Following this publication, the authorities of a Member State or of a third country, or a natural or legal person having a legitimate interest and established or resident in a third country, may lodge, in accordance with Article 17 of Regulation (EU) 2024/1143 of the European Parliament and of the Council (1), an opposition with the Commission within 3 months from the date of this publication.

SINGLE DOCUMENT

‘Melon de Cavaillon’

EU No: PGI-FR-02984 - 3.8.2023

PDO ( ) PGI (X)

1.   Name(s) [of PDO or PGI]

‘Melon de Cavaillon’

2.   Member State or Third Country

France

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 the product to which the name in (1) refers

‘Melon de Cavaillon’ is a yellow charentais melon. It is characterised by an average sugar content greater than or equal to 13 °Brix, with no melon having less than 11 °Brix. It must weigh at least 550 g and less than 1 750 g (if the product is destined for processing, the range is wider: at least 400 g and less than 1 950 g).

The melons are rounded and sutured, with orange flesh. The base colour of the skin turns yellow as the fruit ripens. The segments are clearly marked, without being too prominent, and are sometimes lightly netted. The suture lines between the segments are darker green in colour. The melon’s flesh is orange and uniform in colour. It is harvested for optimum sugar content.

‘Melon de Cavaillon’ destined to be consumed fresh is sold whole in moulded single-layer trays or individual packaging. The melons contained in each pack must be uniform (in terms of shape, appearance, development, ripeness and colouring).

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 demarcated geographical area

All stages of production must take place within the geographical area.

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

Sorting, sizing and packing must be carried out in the geographical area defined for PGI ‘Melon de Cavaillon’. They must take place on the same premises so as to minimise potential deterioration and thus preserve the quality of the melon.

‘Melon de Cavaillon’ is a fresh fruit harvested at optimum physiological ripeness. After harvest, the quality of the melon may be affected by various factors that can result from prolonged transportation, such as thermal shocks or rapid and/or large temperature changes, and impacts between the melons during bulk storage in pallet boxes. By strictly limiting both the transport times from the field to the packing plant and repeated bulk handling, it is possible to retain control over the quality of the product after harvest. Furthermore, packing straight after certification in individual packaging or in a moulded single-layer or fibre tray makes it possible to prevent impacts or compression of the fruit.

As well as helping to preserve the product’s quality and characteristics, packing the fruit in the geographical area greatly facilitates traceability.

When fruit is transported in bulk, it is possible that it may become mixed with cargoes of fruit of a different origin. ‘Melon de Cavaillon’ produced and packed in the geographical area is packed either in moulded single-layer or fibre trays or in individual packaging.

For melons destined to be sold fresh, the individual identification system put in place at the time of packing in the geographical area ensures the product’s traceability up to final sale and thus provides an additional guarantee of the product’s origin and quality.

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

The labelling must include the name ‘Melon de Cavaillon’ and the European Union PGI logo in the same visual field. As a minimum requirement, identification must be affixed to each fruit, using a sticker, a band or a ribbon tie. The group’s ‘Melon de Cavaillon’ logo must appear on the product’s labelling. It is shown below:

4.   Concise definition of the geographical area

The geographical area for the production and packing of ‘Melon de Cavaillon’ covers part of the following four departments: Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, Bouches-du-Rhône, Var and Vaucluse. The geographical area covers 249 municipalities, grouped into the following cantons:

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department of Alpes-de-Haute-Provence (department 04): Château-Arnoux-Saint-Auban (for the municipalities of Ganagobie and Peyruis), Forcalquier, Manosque-1, Manosque-2, Manosque-3, Oraison (for the municipality of Villeneuve), Reillanne (for the municipalities of Aubenas-les-Alpes, Céreste, Dauphin, Mane, Montjustin, Oppedette, Reillanne, Saint-Maime, Saint-Michel-l’Observatoire, Sainte-Croix-à-Lauze, Vachères and Villemus);

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department of Bouches-du-Rhône (department 13): Aix-en-Provence, Arles (for the municipalities of Arles and Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer), Berre-l’Etang, Châteaurenard, Istres (for the municipality of Istres), Pélissanne, Salon-de-Provence-1, Salon-de-Provence-2, Trets (for the municipalities of Jouques, Meyrargues, Meyreuil, Peyrolles-en-Provence, Le Puy-Sainte-Réparade and Saint-Paul-lès-Durance);

—	department of Var (department 83): Saint-Maximin-la-Sainte-Baume (for the municipalities of Artigues, Ginasservis, Rians, Saint-Julien, La Verdière and Vinon-sur-Verdon);

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department of Vaucluse (department 84): Apt (with the exception of the municipality of Lagarde-d’Apt), Avignon-1, Avignon-2, Avignon-3, Bollène, Carpentras, Cavaillon, Cheval-Blanc, L’Isle-sur-la-Sorgue, Monteux, Orange, Pernes-Les-Fontaines (with the exception of the municipalities of Aurel, Monieux, Saint-Christol, Saint-Trinit and Sault), Pertuis, Le Pontet, Sorgues, Vaison-la-Romaine.

5.   Link with the geographical area

The link between ‘Melon de Cavaillon’ and the geographical area is founded on its specific quality linked to the area and its reputation.

5.1.   Specificity of the geographical area

Natural factors:

The ‘Melon de Cavaillon’ geographical area abuts the foothills of Mont Ventoux, the Sault plateau and the Montagne de Lure to the north-east. It is bounded by the Rhône to the west, by the Sainte-Victoire massif to the south, and then, heading westwards, by the Etoile mountain range, the Berre lagoon and the southern coastline of the municipalities of Arles and Saintes-Marie-de-la Mer.

The municipality of Cavaillon constitutes the epicentre of this vast basin, whose exceptional network of waterways, linked to the Rhône and the Durance, has made it possible to develop an extensive irrigation network in the region.

The area has a Mediterranean-type climate, characterised by:

—	dry summers and rainy autumns;

—	high average annual temperatures;

—	a cold, dry north-north-westerly wind, the mistral, which becomes gradually weaker towards the south-east;

—	abundant sunshine (between 2 650 and 2 850 hours per year), high levels of light intensity and low atmospheric humidity, as a result of the mistral.

The production area has a wide variety of soils, including deep calcareous soils with a clay-loam texture, which are favourable for melon growing.

Human factors:

‘Melon de Cavaillon’ has a long-standing and continuous link with the region.

The first indications of the presence of melons in Cavaillon date back to 1495.

Melons have been grown for distribution in the Durance valley and the Comtat Venaissin since 1882. There is evidence of melon growing in Alpes-de-Haute-Provence since the 1930s.

The fact that, to this day, melons have continued to be grown in those locations at quite a distance from Cavaillon and on both plains and hillsides is largely due to distributors wanting to spread out their supply and sales over time.

The development of road and rail networks since the mid 19th century soon led to melons being shipped outside the region from Cavaillon, and contributed to the growth of production.

Local markets specifically for melons have been documented since 1859, and a national interest market (Marché d’Intérêt National – MIN) was set up in Cavaillon in 1965.

From a technical point of view, the wood-and-glass frames used to grow the melons between 1950 and 1970 are known as châssis cavaillonnais.

Letters dating from between 1950 and 1969 in the archives of the department of Vaucluse reveal a dynamic region that led the way in technical expertise in melon growing. The first national technical symposium on melons was held in Cavaillon in 1969.

In 2022, the Association of Master Melon Growers of Cavaillon comprised 40 producers involved in melon growing and 10 packers and traders (a number that has been stable for several years).

The region also hosts research and development facilities in the field of fruit and vegetables, notably the INRAE (National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food and the Environment) in Avignon (department 84), founded in 1953, and the CTIFL (Interprofessional Technical Centre for Fruit and Vegetables) and APREL (Provençal Association for Vegetable Research and Experimentation) in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence (department 13), which operate in networks with local centres for agricultural studies and techniques and the Chambers of Agriculture and with which operators in the sector establish partnerships.

Local know-how is put to use at every stage of the growing process and right up to the moment ‘Melon de Cavaillon’ is placed on the market:

—	selection of parcels on the basis of soil texture and access to water;

—	choice between open-field cultivation and protected cultivation (frames, greenhouses and tunnels), depending on conditions and the need to manage humidity levels and temperatures;

—	use of mulching and irrigation management;

—	harvesting at optimum ripeness;

—	rigorous quality selection of the melons before they are placed on the market, thanks to the adoption of a harmonised certification and sorting system at all packing plants.

5.2.   Specificity of the product

‘Melon de Cavaillon’ is a yellow charentais melon destined to be supplied fresh, whether for fresh consumption or for processing. It is characterised by:

—	the intense orange colour of its flesh;

—	the uniformity of its colour at optimum ripeness;

—	an optimum sugar content.

5.3.   Causal link

The qualities of ‘Melon de Cavaillon’ are linked to the area’s natural factors, which are favourable for melon growing, and to the know-how of the operators.

The climate data recorded in the area between March and September (the production period) show that the average temperatures (between 18 °C and 25,4 °C over the period) and hours of sunshine (268 to 293 hours/month) are optimal for the proper development of the plant, the size and ripeness of the fruit, and the quality of the product (sugar content, appearance).

The abundant sunshine turns the skin of the fruit from green to yellow when ripe, due to the degradation of the chlorophyll molecules, and allows the well-defined, dark green sutures to appear.

The mistral contributes to the light intensity and sunshine by chasing away cloud masses and reduces fungal disease pressure by reducing atmospheric humidity and drying stagnant waters.

The soils on which the melons are grown have a texture and depth that ensure the development of a good root system and provide good water reserves.

The advantages brought by the natural factors are reinforced by local know-how:

—	The soil is worked to improve its structure and aeration and to encourage drainage and warming.

—	The use of mulching allows good diffusion of the heat that reaches the soil, reduces evaporation and suppresses weed growth. The plants thus develop vigorously and grow rapidly, with dense foliage that protects the fruit from sunburn.

—	Irrigation, using the area’s vast irrigation network, is moderate and geared towards the needs of the plant.

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Professional facilities for sorting and packing of melons prior to marketing, which are traditionally located in the geographical area and where the melons are subjected to a rigorous certification and packing process by staff trained specifically for that purpose, ensure that the melons placed on the market are of optimum quality.

Numerous documents and testimonies bear witness to the reputation that ‘Melon de Cavaillon’ has gained over the centuries. Since its first appearance in Cavaillon in 1495, ‘Melon de Cavaillon’ has regularly been served to important visitors to the town: to the Duke of Guise in 1620, to Monseigneur d’Oppède, first President of the Parliament of Provence, in 1626, to Vice Legate Mazarin in 1635 and to Vice Legate Lascaris in 1664.

The trade in ‘Melon de Cavaillon’ grew, thanks in part to the fact that growers covered a vast production area, enabling them to extend the sales period (from May to the end of September), and in part to the concentration of traders/distributors around Cavaillon, which was well connected very early on by road and by railway. This helped the product to become known and appreciated outside its production area. Today, several local media channels follow and relay the staggered start to the season (France Bleu, ‘Début de saison pour le Melon de Cavaillon’ [Start of the season for ‘Melon de Cavaillon’], published on 30 May 2023, and BFM Marseille, ‘La saison du Melon de Cavaillon a commencé à Piolenc’ [the ‘Melon de Cavaillon’ season has started in Piolenc], broadcast on 12 June 2023).

A survey conducted by the CTIFL in 1998 and repeated in 2002 shows that consumers almost immediately associate ‘melon’ with ‘Cavaillon’. When asked about the origin of the melons purchased, the first answer given spontaneously by consumers in 1998 was ‘Cavaillon’.

Today, ‘Melon de Cavaillon’ forms part of the heritage of the town of Cavaillon, where it is celebrated, each year, on the 2nd weekend of July. Several local newspapers have referred to the specificity of ‘Melon de Cavaillon’, such as the regional daily newspaper La Provence, which featured a sweet melon with a very orange flesh (20 May 2023). Its reputation also extends to the international stage, where ‘Melon de Cavaillon’ is presented as being among the best melons, in particular because of the region’s climate characteristics, such as the heat and the mistral (article published in the monthly magazine The Connexion in August 2023). Furthermore, the Society for the Preservation of Provençal Traditions and ‘Melon de Cavaillon’ has been publicising this iconic product outside the region since 1988.

Reference to publication of the product specification

https://extranet.inao.gouv.fr/fichier/CDC-MelonCavaillon-CN231212.pdf

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(1)  Regulation (EU) 2024/1143 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 April 2024 on geographical indications for wine, spirit drinks and agricultural products, as well as traditional specialities guaranteed and optional quality terms for agricultural products, amending Regulations (EU) No 1308/2013, (EU) 2019/787 and (EU) 2019/1753 and repealing Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012 (OJ L, 2024/1143, 23.4.2024, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2024/1143/oj).