(1)

Pursuant to the first subparagraph of Article 53(1) of Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012, the Commission has examined France’s application for the approval of amendments to the product specification for the protected designation of origin ‘Chabichou du Poitou’, registered under Commission Regulation (EC) No 1107/96 (2), as amended by Commission Regulation (EC) No 159/2009 (3).

(2)

By letter of 4 December 2018, the French authorities notified the Commission that transitional periods under Article 15(4) of Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012, for a limited duration of 2 to 5 years, had been granted to operators established on their territory who meet the conditions laid down in that Article under the Order of 7 November 2018 amending the product specification for the protected designation of origin ‘Chabichou du Poitou’, published in the Official Journal of the French Republic (4) on 14 November 2018. By letter of 28 January 2020, the same authorities submitted the text of a new Order of 24 December 2019, published in the Official Journal of the French Republic (5) on 10 January 2020, which amends the Order of 7 November 2018 and the names of the operators covered by the transitional period. The list of operators is appended to the specification. The operators, who had been legally marketing ‘Chabichou du Poitou’ continuously for at least 5 years prior to submission of the application, lodged an objection during the national opposition procedure. Two operators objected to the following provision under the heading ‘Method of production’: ‘Pre-drainage of the curds is prohibited.’ Two operators objected to the following provision under the heading ‘Description of product’: ‘“Chabichou du Poitou” is made exclusively from [whole] raw [goat’s] milk.’ and the following provision under the heading ‘Method of production’: ‘The milk used is raw goat’s milk.’ 100 operators objected to the following provision under the heading ‘Method of production’: ‘At least 75 % of the goats’ total annual feed must come from the geographical area, i.e. 825 kilograms of dry matter per goat per year.’ 18 operators objected to the following provision under the heading ‘Method of production’: ‘The feed comprises a minimum of 55 % fodder, i.e. 605 kilograms of dry matter per goat per year.’ 86 operators objected to the following provisions under the heading ‘Method of production’: ‘The supplementary ration contains at least 150 kilograms or 30 % of cereals and/or oilseeds and/or protein crops from the geographical area.’, ‘The annual amount of feed per goat contains at least 200 kilograms of dry matter in the form of lucerne or legumes from the geographical area.’, and ‘The fodder is produced entirely in the geographical area.’

(3)

Since the amendments in question are not minor within the meaning of Article 53(2) of Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012, the Commission published the amendment application in the Official Journal of the European Union (6) as required by Article 50(2)(a) of that Regulation.

(4)

As no statement of opposition under Article 51 of Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012 has been received by the Commission, the amendments to the specification should be approved,