12.5.2015   

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 156/10

Syndicat de défense et de gestion du Fromage de Laguiole

Route de Chaudes-Aigues

12210 Laguiole

FRANCE

Tel. +33 565444751

Fax +33 565444757

E-mail: contact@fromagedelaguiole.fr

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It has been specified that ‘Laguiole’ is a cheese with a ‘dry rind’, on the basis of the national text for the previous specification registered. For clarity's sake, the minimum fat and dry matter contents have been expressed in grams per 100 grams of cheese instead of in percentages.

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The description of ‘Laguiole’ as having the shape of a cylinder ‘of approximately 40 centimetres’ and ‘30 to 40 centimetres in height’ has been replaced by specifying that the diameter is 30 to 40 centimetres, in keeping with the chapter entitled ‘Description’ in the published summary. Furthermore, a height to diameter ratio ranging between 0,8 and 1 has been defined, and this has replaced the provision stating that the height is equal to or slightly greater than the diameter. This amendment takes into account the size of the cheeses after ripening, while the previous specification was based on the size measured when the cheeses are placed in the cellar. The height of the cheeses tends to decrease slightly as the ripening period progresses (a phenomenon called ‘compression’). This phenomenon can also be explained by an increase in the average ripening periods of the cheeses and by the development of farm-produced cheeses, whose sizes vary more than those of cheeses produced in a dairy.

Reducing the minimum weight of the cheese from 25 to 20 kg is more consistent with the minimum diameter of 28 cm for the mould, while complying with the height to diameter ratio. The development of farm-produced cheeses is another explanatory factor, because the sizes of such cheeses are more variable, depending on the amount of milk used by the operators.

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The colour of the paste has been specified: ‘ivory to straw yellow in colour’. This shade is linked to the seasonal variation in the composition of the product. The reference to the minimum thickness of the rind has been removed, because it is not a distinguishing feature of the product. Furthermore, the description of the rind's colour has been amended (the colour ‘light grey’ has replaced ‘light orange’ and the colour ‘granite grey’ has been added to supplement ‘amber brown’) in order to take account of farm-produced cheeses whose rinds are obtained naturally in the cellar. Such details are useful for the organoleptic examination of the product during inspection.

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An organoleptic description of the product has been added. This description is useful for the organoleptic examination of the product during inspection.

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In the case of individual, pre-packaged pieces of ‘Laguiole’ weighing less than 70 grams, an exception has been introduced to the requirement that each piece must have part of the rind, as it is difficult to keep the rind on small pieces to be used in cooking.

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Cheesemakers' obligations as regards declarations have been laid down. Specifically, provision has been made to identify cheesemakers with a view to awarding certificates recognising their ability to meet the requirements of the specification for the designation from which they wish to benefit, and to issue statements testifying that they have the requisite knowledge and that the products sold under the designation of origin label have been duly monitored and statements providing information on how the livestock have been fed.

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Detailed information has been provided on the registrations that operators must carry out. This information is useful when monitoring compliance with the specification and with the traceability of the products.

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The product control procedures have been specified. They are detailed further in the control plan for the designation of origin drawn up by an inspection body.

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The mandatory nature of the product identification requirement has been affirmed in order to facilitate the traceability of the product. Detailed information has been given on the procedure for identifying the cheese on the basis of the identification mark and the stamp featuring the ‘Laguiole’ bull and the word ‘Laguiole’. The rules for distributing and withdrawing the identification marks and stamps have been specified so that they can be managed efficiently.

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In addition to using cows of the Simmental française and Aubrac breeds, the possibility has been added to introduce into herds producing the milk used to make ‘Laguiole’ cows obtained from crossing these two breeds of certified descent. Since 1990, the group has been carrying out an experimental programme aiming at reintroducing the Aubrac breed into dairy herds. In this procedure, multiplication is achieved by transplanting and sexing embryos and the performance of the descendants is monitored. At the same time, the group would want to be able to cross the Aubrac and Simmental française breeds in order to reinforce the dairy qualities of the Aubrac through moderate mixing with Simmental blood while continuing to develop dairy production using the milk of the pure Aubrac breed.

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In order to facilitate checks, the composition of the dairy herd has been specified. It consists ‘of lactating and dry dairy cows and of heifers at more than eight months of gestation’. Thus a herd covers all of the farm's adult dairy cows as well as heifers close to giving birth before they are put into their production herd.

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The basic ration has been defined for the dairy herd and no longer solely for the dairy cows, and this facilitates checks and guarantees that the animals, starting from the eight month of their first gestation, receive only fodder authorised in the specification. The ban on grass silage, wrapping and any other wet-preserved fodder in the basic ration of the dairy herd supplements the ban on maize silage. The aim is to limit the amount of milk fat and reduce health risks and instead to favour tommes and cheese obtained from raw whole milk. Therefore the only coarse fodder authorised for feeding the dairy herd is composed of local flora from grassland and natural or permanent pastures and of grasses and forage legumes cultivated in temporary grassland.

However, farms rearing a herd other than the dairy herd that is kept entirely separate from the dairy herd have the possibility of harvesting wet-preserved fodder and distributing it to the other herd, provided that all necessary measures are taken to avoid any cross-contamination with the fodder intended for the dairy herd. This clarification makes it possible to restrict the use of silage or wrapping to the herd other than the dairy herd defined above.

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The possibility to derogate temporarily from the provision on the basic ration in case of ‘exceptional weather’ has been removed, as it is no longer adequate.

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The grazing arrangements have been clarified in order to facilitate checks. As regards the grazing period, the concept of ‘summer’ has been replaced by the period ‘when grass is available, weather permitting’. Furthermore, it has been specified that the minimum grazing period is a ‘combined annual’ period and that it is the basic ration of the ‘dairy herd’. In other words, ‘when grass is available, weather permitting, the basic ration of the dairy herd is composed principally of pasture grass grazed during a combined annual period of 120 days’. It has been added that ‘During this period, the intake of fodder supplementing the ration of pasture grass must not exceed 3 kg of dry matter per day and per dairy cow on average for the herd during the grazing period’, in order to guarantee that the fresh grass obtained from grazing represents the principal feed of the animals during this period.

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The amount of complementary feed added to the basic ration has been limited to 6 kg per lactating cow per day so as to encourage the use of fodder produced in the geographical area for feeding the animals.

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A positive list of the raw materials and additives authorised in the complementary feed of the dairy herd has been added in order to better manage, secure and control feeding.

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It has been specified that part of the complementary feed may be of farm origin, meaning that it is a mixture of ingredients produced on the farm and of ingredients purchased elsewhere. These clarifications have been made in order to facilitate checks.

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A provision banning GMOs in farms' feed and crops has been added in order to maintain the feed's traditional character.

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In order to facilitate checks, it has been specified that the provision according to which average milk production per cow on the farm must not exceed 6 000 litres applies to those dairy cows that are present on the farm and concerns the amount of milk marketed or processed on the farm.

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A ban on once-a-day milking in milk production has been added to ensure the milk's quality. Studies by the French Livestock Breeders Institute (Institut de l'élevage) show that once-a-day milking raises significantly the cellular counts of the milk. Furthermore, as a result of concentration, the protein content rises from 1,2 to 2 g/l and the fat content from 3 to 4 g/l. This weakens markedly the rate ratio and is very detrimental to cheese produced from whole milk, such as ‘Laguiole’.

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Provisions on farm production and production in a ‘buron’, or Alpine cottage, present in the national text for the previous specification registered, have been added so as to specify the special characteristics of these two types of production and allow checks on them. Farm-produced cheese is made from the milk of a maximum of two consecutive milkings, and uncooled milk from the morning milking constitutes more than 50 % of the total volume. Cheese produced in a ‘buron’ is made in a building that is intended for cheesemaking and has been built in a grassland area at an altitude above 1 000 metres, from milk from a single herd grazing in these high grassland areas and milked during the period of transhumance (25 May to 13 October).

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On the basis of the national text for the previous specification registered, it has been clarified that ‘Laguiole’ is made from milk ‘non-standardised in terms of fat and protein’ and that ‘all physical handling is prohibited’.

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The specific characteristics of the manufacturing vat have been described: flat bottom, with a surface area to height ratio exceeding 10 (except for farm production). This facilitates the working of the curd in the vat and allows for good drainage in the vat, as the cheese is plated prior to transfer to the tomme press.

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On the basis of the national text for the previous specification registered, the different operations necessary for the production of the cheese after renneting have been listed: draining and plating in the manufacturing vat, first pressing in the tomme press, ripening, grinding, salting in the mass of the curds, ripening on salt, placing in mould, second pressing. The operations have been explained in more detail in the following paragraphs.

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The reference to the act of ‘breaking’ the curd has been replaced by a reference to the cutting of the curd after renneting, which is a more accurate term for the action in question.

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The reference to the placing of the cheese in the tomme press to undergo a first ripening has been replaced by a more detailed description of the operations in question: pressing in the tomme press for at least one hour, during which the cheese is turned over at least five times, after which it is ripened in a room whose temperature ranges from 18 to 26 °C during the first 8 hours and from 14 to 26 °C after that. It is important to provide for these different steps in order to manage the draining and acidification of the cheese and guarantee its aging potential.

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Detailed information has been provided on the grinding and ripening on salt that follow ripening: the tomme, whose core temperature must be equal to or higher than 18 °C, is ground into ‘cossettes’, or hazelnut-size pieces, and then salted in the mass at a ratio of 18-24 g of salt to 1 kg of tomme. Clarifying these steps provides a framework for the production process, thereby ensuring the homogenous salting of the cheese and preventing the cheese from cooling too rapidly at the end of ripening.

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It has been indicated that moulding takes place ‘after a minimum rest period of one hour’ in order to allow the salt to spread evenly throughout the tomme. The cylindrical shape of the moulds and their diameter have also been specified: 28 to 38 cm, in keeping with the description of the product. The moulding technique has been described: after grinding, the tomme is spread in successive layers, which are pressed manually or mechanically for a short time. This traditional method ensures that the tomme is spread evenly throughout the mould and that it is smooth, with no holes in the finished product.

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The reference to a ‘long and progressive’ pressing has been replaced by a more precise description of the pressing so as to facilitate checks: the cheese is pressed in a vertical press for at least 40 hours. It has been indicated that the cheeses are turned at least four times during pressing, so that the entire cheese can be drained evenly.

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In order to facilitate checks, the reference to ‘damp’ cellars has been replaced by a precise indication of the relative humidity, which must be above 90 %.

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On the basis of the national text for the previous specification registered and to facilitate checks, it has been clarified that the ripening period is calculated as from the renneting date. The information stating that ripening ‘often lasts six to nine months’ has been removed, since it is only indicative.

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It has been specified that the rind is formed and maintained by rubbing and regularly turning the cheeses.

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In order to align the chapter ‘Specific labelling details’ in the specification with the chapter in the public summary, the size of the characters composing the name of the designation of origin has been clarified: they must be at least two-thirds the size of the largest characters on the label.

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The requirement to include the reference ‘appellation d'origine contrôlée’ on the labelling has been deleted and replaced by a requirement to include the European Union's PDO symbol, in the interests of legibility and synergy in the provision of information about PDO-registered products.

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The requirement to include the ‘INAO’ logo has been removed in line with current national legislation.

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In order to align the chapter ‘Specific labelling details’ in the specification with the chapter in the public summary, it has been reiterated that the word ‘buron’ may be used on the labelling and in advertising, invoices or commercial documents, in compliance with the conditions laid down in the chapter ‘Description of the production method of the product’.

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In order to align the chapter ‘Specific labelling details’ in the specification with the chapter in the public summary, it has been reiterated that the labelling may be replaced by direct printing on the rind of the cheese. In addition to this possibility, it has been specified that the labelling may also be replaced ‘by affixing a pre-printed bandaging onto the rind’, as that medium is stronger and better adapted than a label to the handling of the product when it is sent to the places of sale.

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The ‘Contact details of the inspection bodies’ have been updated with the name and contact details of the official inspection bodies to reflect the change in the inspection methods.

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In accordance with the abovementioned national reform of the inspection system for designations of origin, a table has been added which sets out the main points to be checked and the relevant evaluation method to be used.

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the name of the designation of origin in characters at least two thirds the size of the largest characters on the label;

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the European Union PDO logo.