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

2009/C 235/07

This publication confers the right to object to the application pursuant to Article 7 of Council Regulation (EC) No 510/2006. Statements of objection must reach the Commission within six months of the date of this publication.

SUMMARY

COUNCIL REGULATION (EC) No 510/2006

‘CANESTRATO DI MOLITERNO’

EC No: IT-PGI-0005-0487-20.07.2005

PDO ( ) PGI ( X )

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:

‘Canestrato di Moliterno’

4.2.   Description:

The ‘Canestrato di Moliterno’ PGI is reserved for sheep and goat's cheese with a hard paste, produced with between 70 % and 90 % full ewe's milk and between 10 % and 30 % full goat's milk. When, after at least 60 days of ripening, released for consumption it is cylindrical, with flat top and bottom and a more or less convex heel; the diameter of the flat faces is 15 to 25 cm and the heel height is 10 to 15 cm; its weight varies from 2 to 5,5 kg according to the size of the cheese wheel; the rind ranges in colour from more or less intense in the ‘primitivo’ variety to brown in the ripened variety; the structure of the paste is compact with eyes irregularly distributed through it; on cutting, the colour is white or slightly straw-coloured for the ‘primitivo’ variety and more or less intensely straw-coloured for the ‘stagionato’ and ‘extra’ varieties. The flavour tends to sweet and delicate in the early ripening stage and becomes more accentuated and spicy as this stage continues. The fat content on the dry matter may not be less than 30 %. It may be used as a table cheese or grated.

4.3.   Geographical area:

The area of origin of the milk and of production of ‘Canestrato di Moliterno’ consists of the following municipalities in the province of Potenza and Matera:

in the province of Potenza: Armento, Brienza, Calvello, Calvera, Carbone, Castelluccio Inferiore, Castelluccio Superiore, Castelsaraceno, Castronuovo Sant’Andrea, Cersosimo, Chiaromonte, Corleto Perticara, Episcopia, Fardella, Francavilla in Sinni, Gallicchio, Grumento Nova, Guardia Perticara, Lagonegro, Latronico, Lauria, Marsiconuovo, Marsicovetere, Missanello, Moliterno, Montemurro, Nemoli, Noepoli, Paterno, Rivello, Roccanova, Rotonda, San Chirico Raparo, San Costantino Albanese, San Martino d'Agri, San Paolo Albanese, San Severino Lucano, Sant’Arcangelo, Sarconi, Senise, Spinoso, Teana, Terranova del Pollino, Tramutola, Viggianello and Viggiano;

in the province of Matera: Accettura, Aliano, Bernalda, Craco, Cirigliano, Ferrandina, Gorgoglione, Montalbano Jonico, Montescaglioso, Pisticci, Pomarico, Scanzano Jonico, Stigliano and Tursi.

4.4.   Proof of origin:

Each phase of the production process must be monitored, listing all inputs and outputs. This, together with the official registers — kept by the inspection body — of farmers, including data on the milk intended for ‘Canestrato di Moliterno’, producers and/or processors, ripeners and packagers, by keeping production and packaging registers and by notification to the inspection body of the quantities produced, guarantees the traceability of the product. All natural and legal persons recorded in the relevant lists are subject to checks by the inspection body, according to the terms of the specification and the corresponding inspection plan.

4.5.   Method of production:

The Specification requires, among other things, that the holdings which provide milk for processing into ‘Canestrato di Moliterno’ PGI cheese must be located within the production area. The animals are mostly fed in pastures and on fresh fodder and straw produced in the area referred to in point 4.3. Their feed may be supplemented only with cereals such as oats, barley, wheat and corn and legumes such as beans, field beans and chickpeas. The use of products derived from animal origin or silage is banned. The milk from one or more milkings must be processed no later than 48 hours after the first milking. The milk must come from sheep of the ‘Gentile di Puglia’, ‘Gentile di Lucania’, ‘Leccese’, ‘Sarda’ or ‘Comisana’ breeds or their cross breeds and from goats of the ‘Garganica’, ‘Maltese’, ‘Jonica’, ‘Camosciata’ breeds or their cross breeds.

The PGI may be produced throughout the year. The milk may be used raw or may be heat treated; in the latter case, it is injected with natural starters or with selected local cultures. The milk is curdled using lamb or kid rennet in paste form at a temperature of between 36 and 40 °C within a maximum time of 35 minutes. The curd is then broken up to make lumps approximately the size of grains of rice. After it has been moulded, the cheese is immersed in the whey at a temperature not in excess of 90 °C for no longer than three minutes. Salting is either by the dry method or in brine; drying is carried out on the processor holding and lasts 30 to 40 days from placing the cheese in the moulds. Ripening must take place exclusively in the ‘fondaci’ or stores of the traditional production area or in the municipality of Moliterno (PZ); it begins from the thirty-first to the forty-first day from placing the cheese in the moulds. During this stage, the PGI may be treated only with olive oil or with olive oil to which wine vinegar has been added; ‘Canestrato di Moliterno’ may also be treated with ‘acqua di fuliggine’ (soot water), that is water boiled for 25 to 30 minutes with the carbon black scraped from wood-burning chimneys, and allowed to return to room temperature.

4.6.   Link:

The reason for seeking registration of the name ‘Canestrato di Moliterno’ is based on the reputation which the name itself enjoys. The PGI owes its reputation, including at international level, mainly to two basic elements: the breed of sheep native to the production area and the special ageing technique. The most widespread breed of sheep in the area is the ‘Gentile di Lucania’ which is characterised by its very rustic nature and its being well adapted to the climate and geography of the area. It is a merino cross resulting from having bred local populations in the fifteenth century with Spanish Merino rams. This type of cross breeding was born, at the time, out of a need to combine good wool production with the greater capacity for meat production of the local sheep which gave rise to a breed with a twofold aptitude for production. However, its poor ability to produce milk means milk yield is low, but the quality of the milk is excellent, which is hard to find in other breeds with greater milk production, and is characterised by a high fat and protein content.

The reproductive cycle of the breeds, together with the desire to make the best of the mountain pastures, has resulted in the custom of keeping mixed herds of goats and sheep. The goats of the Basilicata area not only produce high quality milk, they also produce it in large quantities.

The principal special feature of Canestrato di Moliterno lies in the ripening stage of the cheese in the characteristic stores (‘fondaci’) typical of the municipality of Moliterno.

Indeed, even now producers of Canestrato di Moliterno use these very special premises which unmistakeably characterise the product, giving it the organoleptic characteristics for which it has always been known. The ‘fondaco’ provides a very cool and well-aired environment where various factors combine to enable the formation of the essential microclimate to produce a product of excellent quality. It is in fact to the cold dry climate of the place that successful ripening is attributed. In conclusion, several factors, such as the quality of the raw material, the artisanal manufacturing techniques but, above all, the ripening, contribute towards giving ‘Canestrato di Moliterno’ the characteristics which typify it.

Since the eighteenth century, according to the earliest historical documentary evidence, the people of Moliterno have been raising sheep as their main occupation. The considerable reputation of the product is attested to in numerous documents. Even in past times, ‘Canestrato di Moliterno’ was particularly appreciated not only on the national market, but also abroad, being exported in particular to the United States.

4.7.   Inspection body:

The inspection body complies with standard EN 45011.

4.8.   Labelling:

The ‘Canestrato di Moliterno’ geographical indication may be used only for products which have been ripened for at least 60 days and it is forbidden to add any adjectives, including ‘fine’ (fine), ‘scelto’ (select), ‘selezionato’ (selected) or the like. However, in accordance with Article 8 of the Specification, the following terms may be used: ‘primitivo’: reserved for products ripened for up to six months; ‘stagionato’: reserved for products ripened for more than six months but up to 12 months; ‘extra’: reserved for products ripened for more than 12 months.

‘Canestrato di Moliterno’ is released for consumption bearing the appropriate brand, consisting of two concentric circles, the first of which contains the words ‘Canestrato di moliterno’ and the second of which contains a three-turreted castle, the symbol for the municipality of Moliterno, 15 cm in diameter, affixed by the Consorzio per la Tutela del Pecorino ‘Canestrato di Moliterno’ (Syndicate for the Protection of ‘Canestrato di Moliterno’ ewe's milk cheese), under the supervision of the body referred to in Article 10 of Regulation (EC) No 510/2006 and according to the rules laid down in the inspection plan approved by the Ministero delle Politiche Agricole e Forestali (Ministry of Agricultural and Forestry Policy) on the appropriate forms and certificates.