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)

‘Castagna Cuneo’

EU No: PGI-IT-0342-AM01 – 24.11.2023

PDO ( ) PGI (X)

1.   Name of product

‘Castagna Cuneo’

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, Department for Competitiveness, Agri-Food Quality, Fisheries and Equestrian Sports, Directorate-General for Agri-food Quality Promotion, Unit Pqa 4

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4.   Description of the approved amendment(s)

Explanation that the amendment(s) fall under the definition of a standard amendment as provided for in Article 53(2) of Regulation (EU) 1151/2012 The amendments to the specification and the single document are standard amendments under Article 53 of Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012 as amended by Regulation (EU) 2021/2117 for the following reasons:

a)	they do not amend the name of the protected designation of origin or protected geographical indication or the use of that name;

b)	they are unlikely to void the link referred to in Article 5(1)(b) for protected designations of origin or in Article 5(2)(b) for protected geographical indications;

c)	they do not involve a traditional speciality guaranteed; and

d)

they do not entail any further restrictions on the marketing of the product. 1. Inclusion of a provision concerning the coppice with standards system The following wording has been added to Article 2.1 of the specification and point 3.2 of the single document, after the phrase ‘of the aforementioned species’: ‘unless the above varieties are grafted onto them. In this way, it is possible to allow wild growth for grafting (coppice with standards system), and to allow shoots to grow on coppice stumps in order to replace diseased trees following serious attacks by parasites and/or fungal diseases and/or other disasters. Reason Serious attacks by parasites such as the chestnut gall wasp cause significant damage to the yields and quality of the chestnuts. In addition, such attacks have also caused severe deterioration of trees, leaving them open to attacks by other pathogens and parasites which, in some cases, have resulted in tree deaths. It is therefore necessary to permit a return to the practice of allowing wild growth for grafting (coppice with standards system), and to allow shoots to grow on coppice stumps to replace diseased trees, in order not to lose the genetic heritage of the ‘Castagna Cuneo’ PGI production area. This amendment affects the single document. 2. The word ‘achenes’ has been replaced by the word ‘fruits’ In Article 2.2 of the specification and point 3.2 of the single document, and any other instances of use in the two documents, the word ‘achenes’ has been replaced by the word ‘fruits’. Reason The term ‘achenes’ has been replaced by ‘fruits’ to make it easier for the average consumer to understand. This amendment affects the single document. 3. Removal of a requirement already laid down in the general rules In Article 2.2 of the specification and point 3.2 of the single document, the requirements relating to defects have been removed, for both fresh and dried chestnuts. The following sentence has been removed from the requirements relating to fresh chestnuts: ‘Produce must not display any internal or external defects (broken nuts, worm damage or presence, mould) in more than 10 % of nuts’. The following sentence has been removed from the requirements relating to dried chestnuts: ‘No more than 10 % of the nuts may have defects (traces of worms, deformations, breaks, traces of pericarp, etc.)’. Reason When the specification was first drafted in 2004, there were no specific rules on marketing standards for fruit and vegetables. The rules were subsequently brought in with Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 543/2011, as amended. The sentence in question has therefore been rendered unnecessary by the regulations in force, which currently permit defects in a maximum of 10 % of fruits for consumption. This amendment affects the single document. 4. Removal of the name of two municipalities in the demarcated area as a result of an administrative merger The municipalities of Castellar and Valmala have been removed from the list of municipalities in the demarcated area in Article 3 of the specification. Consequently, the number of municipalities listed at point 4 of the single document has decreased from 105 to 103. Reason The municipality of Castellar became part of the municipality of Saluzzo in 2019. Similarly, the municipality of Valmala became part of the municipality of Busca in the same year. As Saluzzo and Busca are in the production areas, this amendment is purely administrative and does not affect the area. This amendment affects the single document. 5. Removal of a provision relating to checks on the specification The following sentence has been removed from Article 4 of the specification: ‘Subsequent certification by the inspection body of all batches of products packaged and labelled before sale’. Reason Given the costs of certification, it became apparent that checking every batch of chestnuts packaged merely served to limit the availability of the PGI product. It did not add any value to the quality of the product. Furthermore, a report on the matter by the inspection body INOQ Soc. Coop. makes clear that, irrespective of the removal of this paragraph, the packaging of Castagna Cuneo is subject to ongoing annual checks at all packaging facilities. It is this that guarantees both traceability and quality of the packaged product. The amendment does not affect the single document. 6. Update of the legal reference to the Regulation on organic farming The legal reference to the Regulation on organic farming has been updated in Article 5.1 of the specification. The amendment does not affect the single document. 7. Addition of a reference to the product intended for processing The following reference to the product intended for processing has been added to Article 5.6 of the specification: ‘With the exception of the product intended for drying or industrial processing, the minimum permitted size is equivalent to 110 fruits per net kilogram when fresh’. Product intended exclusively for industrial processing must not be made available to the final consumer in its unprocessed state. This amendment takes into account that some chestnuts may not fully comply with the defined characteristics of ‘Castagna Cuneo’ PGI. Such chestnuts cannot be presented to the final consumer bearing the name of the PGI. They can, however, be used exclusively for processed products if they meet the criteria for origin and variety. The amendment enables the product to be more widely available, although only as an ingredient, thereby limiting waste, without any alteration to the final characteristics of the product when sold to the consumer in its natural state. The amendment does not affect the single document. 8. Addition of further methods of preservation The following provision, concerning preservation of the fresh product, has been added to Article 5.7 of the specification: ‘and/or other treatments as required by law, to treat infections and prevent the development of pathogens without affecting the quality of the fruit’. Reason The clarification is necessary for the purposes of post-harvest techniques. The amendment does not affect the single document. 9. Inclusion of additional methods for drying the product In Article 5 of the specification, the wording ‘The product Castagna Cuneo - Secca must be obtained’ has been amended as follows: ‘The product Castagna Cuneo - Secca can be obtained’. The following provision has also been added: ‘Drying can also take place in hot air dryers at temperatures between 25 and 45 °C, moderated as appropriate during the drying process. The correct degree of drying is achieved within a maximum of 15 days of the chestnuts being placed in the dryer’. Reason The process of drying using hot air dryers makes business administration easier, thereby enabling the product to be more widely available. This is a necessary adaptation concerned with the modernisation of working methods, and the potential for making the product available on the market in greater quantities without affecting the quality. The amendment does not affect the single document. 10. Removal of provisions relating to checks on the specification The following sentence has been removed from Article 5.7 of the specification, as a result of the amendment to Article 4: ‘The operation of packaging is carried out under the supervision of the body authorised by the Ministry of Agricultural, Food and Forestry Policy to supervise the PGI “Castagna di Cuneo”. This is in order to verify the origin and check that the product and the way in which it is presented are as laid down by this product specification’. Reason Given the costs of certification, it became apparent that checking every batch of chestnuts packaged merely served to limit the availability of the PGI product. It did not add any value to the quality of the product. Furthermore, irrespective of the removal of this paragraph, the packaging of Castagna Cuneo is subject to ongoing annual checks at all packaging facilities. It is this that guarantees both traceability and quality of the packaged product. This amendment affects the single document. 11. Inclusion of details of the inspection body Details of the inspection body have been added to the specification at Article 5.7 The amendment does not affect the single document. 12. Inclusion of provisions concerning packaging and labelling for the product intended for processing The following paragraph has been added to Article 8 of the specification: ‘Product intended for industrial processing, referred to in Article 5(6), can also be made available in bulk, in packaging or containers complying with the legislation in force. It must be identified by labels bearing the wording ‘Castagna Cuneo IGP destinata alla trasformazione’ [Castagna Cuneo PGI for processing], for the purposes of product traceability and to ensure correct identification. Reason The new amendment makes it possible to identify the PGI product exclusively intended for processing, which cannot be made available to the consumer in its unprocessed state. This amendment affects the single document.

SINGLE DOCUMENT

‘Castagna Cuneo’

EU No: PGI-IT-0342-AM01 – 24.11.2023

PDO ( ) PGI (X)

1.   Name(s) [of PDO or PGI]

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 the product to which the name in (1) applies

The PGI ‘Castagna Cuneo’ can be used to denote only the following varieties of chestnut of the species Castanea sativa, excluding interspecific hybrids: Ciapastra, Tempuriva, Bracalla, Contessa, Pugnante, Sarvai d’Oca, Sarvai di Gurg, Sarvaschina, Siria, Rubiera, Marrubia, Gentile, Verdesa, Castagna della Madonna, Frattona, Gabiana, Rossastra, Crou, Garrone Rosso, Garrone Nero, Marrone di Chiusa Pesio and Spina Lunga. It does not cover products obtained from coppices, mixed coppices or from high-growing coppices of old trees, even of the aforementioned species [Castanea sativa], unless the above varieties are grafted onto them. In this way, it is possible to allow wild growth for grafting (coppice with standards system), and to allow shoots to grow on coppice stumps in order to replace diseased trees following serious attacks by parasites and/or fungal diseases and/or other disasters. ‘Castagna Cuneo’ PGI is characterised by its sweet, delicate flavour and the crispness of the epicarp, which makes it particularly well-suited for consumption either fresh or processed. Fresh chestnuts have the following features when they are presented for sale: pale to dark brown colour of the chestnut outer pericarp; a hazel-colour hilum of variable size, that never protrudes over the lateral edges; star-shaped streaks; yellow to pale brown epicarp with a crisp consistency; white to cream-coloured seed; sweet and delicate flavour; size: maximum number of fruits per kilo = 110. In order to ensure consistency, the difference in weight between the ten smallest and ten largest fruits packed together must not exceed 80 g. Internal or external defects such as broken nuts, worm damage or presence, and mould are permitted within the limits laid down in the marketing standards in force. Dried, shelled chestnuts must be intact, healthy and pale straw-coloured. Internal or external defects such as traces of worms, deformations, breaks and traces of pericarp are permitted within the limits laid down in the marketing standards in force. The water content in intact nuts prepared in this way may not exceed 15 %.

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

Sorting, sizing, treating and preserving the nuts must be carried out within the demarcated area.

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

The following packaging may be used to sell fresh ‘Castagna Cuneo’ PGI: bags made of various materials weighing between 0,10 and 30 kg, usually: 0,10, 0,25, 0,5, 1, 2,5, 5, 10, 25 or 30 kg.; wood or plastic crates sized 30 × 50 cm or 40 × 60 cm; jute bags weighing between 5 and 100 kg (5, 10, 25, 30, 50 and 100); other types of packaging permitted under the legislation in force. Sales of ‘Castagna Cuneo’ PGI - ‘Secca’ (dried): when released for consumption the following packaging may be used: bags made of various materials weighing between 0,10 and 30 kg, mainly bags of 0,10, 0,25, 0,5, 1, 2,5, 5, 10, 25, or 30 kg; other types of packaging permitted under the legislation in force.

In all cases, produce may only be sold pre-packaged or packaged at the point of sale. Product intended for industrial processing can also be made available in bulk, in packaging or containers complying with the legislation in force.

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

Labels to be affixed to packaging must bear the protected geographical indication ‘Castagna Cuneo’ in clear and indelible characters, easily distinguishable from any other wording and immediately followed by the wording ‘protected geographical indication’. Specifically, the packaging must contain the words ‘Castagna Cuneo’ or ‘Castagna Cuneo - Secca’ in print of the same size, immediately followed by the wording ‘protected geographical indication’. The name, business name and address of the packager, as well as the original gross weight, must appear in the same field of vision. The words ‘indicazione geografica protetta’ [protected geographical indication] may be repeated anywhere else on the container or label, including in the form of the initials ‘I.G.P.’ [PGI]. Together with the protected geographical indication, it is permitted to use indications and/or images referring to company names or logos of consortia provided they have no laudatory purport and are not likely to mislead the consumer.

‘Product intended for industrial processing must be identified by labels bearing the wording ‘Castagna Cuneo IGP destinata alla trasformazione’ [Castagna Cuneo PGI for processing], for the purposes of product traceability and to ensure correct identification.

4.   Concise definition of the geographical area

The production area of ‘Castagna Cuneo’ PGI comprises 103 municipalities in the Province of Cuneo.

5.   Link with the geographical area

The application to register the PGI is based on the undoubted reputation of the product that has made the production area its natural habitat ever since antiquity. In the Province of Cuneo, the first references to chestnuts date back to the end of the 12th century, as attested by correspondence from the Certosa di Pesio (a local church) regarding land acquisition, which shows that between 1173 and 1277, chestnut trees accounted for one fifth of agricultural land.

The farming landscape of the Province of Cuneo in the early 1800s had vast areas of chestnut trees bordering on cultivated land that represented the majority of high-growing trees.

In the 1800s, as in previous centuries, chestnut trees remained at the heart of organised farming life.

Chestnuts were one of the few commercial opportunities in the mountains. In the autumn, farmers would descend from Alpine and Apennine villages with bags of chestnuts. The main market was in Cuneo, where one of the key events was St Martin’s Day on 11 November, when chestnuts fetched the price of the most prized grapes. Cuneo has had a bustling market ever since the 1500s, and over the years has spread its influence throughout Europe. Domestic and foreign sales consistently grew thanks to a constant increase in demand for Cuneo chestnuts. The reputation of the PGI is not limited to the European market, especially strong in France, Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Britain, but is also highly acclaimed in other countries such as the United States and Argentina.

In addition, further proof of the reputation of Castagna di Cuneo is found in several festivals and meetings organised to celebrate the quality of the PGI, such as the ‘Settimana del Castagno’ (chestnut week) organised in Cuneo, during which the finest operators and experts in the sector discuss the various issues concerning this crop. In the past, the ‘Sagra del Marrone’ (chestnut festival) in Chiusa di Pesio was a key event that was very closely followed by the local newspapers. They always published detailed reports on the event. Such was the success of this festival that soon it was transferred to Cuneo, where the festivities had real flair and offered a wide range of attractions, with the chestnut stands playing a major role. However the oldest and most famous autumn festival is still the ‘Fiera fredda di San Dalmazzo’, the last one before the winter sets in. Now 430 years old, this festival has always represented the unquestionable link between the area of origin, the population and chestnuts.

The extensive recipe collection of Cuneo cookery, where Castagna di Cuneo is the undisputed champion, is the clearest evidence that chestnut growing is a tradition in the area of origin.

As well as being eaten fresh, chestnuts are used in a great many dishes, from the most simple traditional farmer’s fare to highly refined recipes. Along with boiled or roasted chestnuts and ‘mundaj’ (pan-roasted chestnuts), which are a symbol of festivity and joy at gatherings, there are also ‘marrons glacés’, chocolate and chestnut balls, and savoury dishes such as roast pork or venison with chestnuts.

Reference to publication of the product specification

https://www.politicheagricole.it/flex/files/1/3/e/D.0743c8a0e0eabbb43b11/Castagna_Cuneo_09.23.pdf

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(1)   OJ L 179, 19.6.2014, p. 17.