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

(2008/C 261/09)

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.

SUMMARY

COUNCIL REGULATION (EC) No 510/2006

‘Petit Épeautre de Haute Provence’

EC No: FR-PGI-005-0475-20.06.2005

PDO ( ) PGI ( X )

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

1.   Responsible department in the Member State:

2.   Group:

3.   Type of product:

Class 1.6: Fruit, vegetables, cereals, whether or not processed

4.   Specification:

(Summary of the requirements in accordance with Article 4(2) of Regulation (EC) No 510/2006)

4.1.   Name: ‘Petit Épeautre de Haute Provence’

4.2.   Description: Small spelt ‘Triticum monococcum’ is a cereal belonging to the grass family. It is characterised by its flat bearded ears which grow in two ranks. The unbroken grain in its husk must be husked before being consumed (or possibly bleached). Bleached grain is grain which has been decorticated after an additional dehulling stage. A number of quality requirements have been laid down. Maximum percentage of matter which is not basic cereal of unimpaired quality is 5 %, of which:

2 % broken grains,

1,5 % grain impurities (shrivelled, other cereals, pest damage, discolouration, overheated, dry),

1 % sprouted grain,

0,5 % miscellaneous impurities (extraneous seeds, damaged grain, husks, ergot, decayed grain, dead insects and fragments of insects).

The minimum specific weight is 77 kg/hl.

The bulk grain must have a moisture content of no more than 14 %.

Protein content of husked grain must be greater than 10,5 %.

‘Petit Épeautre de Haute Provence’ may be marketed in bags of 500 g or 1 kg or in larger bags of 3, 5, 10, or 25 kg.

The use-by date of the grain is 18 months from the date of husking.

4.3.   Geographical area: The PGI area (production of the grain and seed and husking) includes 235 municipalities (or parts thereof) at an altitude of over 400 metres, spread across four départements (Alpes de Haute Provence, Hautes Alpes, Drôme and Vaucluse) in the southeast of France. The distribution is as follows:

Département des Alpes de Haute Provence:

all the municipalities in the cantons of Banon, Forqualquier, Manosque, Noyers-sur-Jabron, Reillanne, Saint Etienne les Orgues,

the following municipalities in the canton of Château Arnoux: Aubignosc, Château Arnoux, Chateauneuf Val St Donat, Montfort and Peipin,

the following municipalities in the canton of Peyruis: Ganagobie, La Brillanne, Lurs and Peyruis.

Département des Hautes Alpes:

all the municipalities in the cantons of Aspres/Büech, Orpierre, Rosans, Ribiers and Serres,

the following municipalities in the canton of Laragne: Eyguians, Laragne-Montéglin, Lazer, Le Poët, Upaix, Ventavon.

Département de la Drôme:

all the municipalities in the cantons of Buis les Baronnies, La Motte Chalencon, Rémuzat, Séderon,

the following municipalities in the canton of Luc en Diois: Beaumont en Diois, Beaurières, Charens, Jonchères, La Bâtie des Fonds, Les Près, Lesches en Diois, Luc en Diois, Miscon, Poyols, Val Maravel, Valdrôme,

the following municipalities in the canton of Nyons: Arpavon, Aubres, Chateauneuf de Bordette, Chaudebonne, Condorcet, Curnier, Eyrolles, Les Pilles, Montaulieu, Saint Ferréol Trente Pas, Sainte Jalle, Valouse.

Département du Vaucluse:

all the municipalities in the canton of Sault,

the following municipalities in the canton of Apt: Apt, Auribeau, Caseneuve, Castellet, Gignac, Lagarde d'Apt, Rustrel, Saignon, Saint Martin de Castillon, Saint Saturnin d'Apt, Viens, Villars,

the following municipalities in the canton of Bonnieux: Buoux and Sivergues,

the following municipalities in the canton of Gordes: Lioux and Murs,

the following municipalities in the canton of Malaucène: Brantes, Savoillan, and Saint Léger du Ventoux,

the following municipalities in the canton of Mormoiron: Blauvac, Flassan, Méthamis and Villes sur Auzon,

the following municipalities in the canton of Pertuis: Beaumont de Pertuis, Cabrières d'Aygues, Grambois, La Bastide des Jourdans, La Motte d'Aygues, Peypin d'Aygues, Vitrolles.

4.4.   Proof of origin: For each farm, plots are identified on the basis of a plot map drawn from the farm register. The origin of seeds is ascertained by checking the purchase invoice. The quantities harvested in each plot are recorded on the crop sheets in the farm register.

Each production and/or storage batch is identified on the storage units by batch identification sheets. The sheets also show the quantities harvested and husked and the husker's identity code and date of husking. Each stage — husking, milling and packaging — is subject to a stock-taking check and is recorded for each batch. Those aspects of traceability taken as a whole make it possible to trace the process from sowing of the plot to sale to the consumer.

4.5.   Method of production: The small spelt covered by the PGI is grown in the geographical production area of Haute Provence at an altitude above 400 metres. It is grown according to traditional methods: crop is rotated, the seed used comes from the geographical area, sowing takes place in summer and autumn and the use of chemical and synthetic products is prohibited. Fertilisation is restricted to a maximum of 60 units of nitrogen, 60 units of potash and 60 units of phosphorus per hectare. ‘Petit Épeautre de Haute Provence’ makes best use of the rains in May, which allow the grain to swell. July, which is hot and dry, encourages healthy maturing without developing any diseases. The maximum grain yield, husk on, is 40 quintals per hectare.

After harvesting, small spelt, still in its husk, is stored in the geographical area to await husking. Husking is an essential stage prior to any use in cooking or milling; it is carried out by huskers within the geographical area and consists in the removal of the husk from the grain. Husking calls for genuine know-how which requires great dedication and special tools. The grain must be neither spoilt nor badly husked, which requires very fine dexterity on the part of the husker. The various screening and husking stages result in grain of between 5 and 10 mm in length and 1,5 mm thickness. Husking may take place up to 2 years after harvesting. The husked grain may be blanched (reduced cooking time).

4.6.   Link: The geographical area covered by the name ‘Petit Épeautre de Haute Provence’ is a homogenous zone with a Mediterranean climate mainly characterised by its altitude, which tempers its climate. The dry summers give way to intensely cold winters.

The ‘Petit Épeautre de Haute Provence’ is suited to those harsh climatic conditions which are typical of the area because the fact that it is an early sowing variety means it can bear the hard winter conditions. The late rains in May benefit the quality of the grain, whereas they often arrive too late for the wheat and barley sown a month earlier. July, which is hot and dry, encourages healthy maturing without developing any diseases.

The region sits on karstic calcareous subsoils riddled with faults, dating from the Tertiary period. ‘Petit Épeautre de Haute Provence’ enables best use to be made of the poorest soils (known locally as ‘spelt fields’), on which lavender is also grown.

The siting of processing plants is a very clear sign of the link between small spelt and the geographical area. Husking takes place in artisanal workshops distributed throughout the area. A large number of mills, today no longer in use, were built along rivers and streams and also produced flour; their millstones were put to a range of purposes. In the wake of technical progress and using the know-how they have inherited, today's huskers use special tools which vary according to the batch to be worked on and make it possible to obtain a greater yield by reducing the number of grains broken during the husking and screening stages. The condition of the husked grain is one of the best means of assessing the quality. The skill lies in dedicating just the right amount of time to husking.

From a historical perspective, there is evidence that ‘Petit Épeautre de Haute Provence’ was already present in certain prehistoric sites in Provence. The Roman occupation of ‘Provincia’ (Provence) relegated cultivation of this crop to the unromanised saltus or garrigue of the interior. After the collapse of the Roman Empire, Nordic peoples invaded Provence and caused an exodus of its population into the interior. The robust quality and storability of small spelt enabled the displaced population to survive. Small spelt was still present throughout the Middle Ages in Provence.

The subsequent presence of this crop in various parts of Haute Provence is attested to in administrative acts (1338), inquiries (1775) and agricultural statistics (1804-1874).

However, the presence of small spelt in the culinary tradition of Haute Provence is real enough (‘Formantée’ in 1375 and the famous ‘Grueu’ at the beginning of the 16th century etc.) and its fame is acknowledged. Distributors and processors very often associate small spelt with Haute Provence because it is a typical product. Haute Provence is recognised as being the ancestral production area for small spelt.

In 2002, Conserveries de Haute Provence won first prize in the ‘Goût et avenir’ food competition of Alpes de Haute Provence for their dessert using ‘Petit Épeautre de Haute Provence’.

4.7.   Inspection body:

4.8.   Labelling: The label must bear the sales name together with the protected geographical indication; the husker batch identification code; the net weight; the use-by date; the packager's name or company name and address.

(1)  OJ L 93, 31.3.2006, p. 12.