Publication of an amendment 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

2012/C 352/05

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 of the date of this publication.

AMENDMENT APPLICATION

COUNCIL REGULATION (EC) No 510/2006

AMENDMENT APPLICATION IN ACCORDANCE WITH ARTICLE 9

‘EMMENTAL FRANÇAIS EST-CENTRAL’

EC No: FR-PGI-0117-0180-28.06.2011

PGI ( X ) PDO ( )

1.   Heading in the specification affected by the amendment:

2.   Type of amendment(s):

3.   Amendment(s):

3.1.   Description of product:

3.1.1.   Maturation

The maturing period is changed from ‘10 weeks’ to 12 weeks because longer maturation improves the development of the cheese’s characteristic features.

3.1.2.   Weight

A weight range of 60 kg to 130 kg is provided for, which is easier to check than an ‘average weight of 70 kg’.

3.1.3.   Fat

The indicated content is a minimum and not a fixed value. It is therefore specified that this content is at least 45 % instead of ‘45 %’.

3.1.4.   Size of the cheese wheel

For a more detailed description of the wheel, it is added that the size of the wheel is ‘0,70 m to 1 m in diameter’ and ‘at least 14 cm high at the sides’.

3.1.5.   Paste

For a more detailed description of the characteristics of the paste, it is added that it has a ‘supple and melt-in-the-mouth’ quality.

3.1.6.   Forms of presentation

The forms of presentation are specified: cheese in the form of whole wheels (…) or wedges, blocks, long cross-sections (longes), portions and pieces, mini-portions or grated instead of ‘cheese in wheel form’. These types of presentation featured in the specification of the ‘Label rouge’ No 04-79.

3.2.   Proof of origin:

The traceability requirements and procedures are specified.

3.3.   Method of production:

3.3.1.   Feed for dairy cows

The authorised and forbidden feeds are described in greater detail and a grazing obligation is added in the specification, which helps to strengthen the link with the product's origin.

3.3.2.   Frequency of the milk collection

Following an experiment that showed that the frequency of the milk collection did not affect the product’s specific character, it is amended as follows: ‘The milk is collected at least every two days’.

3.3.3.   Cheese production

Rules are added on the various production activities (in terms of time, temperature, etc.) and the authorised ingredients (cultures, rennet) to ensure better monitoring of the consecutive stages in the cheese-making process and of the traditional production methods.

3.3.4.   Sensory evaluation criteria

Sensory evaluation criteria are added for assessing the specific qualities of the cheese in its various forms of presentation.

3.4.   Link:

The chapter ‘Link with the product’s origin’ has been redrafted and is now split into three parts: the specificity of the eastern central region, the specificity of ‘Emmental français est-central’ and the causal link between the geographical area and the product’s specificity.

3.5.   Labelling:

The chapter ‘Labelling’ has been simplified. It has been specified that the name ‘Emmental français est-central’ and the European PGI logo must feature on the labels of cheeses for sale to consumers.

3.6.   National requirements:

The main items to be checked and the methods for assessing them have been described in greater detail in the specification. They are not included in the single document.

SINGLE DOCUMENT

COUNCIL REGULATION (EC) No 510/2006

‘EMMENTAL FRANÇAIS EST-CENTRAL’

EC No: FR-PGI-0117-0180-28.06.2011

PGI ( X ) PDO ( )

1.   Name:

‘Emmental français est-central’

2.   Member State or Third Country:

France

3.   Description of the agricultural product or foodstuff:

3.1.   Type of product:

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

Raw cow’s milk cheese, cooked, pressed and salted with openings ranging from the size of a cherry to that of a walnut, containing a minimum of 45 % fat in dry matter, which is at least 62 g in 100 g of cheese. The paste has a supple and melt-in-the-mouth quality. The rind is hard and dry, golden yellow to light brown in colour. The cheese is matured for at least 12 weeks from the date of production until it leaves the cellar.

It comes in the following forms:

3.3.   Raw materials (for processed products only):

The milk must come from the geographical area because the pastures’ characteristics and the milk’s native microflora contribute to the specific taste of the cheese. The milk must be used raw to preserve its original natural flora.

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

The herd is fed on grass and hay and grazing is compulsory for at least five months to maintain the link with the pastures of the geographical area. Fermented products are banned to avoid contamination by butyric germs that could alter the qualities of the cheese.

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

The production of the milk, the cheese-making process and the maturing take place in the geographical area so as to preserve the role of the local microflora in developing the cheese’s characteristic features. The long maturing time imparts a softer texture and a distinctly ‘fruity’ taste to the product.

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

—

3.7.   Specific rules on labelling:

The name ‘Emmental français est-central’ and the European PGI logo must feature on the labels of cheeses for sale to consumers.

4.   Concise definition of the geographical area:

The geographical area comprises the following departments: Ain, Côte d'Or, Doubs, Haute-Marne, Haute-Saône, Haute-Savoie, Isère, Jura, Rhône, Saône-et-Loire, Savoie, Territoire de Belfort, Vosges.

5.   Link with the geographical area:

5.1.   Specificity of the geographical area:

The east-central region of France comprises three mountain ranges (Vosges–Jura–Northern Alps). The difficult geographical and climatic conditions in this region make it ideally suited to dairy cattle farming, which makes good use of the grass and feed produced by its pastures, especially through the processing of the milk into hard pressed cheese in the form of large wheels.

In the Middle Ages, the art of making large wheels of cheese provided a solution for preserving the abundant supply of summer milk during the winter.

Gradually, as the production of these cheeses required large volumes of milk (up to 900 litres of milk for a wheel of Emmental), producers set up cooperatives to pool their milk. The east-central region is known for its cheese-making cooperatives, which are called ‘fruitières’.

Factors of land use: because of the isolation of the production sites and the harsh climate in winter, the milk collection routes have historically always been short, which has enabled a large number of dairies to continue operating throughout the east-central region. The cheese-making dairies form an integral part of the regional heritage because of their close relationship to the land, and help maintain economic and social activity in the rural municipalities of east-central France.

Climatic factors: the mountain ranges in the east-central region are characterised by long, cold winters, hot and relatively dry summers, as well as abundant rainfall with many days of rain. This climate is particularly suitable for producing high-quality grass and hay (high protein and fatty acid content). The milk from the grasslands of the east-central region has a higher protein content than anywhere else in France. This feature is essential to the milk’s suitability for cheese-making.

Botanical and agronomic factors: the pastures in the east-central region of France have a high botanical and microbial diversity. This diversity is preserved thanks to agronomic practices. Grazing and haymaking continue to follow traditional cycles, which helps to preserve grassland biodiversity but also the microbial biodiversity of the milk.

5.2.   Specificity of the product:

‘Emmental français est-central’ is characterised by a typical propionic fermentation profile, limited lipolysis and more intense proteolysis than the thermised French Emmentals produced outside the east-central region.

The absence of butyric fermentation owing to the quality of the milk and the limited lipolysis due to the storage conditions of the collected milk allow the product to be matured for a longer period and to keep better.

As for the taste, the overall flavour is perceived as more intense and, particularly, more fruity than the thermised French Emmentals produced outside the region.

The more pronounced proteolysis induced by the long maturing time in keeping with the tradition in the east-central region lends a typical taste to the cheese and a more supple texture to the paste.

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 specific quality of ‘Emmental français est-central’ is down to the feed of the dairy herd and the grazing obligation (at least five months), which forges a strong link between ‘Emmental français est-central’ and the various areas that make up the east-central region. The bulk of the dairy cows’ staple diet comes from the region of production: grass in summer, dried and traditionally harvested hay from the farm in winter. The link with the land is strengthened by banning the use of fermented feeds (silage; wrapped round bales of hay) and of supplementary feeds from scented plants (Cruciferae, etc.), some of which may generate butyric fermentation and acidity in the milk and later in the cheese, while others may produce flavours and odours that are unpleasant to consumers. These precautions are essential to allow the cheese to be matured in cellars for a long period of time (at least 12 weeks as opposed to 6 weeks for standard French Emmental), in keeping with tradition.

The organoleptic characteristics of ‘Emmental français est-central’ are influenced by the grassland flora and especially the microflora of the milk, which must be used raw.

The specific art of making ‘Emmental français est-central’ lies in the long maturing time (at least 12 weeks) in accordance with the regional tradition. The 12-week maturing period, along with the intrinsic qualities of the milk used, is the single most important factor that lends ‘Emmental français est-central’ its characteristic features: the wheel has a rind that is clean, natural, solid, smooth, dry, without blemishes or spots, not stitched, light yellow in colour and has a shape that is more or less rounded depending on the commercial destination of the product, while the paste is uniform in colour, has a fine and supple texture and a characteristic fresh and fruity taste.

Reference to publication of the specification:

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

https://www.inao.gouv.fr/fichier/CDCIGPEmmentalFrancaisEstCentralV2.pdf

(1)  OJ L 93, 31.3.2006, p. 12.