Publication of an amendment application pursuant to Article 50(2)(a) of Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012 of the European Parliament and of the Council on quality schemes for agricultural products and foodstuffs

2014/C 88/17

This publication confers the right to oppose the amendment application, pursuant to Article 51 of Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012 of the European Parliament and of the Council (1).

AMENDMENT APPLICATION

COUNCIL REGULATION (EC) No 510/2006

on the protection of geographical indications and designations of origin for agricultural products and foodstuffs  (2)

AMENDMENT APPLICATION IN ACCORDANCE WITH ARTICLE 9

‘COPPA PIACENTINA’

EC No: IT-PDO-0117-01102-08.04.2013

PGI ( ) PDO ( X )

1.   Heading in the product specification affected by the amendment

2.   Type of amendment

3.   Amendment(s)

Description of product

Method of production

The deletion of the obligation to slice off the neck muscle while it is warm — left as an option — allows such operations to also take place in dedicated cutting plants which ensure better results when processing the raw material necessary for production.

The introduction of the use of nitrites, within the legal limits, is required because the presence of nitrites and nitrates gives the product greater resistance against pathogens and oxidation during the production phase of ‘Coppa Piacentina’ PDO.

We request that sugar be added to the salting mixture so as to ensure that the product remains more stable during the maturing process. The maximum permitted amount of sugar is 1,5 kg per 100 kg of fresh meat.

The amendment to permit the use of pig's casings rather than just the pig's abdominal wall for casing allows suitable casings to be used for production, while responding to changing real market conditions, which make it very difficult (and indeed in some market situations impossible) to find the specific type of casing previously prescribed.

We thought it necessary to introduce the option of using net casings rather than twine to allow the product to dry more uniformly and thus achieve a higher level of quality.

The introduction of a margin of error of + 10 % for the humidity parameters during the maturing process helps improve the quality of the PDO. Today's consumers want products to be matured for longer, and for longer than the minimum period stated in the Specification. In such cases we have found that the longer maturing period may lead to air getting into and thus oxidising the product if the atmosphere is not sufficiently humid. It is therefore appropriate to allow greater flexibility in the humidity parameters for the maturing room.

It was thought necessary to state that maturing may also take place in rooms which are not basements, provided they have the optimum conditions for maturing associated with adequate air renewal. Indeed, the fact that the product is not kept in basements — for an unspecified period, has no negative effect on the success of the traditional maturing process. The characteristic element in the maturing of ‘Coppa Piacentina’ is its duration, i.e. at least six months: during this period the influence of the area's humid climate and the skill of the producers in determining the correct humidity and temperature during each phase, thereby maximising their seasoning effects on the product, help achieve the excellent quality of the PDO. The experience of the area's producers is what guarantees the optimum conditions for maturing, regardless of whether or not the room is a basement, while at the same time ensuring the constant links with the environment.

Finally, the reduction of the minimum ash content from 4 % to 1 % is in line with the minimum permitted salt content, on which the ash content closely depends, and is also consistent with the trend towards reducing the amount of salt in food.

SINGLE DOCUMENT

COUNCIL REGULATION (EC) No 510/2006

on the protection of geographical indications and designations of origin for agricultural products and foodstuffs  (3)

‘COPPA PIACENTINA’

EC No: IT-PDO-0117-01102-08.04.2013

PGI ( ) PDO ( X )

1.   Name

‘Coppa Piacentina’

2.   Member State or Third Country

Italy

3.   Description of the agricultural product or foodstuff

3.1.   Type of product

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

‘Coppa Piacentina’ is a pigmeat product, salted and naturally matured that is preserved raw. It is produced from muscle mass from the upper neck area. The finished product is cylindrical and slightly thinner at the ends, compact and not elastic; when cut, the slices are homogenous and red in colour with pinky-white marbling streaks.

3.3.   Raw materials (for processed products only)

‘Coppa Piacentina’ comes from pigs that are born, raised and slaughtered in Emilia Romagna and Lombardy. The denomination ‘Coppa Piacentina’ is subject to the derogation in Article 5(3) of Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012.

3.4.   Feed (for products of animal origin only)

There are detailed rules to be observed regarding the use and composition of the feed ration. The feeding of the pigs takes place in two stages and is mainly based on cereal products from the macro-area identified in point 3.3. The average feed ration mainly consists of maize mash followed by barley, bran, soya and mineral supplements. Cheese-making by-products (whey, curds and buttermilk) mostly come from cheese makers in the identified geographical area.

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

All steps in the production, salting, tying, drying and maturing of ‘Coppa Piacentina’ take place in the area indicated in point 4 below.

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

Packaging, slicing and portioning must take place under the supervision of the designated control facility, exclusively in the production area indicated in point 4. In order to ensure that the product's original and specific characteristics are maintained, packaging, slicing and portioning must be carried out in the production area by people with special knowledge of the product. Contact with air and exposure of the sliced or portioned product without its casing to unsuitable environmental conditions may lead to oxidisation and thus to the slices or the cut surfaces turning brown, resulting in the characteristic bright red colour of the lean meat being lost, the fat becoming rancid and the aroma deteriorating.

3.7.   Specific rules concerning labelling

When put up for consumption, the product must bear the words ‘Coppa Piacentina’.

The designation ‘Coppa Piacentina’ must appear on the label in clear, indelible letters fully distinguishable from any other wording and be followed immediately by the term ‘Denominazione di Origine Protetta’.

Any other description not expressly allowed is prohibited.

However, the use of indications which make reference to names, company names and private brands is authorised, provided they have no laudatory purport and are not such as to mislead the consumer, as are names of pig farms from which the product comes.

4.   Concise definition of the geographical area

The production area includes the whole territory of the province of Piacenza, but only those parts below 900 m above sea level.

5.   Link with the geographical area

5.1.   Specificity of the geographical area

The production of ‘Coppa Piacentina’ began during the Roman period and has been passed down over time, concentrated in the geographical area of the Province of Piacenza.

The importance of the ‘Coppa Piacentina’ production area ties in with the development of a typical rural tradition common to the entire Po valley, from where the raw material is sourced (Emilia Romagna and Lombardy). In the area which is the source of the raw material, the development of livestock farming is linked to the widespread cultivation of cereal crops and to working methods in the highly specialised dairy sector which have encouraged pig farming locally.

Producers in the Province of Piacenza have developed and passed down through time their specific abilities in selecting and processing the cuts of meat. The operators need special expertise to be able to cut and trim the cuts of meat in such a way as to eliminate waste fat and small pieces of lean meat. This makes sure that the muscle mass is in the correct condition for subsequent salting and tying.

The presence of cool, water-rich valleys and wooded hills have a positive influence on the conditions for maturation.

5.2.   Specificity of the product

‘Coppa Piacentina’ is characterised by its cylindrical shape, slightly thinner at the ends. Its consistency is compact, not elastic. Its sweet, delicate taste becomes stronger as it matures. The outer surface is covered in a thin layer of mould which develops during the maturing process. When cut, the slices are homogenous and red in colour with pinky-white marbling streaks.

The muscle mass cuts used in producing ‘Coppa Piacentina’ come from Italian heavy pigs.

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 requirements of ‘Coppa Piacentina’ depend on the environmental conditions and natural and human factors. In particular, the characterisation of the raw material is closely linked to the identified geographical area where it is sourced; here, techniques for raising Italian heavy pigs have been developed which determine the quality of the cuts of meat used for producing ‘Coppa Piacentina’.

Moreover, the fact that ‘Coppa Piacentina’ production is based in the Province of Piacenza is linked to the local producers who, over time, have perfected their skills in trimming the cuts of meat so that the product has the characteristic shape, slightly thinner at the ends.

These skills, along with the knowledge of how best to mature the ‘Coppa Piacentina’, are testimony to the link between the product and its area.

The environmental factors are closely linked with the characteristics of the production area and in particular its climate, which has a vital impact on the characteristics of the finished product, contributing to the successful maturing of the ‘Coppa Piacentina’.

This combination of ‘raw material — product — designation’ is therefore linked to the socio-economic development of the area, with specificities that could not be reproduced elsewhere.

Reference to publication of the specification

Article 5(7) of Regulation (EC) No 510/2006 (4)

The full text of the product specification is available on the following website:

http://www.politicheagricole.it/flex/cm/pages/ServeBLOB.php/L/IT/IDPagina/3335

or alternatively:

by going directly to the home page of the Ministry of Agricultural, Food and Forestry Policy (http://www.politicheagricole.it) and clicking on ‘Qualità e sicurezza’ (at the top right of the screen), and then on ‘Disciplinari di Produzione all’esame dell’UE’.

(1)  OJ L 343, 14.12.2012, p. 1.

(2)  OJ L 93, 31.3.2006, p. 12. Replaced by Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012.

(3)  Replaced by Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012.

(4)  See footnote 3.