27.10.2012

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 330/17

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Publication of an amendment application pursuant to Article 6(2) of Council Regulation (EC) No 510/2006 on the protection of geographical indications and designations of origin for agricultural products and foodstuffs

2012/C 330/10

This publication confers the right to object to the amendment application pursuant to Article 7 of Council Regulation (EC) No 510/2006 (1). Statements of objection must reach the Commission within six months of the date of this publication.

AMENDMENT APPLICATION

COUNCIL REGULATION (EC) No 510/2006

AMENDMENT APPLICATION IN ACCORDANCE WITH ARTICLE 9

‘NOCCIOLA DEL PIEMONTE’/‘NOCCIOLA PIEMONTE’

EC No: IT-PGI-0217-0305-09.06.2009

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
—	☒	National requirements
—	☒	Other (Packaging)

2.   Type of amendment:

—		Amendment to single document or summary sheet
—	☒	Amendment to specification of registered PDO or PGI for which neither the single document nor the summary sheet 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):

3.1.   Description of product:

For the sake of clarity, it is requested that the descriptions of whole, unshelled ‘Nocciola del Piemonte’ and shelled ‘Nocciola del Piemonte’ be put in two separate paragraphs. The descriptions themselves are to remain unchanged.

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Following Regulation (EC) No 464/2004 of 12 March 2004 (OJ L 77/25 of 13 March 2004), it became necessary to limit the types of product, indicating the specific product categories used as semi-processed products in industry, namely roasted hazelnuts, ground hazelnuts, hazelnut flour and hazelnut paste. The amendment makes it possible to define more clearly when the name ‘Nocciola del Piemonte’/‘Nocciola Piemonte’ may be used and facilitate monitoring activity by the relevant bodies.

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The name of the variety used to obtain ‘Nocciola del Piemonte’, namely ‘Tonda Gentile delle Langhe’, is to be changed to ‘Tonda Gentile Trilobata’. The application to amend the variety name was made necessary by the application to register the ‘Tonda Gentile delle Langhe’ variety with the Community Plant Variety Office (CPVO). The application to register the name entailed removing the geographical reference to the Langhe, which was replaced with the botanical term ‘trilobata’ (‘trilobate’). The new name ‘Tonda Gentile Trilobata’ was published in the Official Gazette of the CPVO on 16 August 2007. The amendment thus concerns the name only and has no effect whatsoever on the provision concerning the genetic material that may be used to obtain ‘Nocciola del Piemonte’.

3.2.   Geographical area:

The names of several municipalities in the production area are incorrect owing to misprints and should be corrected:

‘Colosso’ should read ‘Calosso’, ‘Revignasco d'Asti’ should read ‘Revigliasco d'Asti’ and ‘Mezzomeniro’ should read ‘Mezzomerico’.

3.3.   Method of production:

A change in the maximum planting density per hectare from 420 to 500 plants is requested. However, for plantations established before the national approval decree of 2 December 1993, it is requested that a maximum density of 650 plants per hectare be allowed, while plants that die or are grubbed up may not be replaced and any new planting must have a density of between 200 and 500 plants per hectare.

The change to the planting density is brought about by the introduction of technologies that mechanise growing practices, from soil preparation to harvesting. While the new equipment now available for localised weeding, pruning and harvesting requires significant space between rows, it allows the planting of continuous rows and thus a greater number of plants in each row. These growing methods also allow good aeration and prevent planted areas from being in the shade, thus giving better exposure to sunlight.

In addition, the hazelnut growing sector is experiencing strong growth in Piedmont and has begun to extend to steep, poor, calcareous soils. This influences the way the plants grow, making them more compact. This allows a greater number of plants without affecting the quality of the product. In recent years, 6 × 4 and 5 × 4 plantations have become popular with growers as they allow a good level of mechanisation and make it possible to obtain nuts of excellent quality.

The request to allow plantations established prior to the entry into force of the national approval decree of 2 December 1993 to have a maximum density of 650 plants per hectare is based on the fact that, at that time, the plants on hazelnut plantations were spaced far more closely than now. Harvesting was carried out by hand, with the practical effect that large spaces were not needed between rows, another factor that allowed greater planting density.

In any case, the maximum yield per hectare of 3 500 kg/ha remains unchanged on all plantations, whether they were established before or after EU approval.

In the sentence stating that ‘The planting distances and growing methods must be those in general use and be based on growing bushes and, in exceptional cases, single-trunk trees …’, the term ‘in exceptional cases’ is difficult to interpret. Accordingly, in order to specify more clearly the possibility of choosing between growing bushes or single-trunk trees, the term ‘in exceptional cases’ has been replaced with ‘and/or’.

3.4.   Labelling:

The unshelled product, whether marketed loose or in bags, must be labelled.

The requirement that ‘any PGI logo’ is to appear on the label should be replaced with one referring to ‘the EU symbol of the PGI’.

The reference to Regulation (EEC) No 2081/92 should be replaced with a reference to Regulation (EC) No 510/2006.

3.5.   National requirements:

All the information on the name, address and contact details of Istituto Nord-Ovest Qualità Soc. Coop. (INOQ), the body authorised to carry out the official controls referred to in Articles 10 and 11 of Regulation (EC) No 510/2006, should be given.

The phrase ‘product guaranteed by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Forestry Policy pursuant to Article 10 of Regulation (EEC) No 2081/92’ and the provision that batches intended for export should bear the words ‘produced in Italy’ should be removed as they have been superseded and are superfluous.

3.6.   Other — Packaging:

For the product in its unshelled form, there should be a deadline (31 December of the year after harvest) by which it must be packaged in order to ensure that it maintains its optimum ‘freshness’ characteristics when released for consumption.

SINGLE DOCUMENT

COUNCIL REGULATION (EC) No 510/2006

‘NOCCIOLA DEL PIEMONTE’/‘NOCCIOLA PIEMONTE’

EC No: IT-PGI-0217-0305-09.06.2009

PGI ( X ) PDO ( )

1.   Name:

‘Nocciola del Piemonte’/‘Nocciola Piemonte’

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 point 1 applies:

‘Nocciola del Piemonte’/‘Nocciola Piemonte’ Protected Geographical Indication is reserved for hazelnuts of the ‘Tonda Gentile Trilobata’ variety. The shape of the nut is subspherical or partially subspherical and trilobate. Its size is not particularly uniform, ranging from 17 mm to 21 mm. The shell is of average thickness, relatively deep hazel in colour, not particularly glossy, rather tomentous at the tip and with widespread though not particularly evident striation. The kernel varies in shape (subspherical, tetrahedral or sometimes ovoidal), and its size varies more than that of the shell. It is darker than the shell, generally covered in fibres, with a rough surface and grooves of varying size, a perisperm of average thickness but that comes off very easily during roasting, and a solid, crunchy texture. Its flavours and aromas are very fine and persistent and its yield after shelling is between 40 % and 50 %.

‘Nocciola del Piemonte’/‘Nocciola Piemonte’ Protected Geographical Indication must be sold in the following product categories:

Whole, unshelled hazelnuts: nuts as harvested in the field, with the only processing being that aimed at washing and removing foreign bodies through grading, and appropriate drying to ensure extended freshness.

Shelled hazelnuts: whole nuts which are darker in colour than the shell and which, after undergoing physical processing, have been removed from their shells but retain the perisperm covered with fibres.

Roasted hazelnuts: whole or slightly broken nuts which, after undergoing a roasting process, have had the external perisperm totally or partly removed.

Ground hazelnuts: the product obtained from grinding whole or partially fragmented hazelnuts after roasting, with the pieces varying in size depending on the degree of grinding but in any case between 1 mm and 12 mm.

Hazelnut flour: the product obtained from grinding whole or partially fragmented hazelnuts after roasting, with the grains varying in size depending on the degree of grinding but in any case between 250 μm and 1 mm.

Hazelnut paste: the product obtained from grinding whole or partially fragmented hazelnuts after roasting, with the grains varying in size depending on the degree of grinding but in any case less than 250 μm.

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:

The hazelnuts are grown in the area of the protected geographical indication, as defined in Section 4 below. The plantations are entered on a specific list kept by the control body. The planting density on the plantations varies between 200 and 500 plants per hectare, with the plants being grown as single-trunk trees or multi-stem shrubs. For plantations established before the national approval decree of 2 December 1993, a maximum density of 650 plants per hectare is allowed, although it is forbidden to replace plants that die or are grubbed up, and any new planting must have a density of between 200 and 500 plants per hectare. The maximum yield in any case is 3 500 kg/ha.

3.6.   Specific rules concerning slicing, grating, packaging, etc.:

‘Nocciola del Piemonte’/‘Nocciola Piemonte’ must be sold in the following manner:

(a)	when unshelled: in bags made of a fabric suitable for all levels of sale or, as an exception, loose, but only at the first sales stage, i.e. that between the agricultural producer and the first purchaser, namely the owner of a processing and/or packaging plant;

(b)	when shelled, roasted, ground and finished: in packaging suitable for food use.

The products referred to in (b) must be pre-packaged or packaged at the moment of sale.

The unshelled product must be packaged by 31 December of the year following harvesting.

3.7.   Specific rules concerning labelling:

Packages must feature the words ‘Nocciola del Piemonte’ or ‘Nocciola Piemonte’ followed by ‘Indicazione geografica protetta’ or ‘IGP’. The year of harvest must be indicated on the packaging of unshelled and shelled hazelnuts.

The labels for shelled, roasted and/or ground hazelnuts must bear the EU symbol for the PGI.

When ‘Nocciola del Piemonte’/‘Nocciola Piemonte’ is being used as an ingredient in food products, the following wording must appear on the label: ‘prodotto ottenuto esclusivamente da “Nocciola del Piemonte” o “Nocciola Piemonte”’ (‘produced exclusively from “Nocciola del Piemonte”/“Nocciola Piemonte”’). No other name or additional adjective may be used alongside the name ‘Nocciola del Piemonte’/‘Nocciola Piemonte’, except for the variety name ‘Tonda Gentile Trilobata’.

4.   Concise definition of the geographical area:

The production area for ‘Nocciola del Piemonte’/‘Nocciola Piemonte’ falls entirely within the Piedmont region, within the hazelnut producing municipalities in the provinces of Alessandria, Asti, Biella, Cuneo, Novara, Turin and Vercelli.

5.   Link with the geographical area:

5.1.   Specificity of the geographical area:

The geographical production area of ‘Nocciola del Piemonte’/‘Nocciola Piemonte’ is hilly or mountainous, including foothill areas lying at an altitude between 150 m and 800 m above sea level. The considerable rainfall (around 900 mm per year) and the generally rather steep slopes mean that the whole area has a low level of fertility in terms of the presence of both organic matter and mineral nutrients. Compared to other areas of Piedmont, these characteristics give a specific and distinctive environment in terms of soil and climate, and one in which the ‘Tonda Gentile Trilobata’ variety can best display its qualities.

5.2.   Specificity of the product:

From the 19th century until the present day, hazelnut growing in Piedmont has been based exclusively on use of the ‘Tonda Gentile Trilobata’ variety, the qualities of which include a perisperm that is of average thickness but that comes off easily during roasting, a solid, crunchy texture and persistent, very fine flavours and aromas.

The main benefits of ‘Nocciola del Piemonte’/‘Nocciola Piemonte’ in the eyes of the confectionary industry are the subspherical or partially trilobate shape of the nut, the all but insignificant percentage of oblong nuts, the good yield after shelling, which can even reach 50 %, the high yield when roasted and the fact that the kernel is so easy to peel.

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):

‘Nocciola del Piemonte’/‘Nocciola Piemonte’ is obtained from the ‘Tonda Gentile Trilobata’ variety, which can achieve the commercial and organoleptic characteristics that underlie its reputation only in this defined geographical area with its soils lacking in fertility and its high levels of rainfall. Given the fame of this variety, attempts were made in the past to introduce it into other Italian hazelnut growing areas. However, these attempts were unsuccessful, as the variety failed to adapt or, in any event, did not display the commercial and organoleptic characteristics of the hazelnuts grown in the area of origin. ‘Nocciola del Piemonte’/‘Nocciola Piemonte’ grown in the defined area has been known since the mid-19th century for its esteemed organoleptic characteristics, which have contributed to the undoubted prestige of the confectionary industry in Piedmont. Indeed, in the second half of the 19th century, with the development of the first industrial confectionary concerns in Italy and abroad, the trade in these hazelnuts began to flourish in Piedmont. At that time, the hazelnuts produced, totalling a few hundred thousand kilos, were purchased unshelled by small local confectionary firms mainly for use in chocolate production, and were shelled by the firms themselves. The excellent organoleptic characteristics of ‘Nocciola del Piemonte’/‘Nocciola Piemonte’ meant that its reputation grew rapidly among the firms concerned, both in Italy and abroad. Indeed, as early as the beginning of the 20th century, the product was being exported to many countries in Europe and beyond, such as Switzerland, Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, Chile, El Salvador and Japan.

Reference to publication of the specification:

(Article 5(7) of Regulation (EC) No 510/2006)

This Ministry launched the national objection procedure with the publication of the amendment proposal for ‘Nocciola del Piemonte’/‘Nocciola Piemonte’ in Official Gazette of the Italian Republic No 77 of 2 April 2009.

The full text of the product specification is available on the following web site:

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 (http://www.politicheagricole.it) and clicking on ‘Qualità e sicurezza’ (in the top right-hand corner of the screen) and then on ‘Disciplinari di Produzione all'esame dell'UE’.

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(1)  OJ L 93, 31.3.2006, p. 12.

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