15.3.2013

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 77/21

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Publication of an application 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

2013/C 77/08

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).

SINGLE DOCUMENT

COUNCIL REGULATION (EC) No 510/2006

on the protection of geographical indications and designations of origin for agricultural products and foodstuffs  (2)

‘PUZZONE DI MOENA’/‘SPRETZ TZAORÌ’

EC No: IT-PDO-0005-0950-08.02.2012

PGI ( ) PDO ( X )

1.   Name:

‘Puzzone di Moena’/‘Spretz Tzaorì’

2.   Member State or Third Country:

Italy

3.   Description of the agricultural product or foodstuff:

3.1.   Product type:

Class 1.3.

Cheeses

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

‘Puzzone di Moena’/‘Spretz Tzaorì’ PDO is a cheese produced from milk from cows of the Bruna (Brown), Frisona (Friesian), Pezzata Rossa (Red Pied), Grigio Alpina (Alpine grey), Rendena (indigenous species) and Pinzgau breeds and their crosses. Milk from one or more of these breeds may be used for production.

The cheese is cylindrical, with a low, slightly convex or flat sides and flat or slightly convex faces; the rind is smooth or with a few wrinkles, unctuous, and its colour is yellow ochre, light or reddish brown. The cheese is semi-cooked with a medium-hard, elastic texture, white to light yellow in colour, with a few medium-sized to small holes. Cheese made from mountain pasture milk has medium-sized to large holes and a more intense yellow colour.

Its flavour is strong, intense, slightly and pleasantly salty and/or sharp, with a barely-perceptible bitter aftertaste. Its aroma is strong and penetrating, with a slight hint of ammonia.

The diameter of the cheese varies from 34 to 42 cm, and the heel is between 9 and 12 cm high; the cheese weighs from 9 to 13 kg.

It can be produced throughout the year.

The fat content, expressed as a percentage of the dry matter, may not be more than 45 %; the moisture content varies from 34 % to 44 %, measured when the cheese is at least 90 days old. The minimum maturing period is 90 days. After 150 days of ripening the cheese may be defined as ‘mature’.

3.3.   Raw materials (for processed products only):

Raw cow's milk from two successive milkings and partially skimmed by natural surface skimming. Mountain pasture milk may be used to produce ‘Puzzone di Moena’/‘Spretz Tzaorì’.

3.4.   Feed (for products of animal origin only):

For the production of ‘Puzzone di Moena’/‘Spretz Tzaorì’, at least 60 % of the feed for the lactating cows must be forage (permanent pasture hay and/or grass grazed or consumed directly on the pasture) which must come from the production area defined in point 4.

The use of milk from cows fed on any kind of silage and/or ‘mixtures’ and/or using the unifeed method is prohibited.

The cows' feed may be supplemented with feed materials or compound feedstuffs so as to ensure that the cows are given a balanced diet for milk production.

In addition to the feedstuffs not permitted by the legislation in force, the feed may also not contain the following products:

—	rapeseed-cake, grape-pip or citrus-pip meal,

—	dried by-products of the industrial processing of fruit and vegetables,

—	sugar-industry by-products,

—	dried by-products of the fermentation industry,

—	dried vegetables and fruit.

3.5.   Specific steps in production that must take place in the defined geographical area:

The entire production process (rearing, milk production and processing, and the salting, treatment and maturing of the cheese) must take place within the area defined in point 4.

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

—

3.7.   Specific rules concerning labelling:

The cheese is identified by the wording ‘PDO Puzzone di Moena’ stamped several times on the rind and printed on the label bands; this wording should be larger than any other wording on the product.

The cheese is stamped with the number or reference code of the dairy and the production batch.

The cheese may be sold whole or in portions; when put on the market the whole cheeses or the various types of packaging must carry the wording ‘PDO Puzzone di Moena/Spretz Tzaorì’ or either of the two wordings ‘PDO Puzzone di Moena’ or ‘PDO Spretz Tzaorì’, the number or reference code of the dairy, the production batch and where appropriate the wording ‘stagionato’ (‘mature’) and/or ‘di malga’ (‘from mountain pastures’); the latter wording may only be used if all the milk used to make this cheese is from cows kept on mountain pastures.

4.   Concise definition of the geographical area:

The production area of ‘Puzzone di Moena/Spretz Tzaorì’ is that of the following administrative municipalities: Campitello di Fassa, Canal San Bovo, Canazei, Capriana, Carano, Castello Molina di Fiemme, Cavalese, Daiano, Fiera di Primiero, Imer, Mazzin, Mezzano, Moena, Panchià, Pozza di Fassa, Predazzo, Sagron Mis, Siror, Soraga, Tesero, Tonadico, Transacqua, Valfloriana, Varena, Vigo di Fassa and Ziano di Fiemme in the Province of Trento; Anterivo and Trodena in the Province of Bolzano.

5.   Link with the geographical area:

5.1.   Specificity of the geographical area:

The geographical environment in which PDO ‘Puzzone di Moena/Spretz Tzaorì’ is produced is typically alpine. The defined geographical area consists of three localities — the Fiemme valley, the Fassa valley and Primiero — Vanoi.

The rainfall, the major climatic differences between the seasons and the altitude of the meadows and pastures (ranging from 600 metres above sea level to more than 2 000 metres for some mountain pastures), combined with the differences in soil chemistry, mostly limestone — dolomite but silicate in some areas, favour the growth of a heterogeneous flora, in particular in the pastures, and together create the specific conditions which link ‘Puzzone di Moena/Spretz Tzaorì’ with the defined area. The flora of the area which is of special interest includes the ‘endemic’ species, most of which date back to ancient times, but which are now only growing in small areas.

In this alpine context, even the farms, which are small to medium-sized family-run businesses, have an important role to play in protecting the landscape by maintaining meadows and pastures and by preserving and carrying on the traditional cheese making methods such as ‘lavaggio’ (‘washing’), which has been preserved by the local farmers and which is used in making PDO ‘Puzzone di Moena/Spretz Tzaorì’. This method traditionally involves periodically turning over and bathing each cheese in tepid, slightly salted water, with decreasing frequency as the cheese matures.

5.2.   Specificity of the product:

The denomination PDO ‘Puzzone di Moena/Spretz Tzaorì’ refers to a semi-hard, soft table cheese with a washed rind, recognisable by its typical intense, penetrating aroma with a hint of ammonia. The intense aroma of ‘Puzzone di Moena/Spretz Tzaorì’ is accompanied by a pleasantly salty and/or sharp flavour with a slightly bitter aftertaste. ‘Puzzone di Moena/Spretz Tzaorì’ also has an unctuous patina on its rind which, during the maturing process, becomes darker, changing from ochre yellow to light or reddish brown.

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):

The special flavour and aroma of the PDO ‘Puzzone di Moena/Spretz Tzaorì’ cheese is linked to the high quality of the raw milk used. This milk, with a richer microbiological content than heat-treated milk, plays a major role in characterising the intensity of the flavour and aroma of ‘Puzzone di Moena/Spretz Tzaorì’.

The high quality of the milk used in producing ‘Puzzone di Moena/Spretz Tzaorì’ is due to the high quality of the feed given to the lactating cows, i.e. the ban on using silage, and is greatly influenced by the cows being fed with hay and/or grass from the area or grazing directly on the area’s pastures, rich in specific fodder.

The particular contribution made by the area's producers must also be pointed out, who over the years have become adept at making ‘Puzzone di Moena/Spretz Tzaorì’; this expertise, during the cheese making and maturing process, has helped them to avoid the presence of unwanted yeasts which might change the characteristic aroma and flavour of ‘Puzzone di Moena/Spretz Tzaorì’.

The production method for ‘Puzzone di Moena/Spretz Tzaorì’ PDO involves the particularity of washing the cheeses in tepid water, sometimes with the addition of a little salt. This practice is carried out by the local producers during the maturing process and enables the cheeses to form an unctuous patina on the rind, which progressively changes colour from ochre yellow to light or reddish brown. This unctuous patina promotes the development of specific biochemical activity within the cheese while it is maturing, resulting in the formation of chemical compounds responsible for the special taste and aroma of ‘Puzzone di Moena/Spretz Tzaorì’.

In former times ‘Puzzone di Moena/Spretz Tzaorì’ was particularly well liked by the rural poor living in the alpine regions due to its strong, even sharp flavour and aroma, often salty, because even in small quantities it added flavour to their bland peasant diet, often based on polenta or potatoes.

In 1984, during the Concours International des Fromages de Montagne (International Alpine Cheese Competition) held in Grenoble, ‘Puzzone di Moena/Spretz Tzaorì’ was awarded the bronze medal.

Reference to the publication of the specification:

(Article 5(7) of Regulation (EC) No 510/2006 (3))

The Ministry launched the national opposition procedure with the publication of the proposal for recognising ‘Puzzone di Moena/Spretz Tzaorì’ as a protected designation of origin in Official Gazette of the Italian Republic No 271 of 21 November 2011.

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

by going directly 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 343, 14.12.2012, p. 1.

(2)  OJ L 93, 31.3.2006, p. 12. Replaced by Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 21 November 2012 on quality schemes for agricultural products and foodstuffs.

(3)  See footnote 2.

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