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

2009/C 160/08

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 of the date of this publication.

SUMMARY

COUNCIL REGULATION (EC) No 510/2006

‘IRPINIA — COLLINE DELL’UFITA’

EC No: IT-PDO-0005-0500-28.09.2005

PDO ( X ) PGI ( )

This summary sets out the main elements of the product specification for information purposes.

1.   Responsible department in the Member State:

Name: Ministero delle Politiche Agricole e Forestali

Address:

Tel. +39 0646655104

Fax +39 0646655306

e-mail: saco7@politicheagricole.it

2.   Group:

Name: Consorzio di Produzione e Valorizzazione Olio Extra Vergine d’Irpinia «Irpinia — Colline dell’Ufita»

Address:

Tel. +39 0825824955

Fax +39 0825824955

e-mail: info@coprovoli.com

Composition: Producers/processors ( X ) Other ( )

3.   Type of product:

4.   Specification:

(summary of requirements under Article 4(2) of Regulation (EC) No 510/2006)

4.1.   Name:

‘Irpinia — Colline dell’Ufita’

4.2.   Description:

When released for consumption ‘Irpinia — Colline dell’Ufita’ PDO extra virgin olive oil has the following physical, chemical and organoleptic characteristics:

4.3.   Geographical area:

The production area of the ‘Irpinia — Colline dell'Ufita’ protected designation of origin covers the administrative areas of the following municipalities in the Province of Avellino in the Region of Campania: Ariano Irpino, Bonito, Carife, Casalbore, Castel Baronia, Castelfranci, Flumeri, Fontanarosa, Frigento, Gesualdo, Greci, Grottaminarda, Lapio, Luogosano, Melito Irpino, Mirabella Eclano, Montaguto, Montecalvo Irpino, Montefusco, Montemiletto, Paternopoli, Pietradefusi, San Nicola Baronia, San Sossio Baronia, Sant'Angelo all'Esca, Savignano Irpino, Scampitella, Sturno, Taurasi, Torella dei Lombardi, Torre le Nocelle, Trevico, Vallata, Vallesaccarda, Venticano, Villamaina, Villanova del Battista and Zungoli.

4.4.   Proof of origin:

Each phase of the production process must be monitored and, at each one, all products entering and leaving the process must be documented. By this means, by recording the land register parcels on which cultivation takes place, and entering the names of the growers, millers and bottlers on lists held by the inspection body and by declaring volumes produced to the inspection body, product traceability is guaranteed. The inspection body carries out checks on all natural and legal persons entered on the lists, as provided for in the product specification and the relevant inspection plan.

4.5.   Method of production:

‘Irpinia — Colline dell'Ufita’ PDO extra virgin olive oil is obtained from olives from groves made up, in the production context, of the varieties: ‘Ravece’ (60 % or more), ‘Ogliarola’, ‘Marinese’, ‘Olivella’, ‘Ruveia’, ‘Vigna della Corte’ (individually or jointly, 40 % or less) and possibly ‘Leccino’ or ‘Frantoio’ (10 % or less). When applying manure, the use of organic and/or artificial fertilisers is permitted. As regards soil management, the top soil is tilled mechanically, which is also useful for weed control. Green cover is permitted. Irrigation is not normally used, but in particularly dry years can be used as an emergency measure. Treatments to control pests must be carried out in accordance with the rules on integrated control issued by the Region of Campania. The fruit may be harvested either by hand or by machine, provided that the olives are not left lying on the ground during the operation. Nets or other systems for catching the olives must be used. Olives that have fallen naturally onto the ground or into permanent nets may not be used. The use of chemical products to induce or assist dropping of the fruit is prohibited. The olives must be transported in slatted crates or rigid, slatted containers. Bags, of whatever material, may not be used for transporting or storing the olives. The olive yield may not exceed 60 kg per tree. The maximum oil yield may not exceed 20 % of the weight of the olives. At the mill, the olives must be stored in aerated premises in rigid, slatted containers until milling, which must be carried out within 48 hours of harvesting. Only mechanical and physical processes that produce oil presenting, as faithfully as possible, the particular characteristics of the original fruit may be used. A ‘second run’ and the use of chemical or biochemical aids (enzymes) to extraction are prohibited. During this phase, the use of talc is prohibited. After extraction, the oil must be kept in perfectly clean stainless steel containers or terracotta tanks with a food-quality glaze, which must be stored in hygienic premises. ‘Irpinia Colline dell'Ufita’ extra virgin olive oil must be packaged for release for consumption in dark-glass, ceramic or glazed terracotta bottles or in tins of a capacity of no more than 5 litres, which must be sealed and labelled. The product may also be packed in single-dose sachets made of aluminium laminate or other suitable synthetic materials allowed by law of a capacity of 10 ml, bearing the information laid down by the relevant rules along with a serial number allocated by the inspection body. The oil may be produced using organic methods. The olives must be cultivated and the oil extracted and bottled in the production area referred to in point 4.3, in order to guarantee the origin of the product, ensure that production is supervised and prevent the product being transported in bulk, which would lead to oxidation or impair its quality and cause it to lose its specific chemical and organoleptic properties, in particular the characteristic notes of herbs and tomato from its phenolic anti-oxidant content and profile of aromatic substances. The composition of the oil, characterised by a significant level of polyunsaturated fatty acids, means that it is likely to lose organoleptic quality and distinctiveness if exposed to oxygen in the air when being transferred, pumped, transported and unloaded — operations that are carried out more frequently if bottling takes place outside the production area.

4.6.   Link:

The aroma and flavour of ‘Irpinia Colline dell’Ufita’ PDO extra virgin olive oil derive essentially from the ‘Ravece’ variety of olive, which, when grown in the production area referred to in point 4.3, acquires particular characteristics that give the product an intense fruity taste, with a harmonious blend of bitter and spicy tones and an unmistakeable herbaceous aroma with clear notes of green tomato and artichoke. The characteristics of the area concerned, such as its microclimate and its soil, along with the special growing and processing methods used, handed down over the centuries by the olive growers of Irpinia, contribute to the production of a highly distinctive extra virgin olive oil.

The direct influence of the mild climate, with only infrequent cold spells, and the location of the olive groves at high elevations are the main factors that have led to establishment of the ‘Ravece’ cultivar in the area, since this can cope with the winter and spring frosts and snowfalls. Olive trees, present in the area since Roman times, are grown on hillsides with around a 20 % slope, in more or less clayey, modestly fertile soils with poor water resources. The soils on the hills are derived from lime, marl or clay substrates and those on the plains from loose, alluvial substrates. Winters are not particularly harsh and summers not excessively hot, giving the area as a whole a climate that has been particularly suited to the establishment of olive trees over the centuries. Annual rainfall is around 700 mm and the temperature rarely falls below zero, going down to -4 °C for only very brief periods, averaging 18 °C over the year. All these factors together contribute to producing an oil whose chemical and organoleptic characteristics differ from those of all other extra virgin olive oils, thus making it unique. Steps should therefore be taken to enhance its value and protect it. As early as 1517, listed among property belonging to the capital of the Chapter of Ariano Cathedral was ‘a vineyard, with five rows, in which are two olive trees’ and an incentive to grow olive trees can be found in the name of a place near ‘Amando’ called ‘fontana dell’oliveto’ (olive-grove fountain). Other evidence is ‘a vineyard with several olive trees in Cerrito’, ‘a grove with 14 olive trees in Strabelle’, ‘a grove with olive trees in Cupe d’Ariano’ and ‘a grove with olive trees on the plain’. Olive-growing in the area saw considerable development during the nineteenth century, since in 1893, according to Nicola Flammia in his Storia della Città di Ariano (History of the City of Ariano) published that same year, ‘there are 29 olive presses in use, some within the town boundaries, some outside’. The same author also tells us that the ‘best wooded land is that in S. Liberatore, Ottaggio, Cerreto and Viaggiano’, i.e. places between 400 m and 600 m above sea level, that this produced annually ‘Oil, amphorae: a total of 50 000 tomoli, an amphora containing 2 265 grams of oil’ and that the oil cost 1,30 lire per litre or 3,00 lire per amphora. The adjective ‘Ravece’ is used as early as 1517 in the Platea Urbis et foranea by Bishop Diomede Carafa, who tells us that the Chapel of San Nicola in the Parish Church of San Matteo ‘has a grove of ravece in Sala’. The adjective is again used in the Visita Pastorale (Pastoral Visit) of Bishop Donato de Laurentiis in 1580, in which he refers to the same Chapel having ‘a grove of ravece’ in the same location.

4.7.   Inspection body:

Name: IS.ME.CERT.

Address:

Tel. +39 0817879789

Fax +39 0816040176

e-mail: info@ismecert.it

4.8.   Labelling:

The name of the ‘Irpinia Colline dell’Ufita’ Protected Designation of Origin must appear on the label in distinct, indelible lettering of a colour that strongly contrasts with that of the label itself and in such a way that it can be clearly distinguished from the other information given on the label. The label must also feature the logo described below and the Community's PDO logo. The logo for the extra virgin olive oil is made up of a flower with 13 petals, taken from a decoration on a local hand-painted ceramic vase, in yellow, orange, dark red and brown, encircling the words ‘Irpinia Colline dell'Ufita’. These words are written in a circle in Post-Medieval font (medium) in white on a dark brown background. In the centre of the composition is a white circle with a narrow orange border containing the words ‘OLIO EXTRAVERGINE DI OLIVA D.O.P.’ (EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL PDO) in a circular form, in black on a white background, written in Rotis Semisans font (extra bold). In the centre, in black, is the word ‘RAVECE’ in hand-written style taken from an ancient form of Carolingian-Benevento writing. Underneath the white circle, and overlapping the lower edge of the flower is the outline of Italy with a brown dot showing the area of Ufita. A reference to the oil being produced organically is allowed.

(1)  CVR% OF 20 OR LESS