Publication of an application for registration pursuant to Article 6(2) of Council Regulation (EC) No 510/2006 on the protection of geographical indications and designations of origin of agricultural products and foodstuffs

(2007/C 258/08)

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

SINGLE DOCUMENT

COUNCIL REGULATION (EC) No 510/2006

‘ARROZ CAROLINO DAS LEZÍRIAS RIBATEJANAS’

EC No: PT/PGI/005/0552/07.08.2006

( X ) PGI ( ) PDO

1.   Name

‘Arroz Carolino das Lezírias Ribatejanas’

2.   Member State or Third Country

Portugal

3.   Description of the agricultural product or foodstuff

3.1.   Type of product

Class 1.6 — Fresh or processed fruit, vegetables and cereals

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

Hulled caryopsis of the Aríete variety (2nd generation) of the Japonica subspecies of the Oryza sativa L. plant, duly dried, shelled, whitened and polished.

Physical Characteristics (Mean values (± 0,3))

Chemical Characteristics (Mean values (± 5 %))

Aroma and flavour — When plain-boiled it smells of freshly stored rice with a velvety, spongy, smooth taste. When mixed with other ingredients, it has a slight hint of the added condiments and has a creamy smooth texture which lingers in the mouth.

Vitreousness — Vitreous crystalline aspect.

Cooking characteristics (mean values)

3.3.   Raw materials (for processed products only)

The only rice eligible is the abovementioned variety from the defined geographical area, since it is only in these conditions that the rice has a very low amylose/amylopectin content (33,5 %/66,5 %); this allows the rice to absorb a high proportion of the water in which it is cooked and adsorb flavours, while having a minimum industrial yield of 70 %. This is possible only in the geomorphologic conditions of the Lezírias Ribatejanas (nature of the soil, quality of the irrigation water, number of hours of sunshine, narrow range of temperatures, etc.).

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 whole of the production cycle must take place in the defined geographical area, including the acquisition of the 2nd generation seed, to ensure that it is entirely suited to the geomorphologic conditions specific to that area. Needless to say, given the growing conditions, the entire biological cycle up to harvesting is carried out in the same place, i.e. where the rice was originally sown. Harvesting is governed by special rules which cover dates, phenological stage and moisture of the grain (including the machinery used for harvesting, transportation, storage, drying, hulling, whitening and polishing) as a way of guaranteeing the hygiene and safety of the product, preventing the introduction of biological, chemical and microbiological contamination into the harvested crop and into the equipment and excluding rice of other origin; it also ensures the complete traceability of the ‘Carolino’ rice to the region of origin and even, in many cases, to the original farmer.

The geographical area in which the processing and packaging takes place coincides with the production area, this being justified on the abovementioned grounds and by the fact that it serves to reduce to a minimum the time taken to transport the rice to the drying areas, thus helping to avoid a deterioration in quality.

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

For the same reasons (safety and hygiene, avoiding contamination, excluding rice from other sources, avoiding quality deterioration and maintaining traceability, which moreover make it possible to monitor the whole of the production chain) packaging must be carried out in the region of origin, using materials specifically approved for the purpose.

3.7.   Specific rules concerning labelling

The following indications are mandatory: Arroz Carolino das Lezírias Ribatejanas — Indicação Geográfica Protegida; Certification marking; Community PGI logo; Arroz Carolino das Lezírias Ribatejanas logo.

The label must bear the name or company name and address of the producer even where other entities are involved in the marketing. To the sales name — Arroz Carolino das Lezírias Ribatejanas — IGP — may be added other indications or words (distributors' trademarks or others), subject to the approval of the group.

4.   Concise definition of the geographical area

The parishes of Azambuja, Alcoentre, Aveiras de Baixo, Aveiras de Cima, Macussa, Manique do Intendente, Vale do Paraíso, Vila Nova da Rainha and Vila Nova de São Pedro in the municipality of Azambuja; Barrosa, Benavente, Samora Correia and Santo Estevão in the municipality of Benavente; Foros de Salvaterra, Glória do Ribatejo, Granho, Marinhais, Muge and Salvaterra de Magos in the municipality of Salvaterra de Magos; Alhandra, Alverca do Ribatejo, Cachoeiras, Castanheira do Ribatejo, Calhandriz, Forte da Casa, Póvoa de Santa Iria, São João dos Montes, Sobralinho, Vialonga and Vila Franca de Xira in the municipality of Vila Franca de Xira; Azervadinha, Coruche, Couço, Erra, Foros da Branca, Lamarosa, São Torcato and Santana do Mato in the municipality of Coruche.

5.   Link with the geographical area

5.1.   Specificity of the geographical area

The defined geographical area has special characteristics relating, in particular, to the soil (differentiated pedogenesis), water quality, number of hours of sunshine and narrow range of temperatures, as a result of its location on the estuary of the River Tagus. The area is low-lying (less than 100 m a.s.e.) and practically flat (riverside meadows and plains). The soil is composed entirely of a mixture of brown, clayey alluvial and colluvial lutum, created from fertile deposits and left by floods and tides as sediment on sandy layers. These conditions, together with a pH level of between 5,5 and 6,5, but which may range from 4,5 to 8,7, and the saltiness of the waters, since the region is subject to tidal influence, render crops other than rice unviable almost throughout the area. Growing rice in the abovementioned areas is sustainable inasmuch as it enables the associated ecosystem, the fauna and the flora, to be maintained and furthermore avoids agricultural problems such as the salinisation of the soil. Moreover, very thorough and specific knowledge has developed in the region as a result of having grown rice for over two centuries.

5.2.   Specificity of the product

‘Arroz Carolino das Lezírias Ribatejanas’ has a low amylose/amylopectin ratio, has high capacity to absorb water and the aromatic molecules of condiments, and a very high industrial yield.

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 soil and climate conditions which are typical of this region of the Tagus estuary (temperate warm Mediterranean-type climate characterised by dry summers in which the driest month is 1/3 as rainy as the rainiest month and mitigated by the influence of the Atlantic Ocean; annual rainfall of less than 30 mm; 2 800 to 2 900 hours of sunshine, solar radiation of 145 to 150 Kcal/cm2, total precipitation of approximately 714,8 mm; and only 12 days of frost) keep fungal infestation at bay, as a result of which the rice is harder, less liable to break and has a higher specific weight than that produced in other regions. It accordingly enjoys a great reputation and is more highly valued than that grown elsewhere. The natural dehydration which takes place in the latter stages of ripening which, in Lezírias Ribatejanas, coincides with high temperatures and relatively low humidity in September and the first half of October, allows the rice to be harvested uniformly and dried naturally in the field — contrary to what occurs in other production areas — making for greater stability and uniformity in the case of the product of this region. Arroz Carolino das Lezírias Ribatejanas grains accordingly have a unique vitreous and crystalline aspect. The natural conditions described give them a velvety, soft and smooth flavour when eaten as plain boiled rice. Moreover, a particular characteristic of this rice is its very low amylose/amylopectin ratio (33,5 %/66,5 %), enhancing its ability to absorb the water in which it is cooked and the flavours of the ingredients added when preparing gastronomic dishes, and giving it a smooth and creamy texture which lingers in the mouth.

Reference to publication of the specification

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

www.idrha.min-agricultura.pt

(1)  OJ L 93, 31.3.2006 p. 12.