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

2010/C 252/05

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

SINGLE DOCUMENT

COUNCIL REGULATION (EC) No 510/2006

‘FAGIOLO CUNEO’

EC No: IT-PGI-0005-0775-18.05.2009

PGI ( X ) PDO ( )

1.   Name:

‘Fagiolo Cuneo’

2.   Member State or Third Country:

Italy

3.   Description of the agricultural product or foodstuff:

3.1.   Type of product:

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

The ‘Fagiolo Cuneo’ Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) covers the pods at the waxy stage for shelling and the dried seeds of the Bianco di Bagnasco and Vedetta ecotypes and the Billò, Corona, Stregonta, Bingo, Rossano, Barbarossa, Solista and Millenium varieties of the climbing bean species Phaseolus vulgaris L. and Phaseolus coccineus.

3.3.   Raw materials (for processed products only):

—

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

—

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

All steps in the production of ‘Fagiolo Cuneo’, from sowing to harvest, must take place in the geographical area specified in point 4.

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

‘Fagiolo Cuneo’ PGI pods at the waxy stage for shelling are released for consumption in suitable food-quality plastic or cardboard packaging or sealed packaging (trays, boxes, bags and the like) bearing a non-reusable guarantee seal, of a capacity of 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14 or 15 kg.

‘Fagiolo Cuneo’ PGI dried seeds are released for consumption in suitable food-quality packaging bearing a non-reusable guarantee seal, of a capacity of 0,100, 0,200, 0,300, 0,400, 0,500, 0,800, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 10, 15 and 25 kg.

3.7.   Specific rules concerning labelling:

The label on the packaging must bear in clear and legible type, in addition to the Community logo and the information required under current legislation, the words ‘IGP Fagiolo Cuneo’ together with the logo described below.

The circular logo shows a sketch of a bean of a creamy-white colour with red streaks against a background of the Maritime Alps. All the colours in the logo are obtained using the four-colour process to produce a range of shades.

The words ‘Fagiolo Cuneo I.G.P.’ are prominent in the logo, while the words ‘Indicazione Geografica Protetta’ lie along its circumference.

4.   Concise definition of the geographical area:

The production area of ‘Fagiolo Cuneo’ Protected Geographical Indication comprises all 183 municipalities of the Province of Cuneo. The area is an exclusively piedmont area, lying at between 200 and 800 metres above sea-level and is surrounded by the Maritime Alps.

5.   Link with the geographical area:

5.1.   Specificity of the geographical area:

The production area is the only area of any size in Italy and, indeed, in Europe (around 4 000 hectares) where climbing beans are grown.

This is because the area has ideal soil and climate conditions for growing the crop and because of historical and socio-economic factors that for more than a century have promoted the widespread cultivation of ‘Fagiolo Cuneo’.

The extensive areas planted with ‘Fagiolo Cuneo’ benefit from the cool climate, the high number of days of sunshine, light breezes, an absence of sultry weather and haze in summer and a marked difference between day-time and night-time temperatures, producing beans of excellent quality. The changes in temperature during the day together with the high levels of light give the pods more pronounced colour and firmness. In addition, the low temperatures at the end of winter significantly delay sowing and flowering, thus extending the ripening and marketing periods when compared with other Italian production areas.

5.2.   Specificity of the product:

The characteristics of ‘Fagiolo Cuneo’ differ from those of other beans. Both the dried seed and the pod at the waxy stage show excellent firmness. The dried seed has a high iron content of between 80 and 105 ppm for the Billò variety and between 65 and 75 ppm for the Corona variety and the Bianco di Bagnasco ecotype, with a high protein content of between 23 % and 30 % of the dry matter for all types.

The pods at the waxy stage and the seeds inside have a pronounced colouring.

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 application for registration of ‘Fagiolo Cuneo’ as a PGI is justified by the product’s fame and reputation which are attested to by abundant documentary references.

Market reports found in the Municipality of Centallo prove that these beans were being marketed as early as 1823. According to a regulation on the use of public land adopted by the Cuneo Municipal Council in 1894, there was a specific market for these beans, which, trade reports from 1901 show, commanded higher prices than ordinary beans because of their particular characteristics.

Over the past 50 years, bean production for consumption both fresh and dried has grown consistently because of the excellent yields, in terms of quality and quantity, of the genotypes used in the area. All this demonstrates the importance of the Cuneo area’s soil and climate characteristics, which are ideal for the cultivation of this unique product. ‘Fagiolo Cuneo’ is distinguished by the colour of the pod at the waxy stage and of the seed inside caused by the wide temperate range during the day and the strong light levels, which promote the synthesis of anthocyanins, and by the organoleptic characteristics of the dried seed. As they have increased their yields and production, growers have sold more and more of their beans through specially established markets.

The cultivation of ‘Fagiolo Cuneo’ has been and continues to be sustained by these large growers’ markets held in Caraglio (CN), Boves (CN), Centallo (CN), Castelletto Stura (CN), Valgrana (CN) and Roccavione (CN), some of which started up in the 1960s and 1970s, as municipal records show. The attachment of the local population to ‘Fagiolo Cuneo’ is also shown by one particular event: at the 1982 Cuneo Carnival, the float of the Municipality of Castelletto Stura was dedicated entirely to ‘Fagiolo Cuneo’.

Human factors, deeply rooted in the area, also play an important role. Traditional cultivation methods, handed down from father to son, are one example. This being a climbing bean, its cultivation is labour-intensive and labour in the production area is essentially provided by members of the family, which has meant that there has always been a certain link between local people and the product. One example of this today are the ‘raduni famiglia’ (family gatherings), when relatives and friends join the family of the farmer to help harvest the ‘Fagiolo Cuneo’ when they have dried on the plant before they are threshed, to sow and to put up bean poles. This is done using a traditional method seen only in the Cuneo area and to which growers are particularly attached: four poles are fastened together at the top to form a sort of tepee, which makes a more solid frame that can cope with the weather and the weight of the plants.

RAI (Italian Radio and Television) carried a long report on the particular organoleptic and nutritional properties of ‘Fagiolo Cuneo’ in its programme ‘Occhio alla spesa’ on 15 October 2003.

Reference to publication of the specification:

The Ministry launched the national objection procedure with the publication of the proposal for recognising ‘Fagiolo Cuneo’ as a protected geographical indication in Official Gazette of the Italian Republic No 52 of 4 March 2009.

The full text of the product specification is available:

(1)  OJ L 93, 31.3.2006, p. 12.