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 of on quality schemes for agricultural products and foodstuffs
Date: 2015-05-20
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: Italy, citrus fruit, consumer information, designation of origin, foodstuff, labelling, product designation, quality control of agricultural products




C_2015165EN.01000501.xml










20.5.2015   


EN


Official Journal of the European Union


C 165/5





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 of on quality schemes for agricultural products and foodstuffs
(2015/C 165/06)
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).
APPLICATION FOR APPROVAL OF AN AMENDMENT TO THE PRODUCT SPECIFICATION OF A PROTECTED DESIGNATION OF ORIGIN/PROTECTED GEOGRAPHICAL INDICATION WHICH IS NOT MINOR

Application for approval of an amendment in accordance with the first subparagraph of Article 53(2) of Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012


‘LIMONE DI SIRACUSA’


EU No: IT-PGI-0105-01300 — 19.1.2015


PDO ( ) PGI ( X )

1.   Applicant group and legitimate interest






Consorzio di tutela del Limone di Siracusa IGP [protection association for ‘Limone di Siracusa’ PGI]




Address: C/o SOAT di Siracusa




Via De Caprio 57 — 96100 Siracusa




The protection association for ‘Limone di Siracusa’ PGI is entitled to submit an amendment application within the meaning of Article 13(1) of Decree No 12511 of the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Forestry Policy of 14 October 2013.
2.   Member State or Third Country

Italy
3.   Heading in the product specification affected by the amendment



—
   
☐
 Product name


—
   
☒
 Description of product


—
   
☐
 Geographical area


—
   
☐
 Proof of origin


—
   
☒
 Method of production


—
   
☐
 Link


—
   
☒
 Labelling


—
   
☒
 Other [updated legal references]
4.   Type of amendment(s)



—
   
☒
 Amendment to product specification of a registered PDO or PGI not to be qualified as minor in accordance with the third subparagraph of Article 53(2) of Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012


—
   
☐
 Amendment to product specification of registered PDO or PGI for which a Single Document (or equivalent) has not been published not to be qualified as minor in accordance with the third subparagraph of Article 53(2) of Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012
5.   Amendment(s)


Description of product







—


The dates for the end of the harvesting period for the Primofiore, Bianchetto or Maiolino and Verdello varieties have been deleted. This amendment is justified by the extreme variability of various climate and commercial factors, and allows fruit meeting the requirements of the specification to be harvested outside the dates set in the current specification.










—


The following paragraph has been inserted into Article 2 of the specification:

‘Without prejudice to the requirements for individual fruit types, fruit of different categories, calibres, peel colours, weights and sizes to those described above may, when used exclusively for processing, be protected by the “Limone di Siracusa” PGI. These fruit may not be sold to final consumers.’





This amendment allows producers to meet the ever-increasing demand for ‘Limone di Siracusa’ PGI from the processing industry, particularly juice, ice-cream and cake producers. The processing industry is interested in the product’s organoleptic characteristics rather than in commercial aspects such as calibres, peel colour and Extra and Prime categories. The amendment therefore aims to satisfy this market need while at the same time retaining the characteristics of ‘Limone di Siracusa’ PGI for the fresh product sold to the final consumer.

Method of production

The last sentence of Article 6 of the specification, ‘Maximum permitted lemon production is 29 tonnes per hectare for the entire marketing year, including the fruit from all flowerings.’,
has been amended to read as follows:

‘Maximum permitted lemon production for direct consumption is 29 tonnes per hectare for the entire marketing year, including the fruit from all flowerings.’

The sentence now makes it clear that the maximum permitted production refers solely to direct consumption. This limit does not include production of ‘Limone di Siracusa’ for processing.

Post-harvest, packaging and labelling

The phrase ‘the use of waxes and artificial fungicides post-harvest is forbidden’ has been inserted. The decision to ban these substances is in line with new market trends.
Specific packaging and labelling rules have been established for fruit to be processed, so as to guarantee product traceability and origin and to make sure that ‘Limone di Siracusa’ produced for the processing industry can be easily identified.

Logo

The producers have asked for the current logo featured in the specification to be replaced by a more modern one which includes the PGI wording. From a technical point of view the new logo is more suitable for use in any type of print and format than the current one, where the wording ‘Limone di Siracusa’ takes up a small portion of the entire logo and has been hard to read, particularly when printed in small formats.
Therefore the logo:



has been replaced by the following:



The specification contains a detailed technical description of the new logo’s features.

Updated legal references

As EU law on the labelling and presentation of foodstuffs for final consumption is constantly being updated, the sentence in Article 8 of the specification, which reads:

‘For pre-packaged products within the meaning of Directive 79/112/EEC, the net weight shall be indicated, in addition to all the information provided for in the common quality standards.’

has been amended to delete the reference to Directive 79/112/EEC and now reads:

‘For pre-packaged products as defined by EU law, the net weight shall be indicated, in addition to all the information provided for in the common quality standards.’

SINGLE DOCUMENT

‘LIMONE DI SIRACUSA’


EU No: IT-PGI-0105-01300 — 19.1.2015


PDO ( ) PGI ( X )

1.   Name


‘Limone di Siracusa’

2.   Member State or Third Country

Italy
3.   Description of the agricultural product or foodstuff

3.1.   Type of product

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

The Protected Geographical Indication ‘Limone di Siracusa’ may be used exclusively for the cultivar ‘Femminello’ and its clones, corresponding to the botanical species Citrus limon (L) Burm, grown at specialist orchards on the territory of the province of Syracuse, as defined in point 4.
The characteristics of the different types of fruit, depending on the time of harvest, are the following:
‘Primofiore’: fruit picked from 1 October displaying the following characteristics:







Colour of peel


:


light green to lemon yellow;




Shape


:


elliptical;




Size


:


medium to large;




Weight of fruit


:


not less than 100 g;




Pulp


:


light green to lemon yellow colour;




Juice


:


lemon yellow colour;




Minimum clear juice content


:


> 34 % of weight;




Brix level of pulp


:


> 7




Acidity


:


> 6 %.




‘Bianchetto’ or ‘Maiolino’ (or spring lemon): fruit picked from 15 April displaying the following characteristics:







Colour of peel


:


light yellow;




Shape


:


elliptical or ovoid;




Size


:


large;




Weight of fruit


:


not less than 100 g;




Pulp


:


yellow colour;




Juice


:


lemon yellow colour;




Minimum clear juice content


:


> 30 % of weight;




Brix level of pulp


:


> 6,5




Acidity


:


> 5,5 %.




‘Verdello’ (or summer lemon): fruit picked from 1 July displaying the following characteristics:







Colour of peel


:


light green;




Shape


:


elliptical-spheroid;




Size


:


medium-large;




Weight of fruit


:


not less than 100 g;




Pulp


:


lemon yellow colour;




Juice


:


lemon yellow colour;




Minimum clear juice content


:


> 25 % of weight;




Brix level of pulp


:


> 6




Acidity


:


> 5,5 %.




Fruit eligible for the Protected Geographical Indication ‘Limone di Siracusa’ must be marketed as fresh fruit in the categories Extra and Prime. The eligible sizes are: 3, 4 and 5.
Without prejudice to the requirements for individual fruit types, fruit of different categories, calibres, peel colours, weights and sizes to those described above may, when used exclusively for processing, be protected by the ‘Limone di Siracusa’ PGI. These fruit may not be sold to final consumers.
3.3.   Feed (for products of animal origin only) and raw materials (for processed products only)

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

All steps in the production of ‘Limone di Siracusa’ must take place in the identified geographical area.
The fruit has to be harvested from the tree by hand. The fruit can be removed from the tree using harvesting scissors to cut the stem.
The fruit is harvested straight from the tree using traditional methods when it has reached the level of maturity that ensures good organoleptic and aesthetic qualities.
The maximum permitted lemon production for direct consumption is 29 tonnes per hectare for the entire marketing year, including the fruit from all flowerings.
3.5.   Specific rules concerning slicing, grating, packaging, etc., of the product to which the registered name refers

The use of waxes and artificial fungicides post-harvest is forbidden.
The packing material may be cardboard, wood or plastic. Recyclable, leased plastic packaging can be used. Authorised packaging comprises nets and bags with a plastic band attached to the net.
3.6.   Specific rules concerning labelling of the product the registered name refers to

It is obligatory to indicate in legible and visible print on at least one side of the packaging, either indelibly printed directly onto the package or on a label which is an integral part of or firmly affixed to the package: variety, origin, category, size, and batch. For fruit sold unpacked, all of them must bear stickers.
All wrapping and packaging must bear the ‘Limone di Siracusa’ logo.



Fruit for processing may not be sold at the retail level or pre-packaged. It may be sold loose, without stickers, in packaging or containers which bear, in legible and visible print on at least one side of the packaging, either indelibly printed directly onto the package or on a label which is an integral part of or firmly affixed to the package: variety, origin, category, size, and batch. It may also be delivered loose directly in special crates, in which no fruit other than ‘Limone di Siracusa’ PGI may be carried; in this case the transport documents must bear the wording: ‘Limone di Siracusa IGP destinato alla trasformazione’ (‘Limone di Siracusa PGI for processing’) and specify: variety, flowering, category, size, and batch.
It is forbidden to add any qualification or description other than that expressly stipulated, including adjectives such as ‘fine (fine), superiore (superior), selezionato (selected), scelto (choice)’, etc. The use of laudatory terms is forbidden.
4.   Concise definition of the geographical area

The geographical growing zone for ‘Limone di Siracusa’ PGI covers the following municipalities: Augusta, Melilli, Syracuse, Avola, Noto, Rosolini, Floridia, Solarino, Sortino and Priolo Gargallo. This geographical area does not stretch beyond 10 km from the shores of the Ionian Sea and its altitude is no higher than 210 metres above sea level: it is bounded in the North by the south-facing valleys of the Porcaria stream and in the South by those of the Tellaro river.
5.   Link with the geographical area

The ‘Limone di Siracusa’ is characterised by its high juice content, its medium to large size and an all-year harvesting period. These particularities are attributable to the soil and climate conditions of the area and the qualities of the cultivar grown in the production area. The ‘Limone di Siracusa’ is grown along the Sicilian coast and in some limited areas inland around the valleys and rivers that characterise the province of Syracuse. Analysis of average temperatures taken on the coastal plain of Syracuse reveals that the climate in the area is mild from October to March and arid from April to September. Throughout the area, the land is extremely fertile, more or less deep and rich in nutrients and organic matter.
Water is the decisive factor for growing lemons. In the ‘Limone di Siracusa’ production area water resources are guaranteed by the great subterranean river basin of the Hyblaean tableland, which constitutes the largest natural water reserve in the whole of Sicily, as well as by surface watercourses. The availability of water, in combination with atmospheric humidity, plays a decisive role in determining the quality of ‘Limone di Siracusa’ fruit; indeed the lack of water stress and an averagely humid atmosphere make it possible to produce juicier fruit that are more regular in shape, with finer peel, and which can be harvested over 12 months of the year.
Sicily boasts a citrus growing tradition and the respect for ancient practices in cultivating these plants, handed down from generation to generation, is still alive in the Syracuse region, giving rise to a veritable school of specialists in cultivating the ‘Limone di Siracusa’.

Reference to publication of the specification

(the second subparagraph of Article 6(1) of this Regulation (2))
The Ministry launched the national objection procedure with the publication of the proposal for recognising ‘Limone di Siracusa’ as a protected geographical indication in Official Gazette of the Italian Republic No 286 of 10 December 2014.
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 directly to the homepage of the Ministry of Agricultural, Food and Forestry Policy (www.politicheagricole.it) and clicking on ‘Prodotti DOP IGP’ (at the top right-hand side of the screen), then on ‘Prodotti DOP IGP STG’ (on the left-hand side of the screen), and finally by clicking on ‘Disciplinari di Produzione all’esame dell’UE’.


(1)  OJ L 343, 14.12.2012, p. 1.

(2)  See footnote 1.