Publication of an 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

(2006/C 128/03)

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

SUMMARY

COUNCIL REGULATION (EC) No 510/2006

Application for registration according to Article 5 and Article 17(2)

EXAIRETIKO PARTHENO ELAIOLADO ‘TROIZINIA’

EC No: EL/0206/24.9.2001

PDO ( X ) PGI ( )

This summary has been drawn up for information only. For full details, interested parties are invited to consult the full version of the product specification obtainable from the national authorities indicated in section 1 or from the European Commission (1).

1.   Responsible department in the Member State

2.   Group

3.   Type of product

Group 1.5. Oils and fats — Extra virgin olive oil

4.   Specification

(summary of requirements under Article 4(2))

4.1.   Name: Exairetiko partheno elaiolado ‘Troizinia’

4.2.   Description: Extra virgin olive oil produced either exclusively from the Manaki variety or in association with no more than 50 % of the Koroneiki variety.

Organoleptic characteristics:

Colour: yellow to yellowish green, depending on the degree of ripeness of the fruit when harvested.

flavour: has a pleasant taste with a sweet or bitter basis (over several months the bitterness steadily abates), and

aroma: newly picked fruit predominates.

4.3.   Geographical area: The area is delimited by the boundaries of the Trizinia area, in which the olives are grown and the oil prepared, which comprises the municipalities of:

4.4.   Proof of origin: Production, processing, packing and bottling are all carried out in the defined area. The growers register their olive groves in a register which is kept up to date. Processing and bottling facilities are also recorded in special registers. These registers are kept and updated by the Rural Development Directorate and the quantity of olives processed and the amount of olive oil produced are announced each year. In this way, all the stakeholders involved are recorded in the special registers and closely supervised to ensure that they fulfil their obligations, thereby ensuring the traceability of the product.

4.5   Method of production:

(a)   Cultivation techniques

The soil is worked mechanically but no herbicide is used.

25 % of the trees are watered using a hose or a trickle or sprinkler system.

Suitable pruning, water and fertilizer application leads to roughly the same yield from each tree every year.

Fertiliser provision and plant protection are carried out using mild methods compatible with the environment (organic fertilizers, suspended olive fly traps, bait spraying, etc.).

(b)   Harvesting

Almost all the fruit is harvested when its colour changes from green to dark violet. Harvesting extends from November (fruits slightly unripe) to February with the bulk in December and January. The fruit is not left to over-ripen on the tree, which would result in a loss in its weight and bulk, a poorer aroma and higher acidity of the oil.

Harvesting is traditionally carried out using rakes alone or by hand, which is beneficial for the quality of the product and good for the health of the olive trees.

(c)   Collection/storage

The picked fruit is immediately ‘bagged’ in sacks made of plant fibres (jute), which facilitates aeration, and taken to the mill on the same day. On the rare occasions when it has to be stored for 24 hours the sacks are placed on pallets in roofed areas where they are well ventilated but protected from sun and rain.

(d)   Extraction

The procedure followed is: reception, feeding, deleafing, watering, breaking, grinding, kneading, reception of oil from paste, final separation.

All the appropriate rules are complied with on cleanliness, kneading speed (17–19 rev/min), kneading time (20-30 min.) and above all temperature, which must in no case exceed 28–29 °C.

(e)   Packaging

Before being sent to the market and the final consumer, the oil is stored in stainless tanks and then packaged in 5 litre tins and dark-coloured bottles of 0,1 to 1 litre.

Packaging of the end product takes place only in the geographical area, to protect quality, ensure that the end product can be inspected, of course after taking account of the economic parameters and benefits of having the final packaging done in the region.

Lastly, it is considered both necessary and right that all activity take place within the geographical area, to ensure protection of the name and guarantee the quality and authenticity of the product.

4.6.   Link: The exceptional quality of the area's oil is due largely to its particular soil and weather conditions, the cultivation techniques used, method and time of cropping, and processing and packaging using traditional or modern methods that are technically and scientifically sound.

Its mountain and hill terrain, (favouring unusually intense illumination and ventilation of the trees, well known determinants for outstanding quality), moderate rainfall (about 550 mm), mild spring, relatively dry and warm summer (during which however a beneficial 15 % of total annual rainfall occurs), high level of sunshine and moderately strong north winds, conduce to production of an oil that is of a rich colour and pleasing delicate flavour. A slightly chalky soil of neutral or slightly alkaline pH and generally high concentrations of phosphorus, potassium, boron etc. are very important for production of an oil that is naturally translucent and rich in aromatic substances.

4.7.   Inspection bodies:

A.

B.

4.8.   Labelling: The product packaging must carry the indication ΕΞΑΙΡΕΤΙΚΟ ΠΑΡΘΕΝΟ ΕΛΑΙΟΛΑΔΟ ‘ΤΡΟΙΖΗΝΙΑ’ Π.Ο.Π and the indications specified in Article 4(8) of Presidential Decree 61/93 and Joint Ministerial Decision 2823003/12.1.2004.

4.9.   National requirements: Law 2040/92, Presidential Decree 61/93 and Joint Ministerial Decision 2823003/12.1.2004 apply.

(1)  European Commission, Directorate-General for Agriculture and Rural Development, Agricultural Product Quality Policy, B-1049 Brussels.