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

(2011/C 133/07)

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

‘VULTURE’

EC No: IT-PDO-0005-0452-09.03.2005

PDO ( X ) PGI ( )

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

1.   Responsible department in the Member State:

2.   Group:

3.   Type of product:

4.   Specification:

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

4.1.   Name:

‘Vulture’

4.2.   Description:

When packaged, ‘Vulture’ extra virgin olive oil has the following physical, chemical and organoleptic characteristics:

4.3.   Geographical area:

The production and processing area of the ‘Vulture’ protected designation of origin comprises the entire administrative territory of the municipalities of Melfi, Rapolla, Barile, Rionero in Vulture, Atella, Ripacandida, Maschito, Ginestra and Venosa.

4.4.   Proof of origin:

The product’s traceability is guaranteed by a series of obligations by which producers must abide. The responsible inspection body will keep a list of the farmers, oil millers and bottlers in order to ensure the traceability and origin of the PDO product.

Olive growers, oil millers and bottlers must first sign up to the monitoring system for the production of ‘Vulture’ PDO oil by submitting a request to the inspection body and supplying all the details necessary for identifying the olive grove and processing and/or bottling plant. After carrying out checks, the inspection body enters the olive grove and processing and/or bottling plant in the relevant registers, provided the requirements of these specifications and the monitoring mechanism have been met.

For production of the PDO, the olives harvested from the olive groves entered in advance in the relevant register are identified in containers, transported, received and stored separately by the oil mill prior to pressing. The olive grower notifies the inspection body annually of the quantity of olives produced and the oil mill to which they were delivered.

The oil mill receives the olives and hands the olive grower a receipt indicating the quantity concerned and the olive grove of origin, after checking that this olive grove is entered in the relevant register.

Signs/labels identify the olives during the period of storage that precedes pressing. After the olives have been pressed, homogeneous lots of oil are made up, based specifically on the receipts against which the olives were delivered by the growers.

The oil mill notifies the inspection body annually of the amount of oil produced, as well as the lots, olive growers and quantities of olives concerned.

A trace is kept of each lot of oil during commercial transfers and packaging, with the lot number being noted on every transfer and/or bottling bill.

4.5.   Method of production:

‘Vulture’ PDO extra virgin olive oil is produced by pressing fruit from the following varieties of olive tree present in the olive groves: the ‘Ogliarola del Vulture’ cultivar, which must account for at least 70 %, and, provided they account for no more than 30 % of the trees in the olive groves, either individually or collectively: ‘Coratina’, ‘Cima di Melfi’, ‘Palmarola’, ‘Provenzale’, ‘Leccino’, ‘Frantoio’, ‘Cannellino’ and ‘Rotondella’.

Cultivation of olive groves in the ‘Vulture’ geographical area, particularly in terms of planting distances and growing methods, has traditional characteristics in the production area. Pruning must be carried out manually with the option of using pneumatic equipment. Maximum permitted olive production is eight tonnes per hectare. Maximum permitted oil yield is 20 % by weight of the product delivered. The olives are harvested from the onset of ripening until 31 December. Olives that have fallen naturally may not be harvested nor may permanent nets be used for harvesting. Products that induce premature falling are also prohibited. The olives must be transported to the oil mill on the day they are harvested in slatted plastic crates containing up to 25 kg of olives, or in bins (large slatted plastic crates containing up to 400 kg of olives). The olives must be stored at the mill for as short a period as possible, 24 hours at most, and be kept well ventilated. No chemical, biochemical or mechanical products, for example talc, may be used as part of the process of pressing the olives and extracting the oil. Continuous double centrifuging of the olive paste is not permitted. Pressing must take place, at a maximum temperature of 27 °C, for no more than 40 minutes. The oil must be kept, in low-lit premises in the area of origin, in either stainless steel tanks or underground storage containers clad in stainless steel, ceramic tiles, glass or epoxy paint. It must be kept at between 10 °C and 18 °C.

All work relating to the ‘Vulture’ PDO product, namely the production and processing of the olives and the storage of the oil, must take place within the production area. Packaging may take place inside or outside the production area but, in all cases, monitoring and traceability must be guaranteed by always including reference to the lot of the oil and the oil mill that produced it in the transport documentation. ‘Vulture’ PDO extra virgin olive oil may be produced organically.

4.6.   Link:

The defined geographical area is characterised and known by the name of Mount Vulture, an extinct volcano located in the central area of the Southern Apennines, approximately 60 km from the sea. The olive groves used for the production of ‘Vulture’ oil are situated on the eastern and south-eastern slopes of Mount Vulture, as the mountain influences the microclimate and protects them from the cold winter winds. The defined area is at an altitude of between 400 and 700 metres above sea level and has a particular, characteristically continental microclimate with winters that are generally long and cold and summers that are short and often dry.

Precipitation averages 750 mm per year, reaching peaks of up to 1 000 mm in the areas furthest inland. It is largely concentrated in autumn and winter, with a significant amount at the beginning of spring, though there is no lack of precipitation later in spring and in summer. The average annual temperature ranges between 14 °C and 15 °C, with the coldest months being January and February. In these months, temperatures average 4 °C to 6 °C and often fall below zero. These climatic conditions are at the limit of those in which olive trees can survive. Indeed, in the highest part of the area, the olive groves adjoin chestnut-growing land. As pointed out by many authors, the rather cold climate in the production area leads to higher polyphenol content in the oil. The volcanic soil is particularly fertile, owing to its origin in volcanic leuctitite tuffs, which are rich in phosphorus pentoxide, potash and limestone, as well as good organic matter content (around 6 %). According to research carried out by the University of Basilicata, Metapontum Agrobios and the Regional Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, the soils of the Vulture area are rich in exchangeable potassium (average greater than 450 ppm), exchangeable calcium (average greater than 3 000 ppm) and exchangeable magnesium (average greater than 170 ppm). The potassium in the trees is found mainly in the cell cavities in ionic form. It plays a role in the formation of carbohydrates and proteins and in the processes of assimilation, respiration and water movement in the trees. Another factor characterising the area and the designation is the presence of the ‘Ogliarola del Vulture’ variety, a native variety which, over the centuries, has been bred naturally and with the assistance of olive growers and now occupies the defined geographical area. The variety has not been able to spread to higher altitudes owing to the rigours of winter or to the warmer areas given the presence of more productive varieties with stronger trees which are more resistant to high temperatures. Indeed, various authors have demonstrated that there is a correlation between the origin of a variety and its temperature tolerance: native varieties of colder areas exhibit lower tolerance to high temperatures, while varieties that are native to warmer locations are more tolerant and vice versa. Accordingly, the ‘Ogliarola del Vulture’ variety occupies only the production area of the ‘Vulture’ PDO oil. In the Vulture area, the olive tree is not only a productive resource, but also an element characterising the area’s landscape and environmental identity and one which provides protection against the weather-related disasters which, unfortunately, often strike the area. Indeed, through their location on the exposed eastern and southern slopes of Mount Vulture, the olive trees occupy sloping land and their soil protection action is as important as that of the mountain’s wooded area. In other words, they help safeguard the hydrogeological stability of the area and human settlements by occupying land which, owing to its sloping nature, could not be used for other forms of cultivation. The olive tree has been present in the Vulture area since antiquity, as demonstrated by various historical documents at the State Archive in Potenza, where various statistics and historical reports describing the area and its olive tree cultivation are kept. The documentation shows that olive-growing and olive oil production in the Vulture area date back a long time and have, over time, become increasingly important in the context of the area's economy.

4.7.   Inspection body:

4.8.   Labelling:

‘Vulture’ PDO oil should be marketed in glass containers or cans with a maximum capacity of five litres. The product may also be packaged in single-dose sachets.

The following must be clearly shown on the labels:

No geographical reference other than that expressly laid down may be added to the protected designation of origin. Reference may be made to holdings, business names and private trademarks, provided that there is no risk of misleading the consumer. The size of the lettering for those references should be half that used for the word ‘Vulture’.

If the oil has been produced organically, reference may be made to this.

When packaged in single-dose sachets, the product should indicate the protected designation, the lot number, the year of production and a serial number allotted by the inspection body.

The word ‘Vulture’ must be presented in the following manner:

—   font: Korinna regular,

—   size of exterior letters: 24,3,

—   colour of the letters’ top layer: gold 872 U,

—   size of interior letters: 17,9,

—   colour of the letters’ shadow: Pantone 8580 cv,

—   colour of the frame: Pantone 8580 cv.

Secondary labels and bottle neck tags from the packagers are permitted.

(1)  OJ L 93, 31.3.2006, p. 12.