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 322/11

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

‘JABŁKA GRÓJECKIE’

EC No: PL-PGI-0005-0730-01.12.2008

PGI ( X ) PDO ( )

1.   Name:

‘Jabłka grójeckie’

2.   Member State or third country:

Poland

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:

Apples of the varieties listed below may be sold as ‘jabłka grójeckie’ in the ‘extra’ class and in class I if they meet the minimum requirements for colouring, size and firmness of flesh at the time of sale specified in the following table: ‘jabłka grójeckie’ also have a level of acidity which is, as a rule, 5 % higher than the average for the variety concerned. However, the value for this parameter is dependent on the atmospheric conditions prevailing during the growing season.

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:

The following steps in the production of ‘jabłka grójeckie’ must take place in the area defined at point 4:

‘Jabłka grójeckie’ must be produced in the area defined at point 4, in accordance with the integrated production (IP) method for apples or the GLOBALGAP specifications.

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

None

3.7.   Specific rules concerning labelling:

—

4.   Concise definition of the geographical area:

In Mazowieckie Province:

In Łódzkie Province:

5.   Link with the geographical area:

5.1.   Specificity of the geographical area:

5.1.1.   Natural factors

The ‘jabłka grójeckie’ production area is located in central Poland, on the Warsaw Plain and Rawa Plateau and in the Białobrzegi Valley and the Central Vistula Valley. These are geographical regions forming part of the Central Mazovian Lowlands and the Southern Mazovian Lowlands.

Podsolic or pseudopodsolic soils formed on sand, clay and marginal deposits in the average and low valuation classes which are ideal for the cultivation of apple orchards predominate in these areas. The area receives 600 mm of precipitation per annum. The growing season is about 200 days, which makes it possible to grow most varieties of apple tree. The region’s relatively mild, near-continental climate protects against significant planting losses even in frost-sensitive varieties.

This region has a characteristic microclimate that is distinguished by low night-time temperatures (as low as 0 °C) during the pre-harvest period (September and early October).

The identified ‘jabłka grójeckie’ production area is very homogeneous in character. From the centre of the region, i.e. the town of Grójec, to its boundaries, apple trees are grown in every locality. Crop concentration, reaching 70 % in the area around Grójec, decreases as the distance from the town increases; just beyond the boundaries of the identified growing area the pattern of apple tree cultivation becomes more scattered. That is why the region is called the ‘biggest orchard in Europe’.

5.1.2.   Historical and human factors

The origins of the ‘biggest orchard in Europe’, as the area around Grójec is called, date back to the time of Queen Bona, who was known for her interest in horticulture and fruit farming. In 1545, she received a large tract of land in Grójec county, for which she later made provision by granting various privileges to owners of market gardens. The legal status of fruit farming was subsequently strengthened by the royal decree issued by Queen Bona’s son in 1578. This provided the initial impetus for the development of orchards, particularly apple orchards. Historical works contain numerous references to the development of manorial and peasant orchards in the Grójec area.

A not insignificant role in the history of ‘jabłka grójeckie’ was also played by members of the clergy (Roch Wójcicki of Belsk, Niedźwiedzki of Łęczeszyce, Stefan Roguski of Goszczyn and Edward Kawiński of Konary), who were the most important figures in fruit farming in the region in the 19th century.

The beginning of the 20th century saw the establishment of commercial orchards, symbolised by the work of Jan Cieślak of Podgórzyce. Cieślak did much to refine apple growing and storage skills (in 1918 he built the first fruit warehouse in Poland).

The early 20th century also saw the emergence of the first consultants, one of the region’s most famous being Witalis Urbanowicz, who made a name for himself in 1909 by drawing up his ‘ten commandments of horticulture’.

A period of very rapid growth in fruit growing in the Grójec area, with which the name of Prof. Szczepan Pieniążek is synonymous, began with the end of the Second World War. The Research Institute of Pomology and Floriculture (Instytut Sadownictwa i Kwiaciarstwa), which has passed on the latest knowledge and experience to local fruit farmers, was founded at his instigation. On his recommendation, a student of his, Eligiusz Gajewski, founded the Experimental Station of the Institute of Pomology and Floriculture (Zakład Doświadczalny Instytutu Sadownictwa i Kwiaciarstwa) at Nowa Wieś. This developed into a model farm which passed on practical know-how to the fruit farmers of Grójec.

As time went by, the growing of ‘jabłka grójeckie’ became more widespread, but in 1958 the local farmers’ harvest failed, and this prompted the deputy Chairman of the District Presidium of the National Council in Grójec, Wacław Przytocki, to organise an apple blossom festival (Dni Kwitnących Jabłoni) with the aim of promoting the apples and the region as a whole. Initially, the apple blossom festival was celebrated in a different place each year, under different names: ‘Dni Kwitnących Jabłoni’, ‘Dni Kwitnącej Jabłoni’, ‘Grójeckie Dni Kwitnącej Jabłoni’, ‘Grójeckie Dni Kwitnących Jabłoni’, ‘Kwitnące Jabłonie’ and ‘Święto Kwitnących Jabłoni’, which is the name that has been used for over ten years now.

5.2.   Specificity of the product:

‘Jabłka grójeckie’ have a blush which is, as a rule, 5 % greater than the average. The apples’ beautiful red blush not only gives them a pleasing appearance but also reflects the higher content of pigments, mainly anthocyanins and caretonoids, in their skin tissue. The acidity of ‘jabłka grójeckie’ is also 5 % higher on average than the average for the variety concerned. The value for this parameter is, however, dependent on the atmospheric conditions prevailing during the growing season.

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 link between ‘jabłka grójeckie’ and the geographical area defined at point 4 stems from the specific qualities described at point 5.2, which have been attained as a result of the natural factors described at point 5.1.1 and the reputation described below.

The natural conditions occurring in the ‘jabłka grójeckie’ production area, in particular its soils and specific microclimate, mean that ‘jabłka grójeckie’ acquire their colour more quickly and have a blush of above-average intensity and a high acidity that is prized by processors throughout Europe. Low night-time temperatures impact favourably on the physiological processes which take place in the apples just before harvesting. This is because oxidisation processes during the night-time resting period are less intensive and, as a result, the sugar-acid ratio improves, making a significant contribution to the exquisite taste of ‘jabłka grójeckie’.

The unique characteristics of ‘jabłka grójeckie’ are closely bound up with the area where the apples are grown, as a result of its particular microclimate. Moreover, the pre-harvest period in the Grójec area is characterised by major falls in temperature (to as low as 0 °C in September and early October). In short, the soils and specific microclimate produce the unique natural conditions in which ‘jabłka grójeckie’ acquire their colour more quickly, giving them an above-average blush and a high acidity that is prized by processors throughout Europe.

The favourable conditions for growing apple trees in the Grójec area have resulted in an exceptional reputation that has been going from strength to strength for almost 500 years. For most people who live in Mazowieckie Province and neighbouring provinces, Grójec is synonymous with apple-growing. References to fruit-growing are found throughout the area: in the coat of arms of Grójecki County and a number of municipalities (Chynów, Belsk Duży, Błędów, Jasieniec, Kowiesy and Sadkowice), which feature apples; in place-names such as Sadków and Sadkowice (‘sad’ being the Polish word for orchard); in a bas-relief in the House of Horticulture in Grójec that depicts apple-picking; in the hugely popular annual apple-blossom festival and in the National Orchard Conference, which takes place every year in Grójec; and in names given to parts of towns, such as the Zielony Sad (‘Green Orchard’) housing estate.

Many centuries of tradition have enabled the local fruit-growers to master, almost to perfection, the skill of caring for apple trees. Local industry is also geared primarily to servicing the needs of fruit-growing: fruit-processing plants, trading companies, producer groups, suppliers of orchard requisites, manufacturers of machinery, etc.

The Grójec area is now home to intensive dwarf orchards, accounting for almost 40 % of national apple production; in some municipalities crop intensity is as high as 70 %.

The product’s excellent reputation, which is due to the area’s climatic conditions and its long tradition of apple-growing, was confirmed in a nationwide consumer survey conducted in September 2008. The results of the survey demonstrated how strongly the Grójec area is associated with fruit-growing and, in particular, with the production of apples. 27,7 % of respondents indicated a connection between the Grójec area and fruit-growing. 19 % of Poles associate the Grójec area with apple-growing. The percentage of respondents from provinces adjoining Mazowieckie Province who associate Grójec with apples is even higher: 32 % in Łódzkie Province and 36 % in Świętokrzyskie Province.

The reputation of ‘jabłka grójeckie’ is also borne out by articles relating to them in the press. For instance: ‘Co czwarte jabłko z Grójca’ (1991), ‘Z Grójca do Szwecji’ (1992), ‘Jabłko ekologiczne’ (1993), ‘Eurojabłka z Grójeckiego’ (1995), ‘Sady po klęsce’ (2000), ‘Jabłkowe centrum Europy?’ (2001), and ‘Grójeckie jabłka najlepsze’ (2007).

Reference to publication of the specification:

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

http://www.minrol.gov.pl/index.php?/pol/Jakosc-zywnosci/Produkty-regionalne-i-tradycyjne/Wnioski-przeslane-do-UE-od-kwietnia-2006-roku

(1)  OJ L 93, 31.3.2006, p. 12.