Publication of an application for registration of a name 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 2023/C 268/08
Date: 2023-07-31
Institutions: Directorate-General for Agriculture and Rural Development, European Commission
Subjects: Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, France, consumer information, designation of origin, fresh meat, labelling, poultrymeat, product designation, quality control of agricultural products




C_2023268EN.01001801.xml










31.7.2023   


EN


Official Journal of the European Union


C 268/18






Publication of an application for registration of a name 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
(2023/C 268/08)
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) within 3 months from the date of this publication.
SINGLE DOCUMENT

‘Poulet du Bourbonnais’


EU No: PDO-FR-02865 - 13.9.2022


PDO (X) PGI ( )

1.   Name(s)

‘Poulet du Bourbonnais’
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)
3.2.   Description of product to which the name in (1) applies

‘Poulet du Bourbonnais’ is obtained by crossing a Bourbonnais cock and:






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either a Bourbonnais hen










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or a recessive hen, allowing the cock’s phenotype to be expressed in the offspring.




The minimum weight of the carcasses is at least 1,4 kg when partially eviscerated, at least 1,2 kg when oven-ready with head and neck feathers and with or without feet, or at least 1,1 kg when oven-ready.
The general appearance of the carcass is typically elongated. The breastbone is prominent. The fillets have a pale, firm flesh. The leg muscles are firm. The carcass is meaty and the backbone is concealed by the fat cover. The skin has a particularly fine and delicate texture and grain, the intramuscular fat in the red muscles is well developed, and the subcutaneous fat is dense, firm and evenly distributed across the back.
The slaughtered chickens are presented fresh, as whole birds or in cuts. Whole birds are either partially eviscerated (with offal, head, neck feathers and feet), fully oven-ready, or oven-ready with head and neck feathers and with or without feet.
For partially eviscerated birds, males are presented with the dorsal side visible and the feet resting on the wings, while females are presented with the ventral side visible and the feet twisted behind the bird.
The cuts are presented as follows:






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fillet: piece of chicken breast with or without skin,










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coffre: bone-in fillet, including the breastbone, ribs and wings and with the skin attached, presented whole or divided into two,










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leg: femur, tibia and fibula and the surrounding muscle, with the skin attached,










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leg meat: boneless leg,










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supreme: half breast with the first joint of the wing attached, with skin.




After cooking, ‘Poulet du Bourbonnais’ has marbled red muscles and pale-coloured white muscles, with subcutaneous fat. It has an intense and persistent smell. Its texture before tasting is firm and dense, while its texture in the mouth is firm and tender. It has an intense and persistent taste with a distinctive flavour of chicken stock. It has a balanced flavour with not too much acidity or bitterness.
3.3.   Feed (for products of animal origin only) and raw materials (for processed products only)

In addition to the resources provided by the range, the chickens’ diet is made up as follows, in terms of dry matter, expressed as a percentage of the total weight of the formula:






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at the starter stage, from day 1 to 34 at the latest: at least 50 % cereal grains;










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during the fattening period, i.e. no later than from day 35 until slaughter: at least 70 % cereal grains;










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no later than from the 86th day of rearing: at least 70 % cereal grains, supplemented by 9–11 % dairy products and 1–3 % brewer’s yeast.




The raw materials and additives authorised in the chickens’ diet are set out in a positive list.
The feed is GMO-free.
The birds have daily access to a grassy range with tree cover no later than from the 42nd day of rearing and until the start of the finishing period.
The birds are finished in confinement for at least the last 2 weeks before slaughter, from day 87 at the earliest, but for no more than 3 weeks.
All cereal grains come from the geographical area, accounting for at least 67 % of the diet of ‘Poulet du Bourbonnais’. The other raw materials need not come from the geographical area, as the area does not have sufficient agricultural resources. The characteristics of the product are not affected by the fact that a small part of the feed does not come from the geographical area.
3.4.   Specific steps in production that must take place in the defined geographical area

The chicks are born and ‘Poulet du Bourbonnais’ is reared and slaughtered in the geographical area.
3.5.   Specific rules concerning slicing, grating, packaging, etc. of the product the registered name refers to

Butchery and packaging of ‘Poulet du Bourbonnais’ must take place in the geographical area. The appearance of the cuts must comply with the presentation criteria for Class A.
These steps must take place in the geographical area for the following reasons:






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To preserve the product’s quality characteristics by butchering it promptly, no more than 72 hours after slaughter. Meat butchered more promptly is less dry, with more flexible tendons and muscles, making it possible to achieve a better quality cut. Short time frames stop the meat from maturing too much, which would impair the quality of the product.










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To ensure individual traceability by means of a system in which each unit placed on the market is given an individual identification number, and thus to ensure better tracking of the product.










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To guarantee the expertise required for precise butchery by hand, adapted to the anatomy of each carcass.




This requirement does not affect cutting and packaging for direct sale within the meaning of Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011.
3.6.   Specific rules concerning labelling of the product the registered name refers to

In addition to the mandatory labelling requirements applicable to poultrymeat, the labelling of products bearing the protected designation of origin ‘Poulet du Bourbonnais’ must include the following:






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the PDO name and the European Union PDO logo in the same visual field,










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the individual identification number.




For chickens sold whole, the farmer’s name and the municipality in which the chicken was reared must also be indicated on the labelling.
The label bearing the product name must be displayed in the centre of the visible surface of the whole chicken or the chicken cut marketed.
The label bearing the product name affixed to each chicken and each chicken cut marketed must be in line with the model defined by the group, which:






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includes the ‘Poulet du Bourbonnais’ logo shown below, the longest axis measuring at least:






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10 cm for whole chickens;










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two thirds of the width of the label for chicken cuts;



















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follows the colour scheme of the coat of arms of the Duchy of Bourbon, namely blue, red and yellow, to which the colour white has also been added.




4.   Concise definition of the geographical area

The geographical area comprises the following territories in the department of Allier:
the cantons of Bellerive-sur-Allier, Commentry, Cusset, Moulins-1, Moulins-2, Saint-Pourçain-sur-Sioule, Souvigny, Vichy-1, Vichy-2 and Yzeure in their entirety;
and the municipalities of Andelaroche, Barberier, Barrais-Bussolles, Bellenaves, Billezois, Biozat, Bizeneuille, Le Bouchaud, Bourbon-l’Archambault, Le Breuil, Buxières-les-Mines, Chantelle, La Chapelle-aux-Chasses, Chareil-Cintrat, Charmes, Charroux, Chevagnes, Chezelle, Chézy, Chouvigny, Cosne-d’Allier, Couleuvre, Couzon, Deneuille-lès-Chantelle, Dompierre-sur-Besbre, Le Donjon, Droiturier, Etroussat, Fleuriel, Fourilles, Franchesse, Gannat, Haut-Bocage, Hérisson, Isserpent, Jenzat, Lalizolle, Lapalisse, Lenax, Limoise, Loddes, Louroux-Bourbonnais, Lurcy-Lévis, Lusigny, Le Mayet-d’Ecole, Mazerier, Monestier, Monétay-sur-Loire, Montaiguët-en-Forez, Montcombroux-les-Mines, Monteignet-sur-l’Andelot, Moulins, Nades, Naves, Néris-les-Bains, Neuilly-en-Donjon, Neure, Paray-le-Frésil, Périgny, Le Pin, Poëzat, Pouzy-Mésangy, Saint-Aubin-le-Monial, Saint-Bonnet-de-Rochefort, Saint-Christophe, Saint-Didier-en-Donjon, Saint-Etienne-de-Vicq, Saint-Germain-de-Salles, Saint-Hilaire, Saint-Léopardin-d’Augy, Saint-Plaisir, Saint-Pourçain-sur-Besbre, Saint-Prix, Saligny-sur-Roudon, Saulzet, Sauvagny, Servilly, Target, Taxat-Senat, Theneuille, Thiel-sur-Acolin, Tortezais, Ussel-d’Allier, Valignat, Vaumas, Venas, Le Veurdre, Vichy, Vicq, Vieure, Le Vilhain, Villebret, Voussac and Ygrande.
5.   Link with the geographical area

‘Poulet du Bourbonnais’ emerged in a socio-economic context that was favourable to the development of poultry farming. It exhibits the phenotype of the ancient Bourbonnais breed and is adapted to the geographical area’s natural environmental conditions. It feeds on local cereal resources, which it supplements by foraging on a grassy and protected range. This practice of slow rearing in the open air, combined with finishing in confinement on dairy products, gives the product a firm flesh that is tender in the mouth, with an intense and persistent taste.
The geographical area is located in central France, in the department of Allier, and consists mainly of low rolling hills, generally with modest altitudes (200–500 m). It is bounded to the south by the foothills that herald the beginnings of the Massif Central, which are too forested and too high to allow chickens to be reared in the open air. The wooded areas to the north-west form another boundary, owing to the natural presence of predators.
The climate places real constraints on agriculture, as springs and autumns are wet, sometimes with frosts, winters are quite harsh and snowy, and summers are dry.
In terms of soil geomorphology, the geographical area lies mainly on a crystalline or metamorphic basement and is characterised by the predominance of poor agricultural soils which are used primarily for mixed crop and livestock farming centred around cattle, with a large area of cereal growing on the Limagne plain, which runs across the centre of the geographical area from south to north.
The presence of many rivers led to the construction of numerous mills, which played an important role in determining the structure of the poultry sector in the Bourbonnais, on account of the dynamics of cereal growing, which is the main source of feed for the poultry.
Sharecropping as a method of land management became particularly established in the Bourbonnais in the 19th century. This involved contracts being concluded between owners and farmers which took little or no account of milk and backyard poultry production. Thus, the sale of poultry by sharecroppers’ wives locally in the spa town of Vichy constituted an important source of secondary income. It is a period that still marks the landscape today, with a unique architecture made up of small chateaux and long, narrow farmhouses typical of the geographical area.
Know-how was built up using locally available produce (milk and cereals) to feed the birds, as well as the numerous grassy and tree-covered ranges that surrounded the farms. In 1961, this was recognised by means of a legal designation of origin which no longer exists.
Furthermore, a movement emerged at the beginning of the 20th century around the Bourbonnais identity which led to the perpetuation of Bourbonnais culture and, in 1919, to the recognition of the Bourbonnais breed, which is now generally crossed with recessive hens (allowing expression of the Bourbonnais phenotype) to produce ‘Poulet du Bourbonnais’.
The current production conditions are consistent with the traditional practices:
The ranges consist of permanent grassland. They provide shelter in the form of hedges, shrubs and trees, which protect the chickens from the wind, the sun and predators. There are small, wooden buildings, with a floor separating the animals from the ground, which have been designed and produced locally. The buildings and the shelter provided by the vegetation are positioned in such a way as to encourage the chickens to explore the whole range.
The feed is based on cereals from the geographical area, supplemented by what the chickens can forage on the range and by dairy products during the finishing stage. Finishing takes place in confinement for at least the 2 weeks preceding slaughter.
Slaughter and butchery require expertise on the part of the operators to preserve the qualities of the product: adapting the stages of slaughter to the size of the animal, bleeding partially eviscerated chickens by hand, taking care with the presentation, and butchering by hand soon after slaughter.
‘Poulet du Bourbonnais’ has specific phenotypic characteristics, such as thick ermine-patterned neck feathers, long legs and a long back.
It is slaughtered at at least 101 days. The fillets have a pale, firm flesh. The legs have firm red muscles with well-developed intramuscular fat. The subcutaneous fat is dense, firm and evenly distributed across the back. It is traditionally presented partially eviscerated, with the offal, head, neck feathers and feet.
Cooked ‘Poulet du Bourbonnais’ has a firm, dense texture before tasting, with subcutaneous fat. In the mouth, it has a firm, tender texture and an intense and persistent taste with a distinctive flavour of chicken stock.
The specific environmental conditions of the geographical area favoured livestock and mixed farming, near areas of cereal growing, where poultry farmers have been able to make use of the foodstuffs available to the poultry yard and to allow the chickens free range to help diversify their diet.
‘Poulet du Bourbonnais’, which is obtained by crossing Bourbonnais males with recessive females, thereby allowing expression of the characteristics of this ancient breed, is well adapted to the natural conditions of the geographical area. Its conformation, thick neck feathers, long legs and long back allow it to cope with cold and wet periods. It shows specific patterns of behaviour that prompt it to explore the range and forage for part of its diet there.
The composition of the range, which provides both food sources and natural shelter spread out across the area, encourages that behaviour and stimulates the musculoskeletal system, thereby contributing to the firm flesh of ‘Poulet du Bourbonnais’.
The traditional use of dairy products in the diet of ‘Poulet du Bourbonnais’ at the finishing stage, in addition to cereals produced in the geographical area, contributes to the pale colour of the fillets and the tender texture in the mouth.
Finishing in confinement allows the formation of intramuscular fat in the red muscles and subcutaneous fat, giving the product an intense and persistent taste with a distinctive flavour of chicken stock.
Slaughtering the chickens late, at at least 101 days, allows them to grow slowly and enhances their specific organoleptic characteristics.
Finally, the particular care taken during slaughter, butchery and preparation of the chicken preserves and brings out the characteristics of ‘Poulet du Bourbonnais’. ‘Poulet du Bourbonnais’ is traditionally presented with its ermine-patterned neck feathers, which allows it to be clearly identified on the stalls.
The renown of ‘Poulet du Bourbonnais’ reflects the historical importance of poultry farming in the geographical area.
It has long enjoyed recognition on the market and owes a great deal to the poultry shows and the marchés primés, which sell fattened birds at the end of the year, and that is without mentioning sales to the people of the Auvergne’s spa towns, such as Vichy.
Recognition by the press is both historical (the front cover of the magazine Rustica in 1935, on which the Bourbonnais breed and its delicate- and white-fleshed chickens take centre stage) and contemporary (mainstream press, culinary magazines, etc.).
‘Poulet du Bourbonnais’ has long been a hit with butchers and restauranteurs, as is shown in particular by the correspondence of the Carlton and Thermal hotels in Vichy from the 1960s. It also inspires contemporary chefs, who have created original dishes.

Reference to publication of the specification

https://extranet.inao.gouv.fr/fichier/CDC-PouletBbnaisQCOMUE1.pdf


(1)  OJ L 343, 14.12.2012, p. 1.