depuis 1789. Paris: Guillaumin et Cie et Librairie agricole de la maison rustique).
(b)   Human factors

Traditional rearing of ‘Canard à foie gras du Sud-Ouest’ in the geographical area
Since the Middle Ages, peasant farming in the South-West has been dominated by smallholdings and sharecropping. The presence in farmyards of duck and geese for fattening has however been a characteristic feature of the farms of the South-West since that era.
Duck and goose rearing would become an important means of providing food for farmers and their families. Since the 16th century, it was also distinctive in that it was based on the distribution of maize, which, once it had been introduced to the South-West in the 16th century, had replaced millet and panic in the local diet of animals and, later, people.
Until the end of the 17th century, ducks would fatten themselves by eating as much maize as they wanted in a dark room. The development of the technique for force-feeding towards the end of the 18th century would change the way these animals were fattened, with the more intensive distribution of maize, either raw or cooked in the form of flour or pellets.
Long tradition of marketing ‘Canard à foie gras du Sud-Ouest’ and its derived products
From the 17th century, this distinctive rearing method was followed by the development in the farms of the South-West of a specific method for preserving pieces of duck meat and offal cooked in fat, a method known as ‘confit’. The trade in products derived from ‘Canard à foie gras du Sud-Ouest’ would witness even stronger growth at the end of the 18th century, with the invention of aseptic canning (appertisation) by Nicolas Appert, enabling the sale of processed products derived from the duck (foie gras and confit in particular) to be rationalised, in the form of preserves, and to reach new markets beyond the South-West.
From the end of the 18th century, sales of whole or eviscerated fattened duck and raw foie gras grew with the introduction of markets set up exclusively for the direct sale of these products, which were held between the end of autumn and the beginning of spring.
To this day, these markets, known as marchés au gras, live on in many towns of the South-West, including Samatan (Gers), Seissan (Gers), Périgueux (Périgord), Mont de Marsan (Landes), Cahors (Quercy) and Monfort-en-Chalosse (Chalosse). These traditional markets allow producers to sell directly whole duck (with or without the liver), eviscerated carcasses, the various cuts from the duck, as well as its offal, including raw foie gras, gizzards and hearts.
5.2.   Specificity of the product

The specificity of ‘Canard à foie gras du Sud-Ouest’ lies in its high level of fattening, thanks to a specific rearing and feeding method based on the gradual fattening of the animals.
At the end of a long rearing period on outdoor runs lasting at least 81 days, the ‘Canard à foie gras du Sud-Ouest’ is gradually fattened for at least 10 days with a ration that is at least 95 % maize-based.
The carcasses derived from this traditional finish have a skin and fat with an off-white to yellow colour and a high fat rate, which can be seen on all pieces of the duck and results in a 25-45 % fat rate for the magret and in animals of good conformation with cuts of a significant weight. For example, the minimum weight of magret is 300 g, that of foie gras 350 g.
Moreover, from the 18th century, there was growing awareness of the specificity of duck and goose foie gras among cooks, who would turn foie gras into a well-renowned product.
‘Canard à foie gras du Sud-Ouest’ also enjoys a long-standing reputation that extends well beyond the borders of the South-West and of France itself.
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 link to the origin of ‘Canard à foie gras du Sud-Ouest’ is essentially based on the reputation of the product itself and of its derived products.
This reputation is primarily linked to the traditional, local use of maize to fatten the duck and geese.
By virtue of the geographical area’s favourable climate conditions, maize has been grown here since the 16th century, and it soon emerged as the main cereal for fattening ducks in particular. Numerous publications establish the link between this feeding practice and the product’s reputation: ‘so well-renowned throughout Europe, duck liver owes its advantage to this grain alone’ (Parmentier, M. (1785) Thesis awarded a prize on 25 August 1784 by the Royal Academy of Science, Literature and Fine Arts of Bordeaux. Bordeaux: Arnaud-Antoine Pallandre). The abbot Rozier also referred to this link in his tract on Agriculture in 1787: ‘poultry of all kinds […] put on a lot of fat, and their meat acquires a fine, delicate taste, so the most widely esteemed poultry come from places where this grain is widely grown’.
Maize-growing enabled producers to specialise in the rearing of fattened duck and geese and to develop know-how based on the intensive distribution of this cereal and the gradual control of fattening. This know-how, combined with a long rearing period outdoors, thanks to the mild, temperate climate all year round, produces well-developed animals with a high fat rate. The distribution of maize during the fattening stage determines the colour of the skin and fat, according to the type of maize given (white maize or yellow maize).
Later, the reputation of ‘Canard à foie gras du Sud-Ouest’ and of its derived products grew thanks to the use of original techniques for preserving the product (preserving in fat (confisage) and aseptic canning (appertisation)), which enabled the product to be marketed beyond the South-West, and regional and national marketing channels to be developed.
Over time, numerous publications have attested to the reputation of foie gras. These include L’histoire de la vie privée des français by Aussy, published in 1787, which states that the reputation of Toulouse is based on duck foie gras, and the 1926 Larousse Ménager, which notes that ‘foie gras is used mainly to produce pâtés and terrines, in which some regions specialise. […] The pâtés of Toulouse are made from duck liver and rival those of Strasbourg.’
Moreover, the foie gras markets, known as marchés au gras, which were introduced in the geographical area at the end of the 18th century and live on to this day, are tangible proof of how well-rooted the production and marketing of these products have become, from the whole duck cooked at home to pre-cooked cuts and offal.

Reference to publication of the specification

(Article 5(7) of Regulation (EC) No 510/2006 (5))
https://www.inao.gouv.fr/fichier/CDCIGPCanardafoiegrasduSudOuestV3.pdf


(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)  OJ L 369, 23.12.2006, p. 1. Replaced by Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 668/2014 of 13 June 2014 laying down rules for the application of Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012.

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

(5)  See footnote 4.