Publication of an approved standard amendment to a product specification of a protected designation of origin or protected geographical indication in the agricultural products and foodstuffs sector, as referred to in Article 6b(2) and (3) of Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) No 664/2014 2023/C 243/09
Date: 2023-07-10
Institutions: Directorate-General for Agriculture and Rural Development, European Commission
Subjects: France, Nouvelle-Aquitaine, consumer information, designation of origin, labelling, pip fruit, product designation, quality control of agricultural products








C_2023243EN.01001401.xml










10.7.2023   


EN


Official Journal of the European Union


C 243/14






Publication of an approved standard amendment to a product specification of a protected designation of origin or protected geographical indication in the agricultural products and foodstuffs sector, as referred to in Article 6b(2) and (3) of Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) No 664/2014
(2023/C 243/09)
This communication is published in accordance with Article 6b(5) of Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) No 664/2014 (1).
COMMUNICATING THE APPROVAL OF A STANDARD AMENDMENT TO THE PRODUCT SPECIFICATION OF A PROTECTED DESIGNATION OF ORIGIN OR PROTECTED GEOGRAPHICAL INDICATION ORIGINATING IN A MEMBER STATE

(Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012)


‘Pomme du Limousin’


EU No: PDO-FR-0442-AM01 - 14.4.2023


PDO (X) PGI ( )

1.   Name of product

‘Pomme du Limousin’
2.   Member State to which the geographical area belongs

France
3.   Member State authority communicating the standard amendment

Ministry of Agriculture and Food Sovereignty
4.   Description of the approved amendment(s)

Geographical area
The municipality of Vars-sur-Roseix has been added to the geographical area.
The date of demarcation of the geographical area and the date of the Official Geographical Code based on which the municipalities in the geographical area are listed have been updated.
The amendment affects the single document.
SINGLE DOCUMENT

‘Pomme du Limousin’


EU No: PDO-FR-0442-AM01 - 14.4.2023


PDO (X) PGI ( )

1.   Name(s) [of PDO or PGI]

‘Pomme du Limousin’
2.   Member State or Third Country

France
3.   Description of the agricultural product or foodstuff

3.1.   Type of product [listed in Annex XI]

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

‘Pomme du Limousin’ is a fresh apple with the following characteristics:






—


it has a slightly elongated shape, with a clearly marked eye and eye cavity;










—


it has a minimum size of 65 millimetres or a minimum weight of 115 grams;










—


the flesh is white, firm, crispy, juicy and non-floury;










—


the flavour is balanced as regards sweetness and acidity.




The apples are of the Golden Delicious variety or of one of the mutants authorised for the ‘Pomme du Limousin’ designation of origin (standard characteristics similar to those of Golden Delicious), with the exception of Gala Golden.
‘Pomme du Limousin’ has a refractive index of at least 12,5 % Brix, firmness of at least 5 kilograms per square centimetre and acidity of at least 3,7 grams per litre of malic acid.
The apple falls within marketing classes ‘Extra’ and ‘1’, within the meaning of EU legislation, or marketing class 2 purely because of the degree of russeting.
‘Pomme du Limousin’ is greenish white to yellow in colour and may have a pink blush.
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 defined geographical area

The entire production process takes place within the geographical area.
3.5.   Specific rules concerning slicing, grating, packaging, etc. of the product the registered name refers to

The apples must be stored cold in order to preserve their firmness, texture and juiciness.
The geographical area has a local expertise in storage. Storage sites:






—


manage their storage plans, drawn up on the basis of analysis of the fruit carried out at harvest, and coordinate the deliveries of fruit by producers;










—


optimise the method and the time for filling the storage rooms;










—


control oxygen levels after the fruit is cooled, the stability of the temperature, and oxygen and carbon dioxide levels as long as the fruit is being marketed.




The apples are packaged in clean containers to preserve the characteristics and quality of the fruit.
Therefore, packages may contain no more than 20 kilograms of apples, and the use of plastic or paper bags is prohibited.
The apples may no longer be released for sale under the designation of origin ‘Pomme du Limousin’ after a specified date. This is determined on the basis of the colour of the apples and varies from 1 June to 1 August of the year following the harvesting date.
Packaging must take place in the ‘Pomme du Limousin’ geographical area of origin, in view of:






—


the packaging sites’ expertise in managing stored fruit (monitoring the rooms, checking the fruit during storage);










—


the fragility of the fruit and its sensitivity to shock and rough handling;










—


special packaging facilities which limit impacts and preserve the quality of the fruit;










—


the requirement for the fruit to be traceable: the fruit is not shipped in bulk and each piece is individually labelled to enable consumers to clearly identify the product and avoid any mixing with fruit of a different origin.




3.6.   Specific rules concerning labelling of the product the registered name refers to

Each apple is identified by a sticker bearing:






—


the European Union PDO logo;










—


the designation of origin ‘Pomme du Limousin’ written in characters of a size at least half that of the largest characters appearing on the label, except those used in the European Union PDO logo.




However, this requirement for the apples to be individually labelled does not apply to pre-packaged fruit.
In addition to the information to be provided by law, the labelling on individual packages must contain, on the side with the information on standards, the designation of origin ‘Pomme du Limousin’ written in characters of a size at least half that of the largest characters appearing on the label.
Besides the label, all the accompanying documents and invoices must bear the designation of origin ‘Pomme du Limousin’ and the words ‘appellation d’origine protégée’ (protected designation of origin) or ‘AOP’ (PDO).
4.   Concise definition of the geographical area

Municipalities belonging to the Corrèze department:






 


Allassac, Arnac-Pompadour, Beyssac, Beyssenac, Chabrignac, Chameyrat, Concèze, Condat-sur-Ganaveix, Donzenac, Espartignac, Estivaux, Juillac, Lagraulière, Lascaux, Lubersac, Montgibaud, Objat, Orgnac-sur-Vézère, Perpezac-le-Noir, Sadroc, Saint-Aulaire, Saint-Bonnet-l’Enfantier, Sainte-Féréole, Saint-Germain-les-Vergnes, Saint-Julien-le-Vendômois, Saint-Martin-Sepert, Saint-Pardoux-Corbier, Saint-Pardoux-l’Ortigier, Saint-Solve, Saint-Sornin-Lavolps, Saint-Ybard, Salon-la-Tour, Ségur-le-Château, Seilhac, Troche, Uzerche, Vars-sur-Roseix, Vigeois, Vignols and Voutezac.




Municipalities belonging to the Creuse department:






 


Bénévent-l’Abbaye, Chauchet (Le), Grand-Bourg (Le), Marsac, Montboucher, Nouzerolles, Sardent, Saint-Agnant-de-Versillat, Sainte-Feyre, Saint-Germain-Beaupré, Saint-Julien-le-Châtel and Saint-Pierre-Chérignat.




Municipalities belonging to the Dordogne department:






 


Angoisse, Anlhiac, Clermont-d’Excideuil, Dussac, Excideuil, Firbeix, Génis, Jumilhac-le-Grand, Lanouaille, Payzac, Saint-Cyr-les-Champagnes, Saint-Médard-d’Excideuil, Saint-Mesmin, Saint-Paul-la-Roche, Saint-Pierre-de-Frugie, Saint-Priest-les-Fougères, Salagnac, Sarlande, Sarrazac and Savignac-Lédrier.




Municipalities belonging to the Haute-Vienne department:






 


Boisseuil, Bussière-Galant, Chalard (Le), Champnétery, Château-Chervix, Cognac-la-Forêt, Coussac-Bonneval, Geneytouse (La), Glandon, Glanges, Janailhac, Ladignac-le-Long, Linards, Meyze (La), Nieul, Oradour-sur-Vayres, Pensol, Roche-l’Abeille (La), Roziers-Saint-Georges, Sainte-Anne-Saint-Priest, Saint-Hilaire-la-Treille, Saint-Jean-Ligoure, Saint-Laurent-les-Églises, Saint-Léonard-de-Noblat, Saint-Mathieu, Saint-Méard, Saint-Paul, Saint-Yrieix-la-Perche and Vicq-sur-Breuilh.




5.   Link with the geographical area

The geographical area consists of a crystalline basement formed by the pedogenic development of metamorphic and granitic rocks, including local formations of alterites and formations on colluvial or old residual alluvial soils.
The light, deep soil has good water retention properties.
The geographical area has a humid ocean climate, with fairly abundant, albeit not excessive, rainfall (average annual rainfall of less than 1 300 mm) and temperatures that do not reach extremes (average temperature above 9 °C).
Another factor is altitude: orchards are located on well-ventilated hilltop plateaux, at an altitude generally between 350 and 450 metres.
Limousin is a region with a strong fruit-growing tradition. The Golden Delicious variety, which has been grown in Limousin since 1950, has continued to develop there. In this area, apple growing complements livestock farming and is based on traditional cultivation practices such as moderate irrigation and hand-picking.
The area also has local expertise in storage. Once harvested, the apples are stored in dedicated rooms with a controlled atmosphere, the technical and maintenance parameters of which are set every year (waterproofing, volume, number of hours of operation, etc.). Regular monitoring is carried out to check that the batches are preserved properly at all times.
‘Pomme du Limousin’ is characterised by its excellent eating qualities and its presentation: it has a slightly elongated shape, a particular colour, firm flesh, a high amount of juice, a good balance between sweetness and acidity and a long shelf life, which allows it to be marketed until 1 August.
The natural environment combined with the tree-growing tradition make the area well suited to the growing of the Golden Delicious variety and have enabled the original characteristics of the ‘Pomme du Limousin’ to be preserved.
At higher altitude, there is more sunshine than in the plains, while the highest temperatures are moderate. The combination of cold nights and hot, sunny days on the plateaux of the geographical area favours the development of a good sweetness/acidity balance and the pink skin pigmentation resulting from the anthocyanins that are characteristic of the ‘Pomme du Limousin’.
Because they are grown at higher altitude at contrasting temperatures between night and day, the apples have a more elongated shape and are firmer and juicier.
Apple growing in the Limousin draws on specific cultivation practices. Moderate irrigation, for instance, allows the fruit to develop and keep its qualities better, and makes for better flower induction the following year. In addition, harvesting is done by hand to ensure that the fruit keeps all its qualities.
The area also has local expertise in storage which is geared towards the ‘Pomme du Limousin’ variety’s long shelf life. After harvesting the fruit is cooled to the core as quickly as possible. The rooms are filled in the shortest time possible and immediately put in a controlled atmosphere to preserve the quality of the fruit.
The ‘Pomme du Limousin’ represents a dynamic sector, employing some 1 500 permanent and 2 500 seasonal workers (2016 figures).

Reference to publication of the specification

https://info.agriculture.gouv.fr/gedei/site/bo-agri/document_administratif-0d72390b-f4c0-4dc8-a8f6-83661bd57edc


(1)  OJ L 179, 19.6.2014, p. 17.