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

2011/C 359/12

This publication confers the right to object to the application pursuant to Article 7 of Council Regulation (EC) No 510/2006 (1). Statements of objection must reach the Commission within six months from the date of this publication.

SINGLE DOCUMENT

COUNCIL REGULATION (EC) No 510/2006

‘ ’ (YANCHENG LONG XIA)

EC No: CN-PGI-0005-0625-16.07.2007

PGI ( X ) PDO ( )

1.   Name:

‘’ (Yancheng Long Xia)

2.   Member State or third country:

China

3.   Description of the agricultural product or foodstuff:

3.1.   Type of product:

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

‘Yancheng Long Xia’ (scientific name Procambarus Clarkii) is a crayfish categorised under the family Astacura of crustaceans. It is a type of natural wild shellfish that lives in areas where fresh and salt water converge, namely in the Doulong River area within the Dafeng District of Yancheng City, China. ‘Yancheng Long Xia’ can be sold only vacuum-packed frozen after being cooked. When the live, fresh wild-caught crayfish are cooked, they are placed in plastic trays, then covered with a special sauce consisting mainly of salt and fennel, and then vacuum sealed in plastic bags which are packed in boxes. The net weight of each box is 1 000 g (quantity of the soup according to customers’ requirements); regular sizes include 8-15 pcs/kg, 16-23 pcs/kg, 23-28 pcs/kg. The product has to be stored and transported at – 18 °C or below.

The main nutritional characteristics of ‘Yancheng Long Xia’ are: protein content ≥ 18 %, fat content ≤ 3 %, vitamin A ≥ 2 %. The edible rate is ≥ 23 %. ‘Yancheng Long Xia’ can be eaten directly after natural defrosting or defrosting in a microwave oven.

3.3.   Raw materials (for processed products only):

The crayfish, which is the raw material of ‘Yancheng Long Xia’, must come from the Doulong River area within Yancheng City in China. This is an area of water where fresh water and salt water converge, and it lies between two national nature reserves: ‘Red-Crowned Crane’ and ‘Milu Deer’.

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

—

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

The catching and processing of the crayfish must take place in the delimited geographical area. Processing includes the sorting, washing, soaking, cooking, cooling, selecting, grading, seasoning and freezing of the crayfish.

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

When the fresh raw crayfish arrives, at an agreed time and temperature, a process of weighing, vacuum packing and fast freezing will be carried out. When the inner temperature of the products reaches – 15 °C or below, it will be packed into a master carton according to a certain weight and then transferred to cold storage under – 18 °C. During the processing and packing, the time and temperature are scientifically controlled, while the hygiene of personnel and packing material restricts the breeding of microbes and ensures the safety of products.

The inner packaging of ‘Yancheng Long Xia’ includes food-grade springy plastic trays and food-grade soft vacuum bags. All the packaging materials are produced by qualified packaging factories. The inner packaging of each batch to be used for ‘Yancheng Long Xia’ must undergo testing by the plant’s quality control department, and should be in line with food safety requirements and be validated by qualification reports or certificates. No unqualified bags or trays are allowed to enter the ‘Yancheng Long Xia’ processing plant.

The outer packaging (master carton) of ‘Yancheng Long Xia’ is made of paper material. The master carton is produced by qualified packaging factories. Master cartons of each batch to be used for ‘Yancheng Long Xia’ must pass through the testing by crayfish plant’s quality control department, and should comply with the requirements of food safety and be supported by qualification reports or certificates. No unqualified master cartons are allowed to enter the ‘Yancheng Long Xia’ processing plant.

3.7.   Specific rules concerning labelling:

The label includes the product name (‘Yancheng Long Xia’), the symbol of GI and the factory name.

4.   Concise definition of the geographical area:

The geographical area includes both the catching and processing area. ‘Yancheng Long Xia’ is caught from the convergence of a fresh and salt water area, the Doulong River area. The Yancheng Doulong River area is where the Doulong River flows through Yancheng and its different counties. The total area amounts to 11 200 square kilometers. Dafeng, the first ecological balance city in China, is located within this water area, alongside the Yellow Sea, and lies between the two national nature reserve areas of ‘Red-Crowned Crane’ and ‘Milu Deer’. It is a sea beach wetland area where fresh water and sea water meet.

5.   Link with the geographical area:

5.1.   Specificity of the geographical area:

The Doulong River area is located in Yancheng City in the province Jiangsu, which is alongside the Pacific Ocean with a coastline of over 110 kilometers. On this land the Huaihe River in the north and the Yangtze River in the south respectively flow into the sea, merging the tides of the Yellow Sea day by day and year by year. A broad beach wetland has come into being here over thousands of years. This area is famous for its fertile soil and its abundance of various forms of aquatic animals and plants. It is home to many rare animals and birds, such as the Milu Deer and the Red-crowned Crane.

The broad flat beach and the intermingling of rivers and wetlands in the area create a home for crayfish to breed and grow. The mild weather, clean water with dissolved oxygen of > 4 mg and abundant organic matter further shape the natural environment, and combine to make the Doulong River area a paradise for crayfish.

5.2.   Specificity of the product:

‘Yancheng Long Xia’ is an amphibious polyphagous aquatic animal possessing characteristics that differ from those of other species. The tail meat has a high protein and low fat content, while the crayfish fat (yellow fat) has a similar taste to that of delicious crab fat. Due to its amphibious character, its nutritional features are excellent (protein content ≥ 18 %, fat content ≤ 3 %, vitamin A ≥ 2 %), possessing the advantages of both land animals and fish animals. Edible parts of ‘Yancheng Long Xia’ include tail meat, claw meat and yellow fat in the head.

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 Doulong River area is located near to the coastal wetlands and at the point where fresh water and sea water meet. The frost-free period in this area is as long as 240 days. Water quality here is clean and fresh, dissolved oxygen is > 4 mg, pH remains between 7,8 and 9, while the water level remains steady throughout the year. The area has an abundance of various forms of aquatic animals and plants supplying rich organic matter for the growth of crayfish.

All of the abovementioned factors make ‘Yancheng Long Xia’ different from crayfish from other regions: ‘Yancheng Long Xia’ is well-proportioned, has a thin shell and an edible rate of ≥ 23 %. The meat is comparatively more springy and full. Crayfish from other regions have large heads and a thick shell; their edibility is ≥ 18 % and the meat is flabbier and has a lack of resilience. The water in the area where fresh and sea water join provides a degree of saltiness and alkalinity. The amphibious nature of crayfish, combined with the particular natural environment, give rise to its unique nutritional contents and flavour found in both fresh-water shrimps/crabs and sea-water aquatic products, but which are rarely seen in other crayfish species.

Reference to publication of the specification:

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

(1)  OJ L 93, 31.3.2006, p. 12.