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)

‘Asparago di Badoere’

EU No: PGI-IT-0495-AM02 – 1.8.2023

PDO ( ) PGI (X)

1.   Name of product

‘Asparago di Badoere’

2.   Member State to which the geographical area belongs

Italy

3.   Member State authority communicating the standard amendment

Ministry of Agriculture, Food Sovereignty and Forestry

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4.   Description of the approved amendment(s)

1.   Reinstatement of two asparagus varieties

Point 3.2 of the single document and Article 2 of the specification read as follows:

This has been amended to read:

The list of varieties has been updated through the reinstatement of the cultivars Avalim and Dariana, as some long-standing producers continue to grow them. These two white and green asparagus cultivars have traditionally been grown in the production area. They meet the requirements of the current PGI specification and were included in earlier versions thereof.

This amendment affects the single document.

2.   Removal of the possibility of using other cultivars on the sole basis of a positive assessment by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food Sovereignty and Forestry

The following provision has been deleted from Article 2 of the product specification and point 3.2 of the single document:

Other asparagus cultivars resulting from varietal research can be used, provided that there is experimental and bibliographic evidence that the production method and characteristics of ‘Asparago di Badoere’ PGI are respected.

The Ministry of Agricultural, Food and Forestry Policy must be notified before any such cultivar is used to produce ‘Asparago di Badoere’.

This provision has been deleted in response to criticism from the Commission, which has asked for it to be removed from other fruit and vegetable product specifications.

This amendment affects the single document.

SINGLE DOCUMENT

‘Asparago di Badoere’

EU No: PGI-IT-0495-AM02 – 1.8.2023

PDO ( ) PGI (X)

1.   Name(s) [of PDO or PGI]

‘Asparago di Badoere’

2.   Member State or Third Country

Italy

3.   Description of the agricultural product or foodstuff

3.1.   Type of product [as in Annex XI]

Class 1.6. Fruit, vegetables and cereals, fresh or processed

3.2.   Description of product to which the name in (1) applies

‘Asparago di Badoere’ consists of asparagus spears grown from plants of the Liliaceae family (white varieties ‘Thielim’, ‘Zeno’, ‘Grolim’, ‘Cumulus’, ‘Darzilla’, ‘Hercolim’, ‘Marco’, ‘Vittorio’, ‘Giove’, ‘Avalim’ or ‘Dariana’ or green varieties ‘Eros’, ‘Thielim’, ‘Grolim’, ‘Cumulus’, ‘Magnus’, ‘Giove’, ‘Vittorio’, ‘Avalim’ or ‘Dariana’ of the species Officinalis from the genus Asparagus). When released onto the market, the asparagus spears of either type covered by ‘Asparago di Badoere’ PGI must be intact, sound, free from damage caused by unsuitable washing practices, clean, fresh in appearance and colour, free from pests or damage caused by pests, unbruised, free of abnormal external moisture or any foreign smell and/or taste, crunchy, not hollow and unpeeled. The cut at the base must be clean and perpendicular to the stem.

‘Extra’ Class white ‘Asparago di Badoere’ PGI consists of straight spears with tightly closed tips. The spears are white, but may develop a pink tinge after packaging. They taste sweet, not sour or salty, and are tender and not at all fibrous, with a slight scent of fresh legumes and ripe wheat, and a barely perceptible hint of bitterness. The spears measure between 12 and 20 mm in diameter, with a maximum variation of 6 mm between the thickest and thinnest spears in a single bundle or package, and between 14 and 22 cm in length, with a maximum variation of 1 cm between the shortest and longest spears in a single bundle or package.

Class I white ‘Asparago di Badoere’ PGI is the same as the ‘Extra’ Class in terms of form, colour, taste and length, but can range from 10 to 22 mm in diameter, with a maximum difference of 8 mm between the thickest and thinnest spears in the same bundle or package.

Class II white ‘Asparago di Badoere’ PGI consists of full asparagus spears with tips, which may be slightly feathered. The spears are white, with a possible pink tinge, measuring between 8 and 30 mm in diameter (all the asparagus making up a bundle or package being uniformly prepared) and up to 22 cm long (all the asparagus making up a bundle or package being uniformly prepared).

Class II asparagus may only be used in the processing industry.

‘Extra’ Class green ‘Asparago di Badoere’ PGI consists of straight asparagus spears that may be slightly curved at the tip. Their tips are tightly closed and are a dark, shiny green in colour, possibly with a violet tinge. The butt at the base of the spear (no more than 5 % of the total length) is green with a violet to white tinge. This asparagus has a strong sweet taste, and is not sour, salty or bitter. It is tender, not fibrous and has a persistent fruity, grassy aroma. The spears measure between 12 and 20 mm in diameter, with a maximum variation of 6 mm between the thickest and thinnest spears in a single bundle, and between 18 and 27 cm in length, with a maximum variation of 1 cm between the shortest and longest spears in a single bundle.

Class I green ‘Asparago di Badoere’ PGI is the same as the ‘Extra’ Class in terms of form, colour and taste, but can range from 8 to 22 mm in diameter, with a maximum difference of 8 mm between the thickest and thinnest spears in the same bundle and between 16 and 27 cm in length, with a maximum variation of 1 cm between the shortest and longest spears in a single bundle.

Class II green ‘Asparago di Badoere’ PGI consists of full asparagus spears with slightly feathered tips. The spears are green, with a possible violet tinge, measuring between 8 and 30 mm in diameter (all the asparagus making up a bundle or package being uniformly prepared) and up to 27 cm long (all the asparagus making up a bundle or package being uniformly prepared).

Class II asparagus may only be used in the processing industry.

The maximum accepted tolerance for deviation from the length and diameter requirements applicable to asparagus spears in the different classes described above is 3 % by weight.

3.3.   Feed (for products of animal origin only) and raw materials (for processed products only)

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

All stages of the production of ‘Asparago di Badoere’, from growing to harvesting, take place in the defined geographical area.

3.5.   Specific rules concerning slicing, grating, packaging, etc. of the product the registered name refers to

In order to preserve the quality characteristics referred to in point 3.2, ‘Asparago di Badoere’ PGI asparagus may only be marketed if it has been packaged within the production area into either bundles or food-grade packaging. Each package must comprise only asparagus of the same category and diameter range.

‘Asparago di Badoere’ must be packaged in the area described in point 4 in order to ensure traceability and control and to prevent deterioration in the quality of ‘Asparago di Badoere’ as a result of impact or bruising during the transportation of the unpackaged product, which can cause the asparagus to blacken and impair its quality characteristics.

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

Bundles and packs must be labelled with the words ‘Asparago di Badoere’ IGP [PGI] in letters of uniform size, with specific reference to the type of asparagus (green, white or green and white) that the pack contains, the (company) name and the address of the grower and packager, the marketing class (‘Extra’, ‘I’, or ‘II’ along with the words ‘for processing only’), the diameter range and any other information required by the legislation in force.

4.   Concise definition of the geographical area

The ‘Asparago di Badoere’ PGI production area comprises the municipalities of Piombino Dese and Trebaseleghe in the Province of Padua; Casale sul Sile, Casier, Istrana, Mogliano Veneto, Morgano, Paese, Preganziol, Quinto di Treviso, Resana, Treviso, Vedelago and Zero Branco in the province of Treviso; and Scorzè in the province of Venice.

5.   Link with the geographical area

The link between the geographical area and the ‘Asparago di Badoere’ is based on quality. Both types of ‘Asparago di Badoere’ are characterised by rapid growth. This gives the spears certain properties, both physical (barely any fibrousness and particularly bright colouring) and organoleptic (the distinctive properties described in point 3.2).

The combination of soil and climate conditions in the production area, as evidenced below, is essential for ensuring the quality and uniqueness of ‘Asparago di Badoere’, since it helps to shape the product's distinguishing physical and organoleptic features.

The ‘Asparago di Badoere’ production area is characterised by a weighted average temperature of around 15 °C, with temperature swings of up to 30 °C over the course of the year. Average annual rainfall is around 900 mm, normally concentrated in the spring and autumn. These conditions eliminate the need to water the crop during the harvest period, so the plants are not subjected to water stress, a factor which contributes to the excellent quality of ‘Asparago di Badoere’.

Moreover, slow-flowing rivers from karst springs – the Rivers Sile, Zero and Dese and their tributaries – run through the production area, rendering the land fertile and productive. This makes the plants highly vigorous, removing the need for fertilisation other than the applications that are normally required. The fact that the soil is nitrogen-poor helps the spears to grow intact, without visible splits or cracks. The soil in the production area is loose. ‘Asparago di Badoere’ can only be grown in deep soils with a fairly coarse to medium texture, that are barely calcareous at the surface, subalkaline to neutral in terms of soil pH, and have good to medium drainage, possibly with calcium carbonate deposits deeper down.

The Veneto region has a long tradition of asparagus-growing, which seemingly dates back to the time the Romans conquered land there.

There are countless documentary sources mentioning ‘Asparago di Badoere’, both white and green, as one of the most sought-after local products of the Veneto region. It is also worth remembering that Badoere was of such importance in asparagus-growing in the province that the local authorities of Morgano, the municipality to which Badoere belongs, organised the first local asparagus festival in 1968, a tradition which has carried on to the present day.

Asparagus-growing is deeply rooted in the culture of the local people, with growing techniques passed down from one generation to the next. The specific blend of production factors – such as the manual, artisanal nature of this activity – and the soil and climate conditions in the defined area results in a product that stands out clearly from the rest of the sector. The fact that the product is so widely distributed and well known, thanks to a series of promotional campaigns, also attests to the acclaim of ‘Asparago di Badoere’.

Reference to publication of the product specification

https://www.politicheagricole.it/flex/files/1/1/3/D.3fff802670c9cbd6694e/DISCIPLINARE_ASPARAGO_BADOERE_04.23.pdf

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(1)   OJ L 179, 19.6.2014, p. 17.