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

2012/C 64/14

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.

SINGLE DOCUMENT

COUNCIL REGULATION (EC) No 510/2006

‘AISCHGRÜNDER KARPFEN’

EC No: DE-PGI-0005-0689-19.03.2008

PGI ( X ) PDO ( )

1.   Name:

‘Aischgründer Karpfen’

2.   Member State or third country:

Germany

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:

‘Aischgründer Karpfen’, a mirror carp (Cyprinus carpio), is a table fish which is sold live or slaughtered.

‘Aischgründer Karpfen’ has a dark green, grey or greyish blue back, yellow-green to gold sides and a yellowy white belly. Its dorsal and caudal fins are grey, the caudal and anal fins have a reddish tone and the pectoral and pelvic fins are yellowish or reddish in colour. A distinguishing feature of ‘Aischgründer Karpfen’ is its high back, which develops in particular as a result of the warm weather and the high level of fertility in the ponds. Its typical height-to-length ratio is between 1:2 and 1:2,5.

The live weight of a three-year-old fish is between 1 000 g and 1 700 g. ‘Aischgründer Karpfen’ is a mirror carp characterised by its white meat, which is firm but tender and flavourful, and its low fat content of a maximum of 10 %. The fat content is kept low by limiting the stocking density (a maximum of 800 carp per hectare at the K2 stage) and adapting the feed accordingly.

3.3.   Raw materials:

—

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

The carp feed predominantly on what is naturally available (bottom nutrients, zooplankton, etc.). In the production of table fish (K2-K3) from May to September this is supplemented by legumes and grain (excluding maize). The feed quotient (added feed quantity (kg) per kilogram of growth) is approximately 2:1.

In addition, mixed feed authorised under the Bavarian countryside programme is permitted. The mixed feed must consist of arable crops only and may not contain any ingredients of animal origin. It may not contain more than 16 % of raw proteins and the total phosphorus content must not be more than 0,6 %. The greenmeal content must be at least 10 %.

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

As the carp grow during the warm summer months, their age is counted in summers. Table carp in the Aischgrund generally grow to maturity over the course of three summers. In the first year, the eggs are grown to so-called K1 fish. After the subsequent winter, the fish grow to K2, are kept for another winter and then reach the desired weight in the third summer (i.e. as K3 fish).

‘Aischgründer Karpfen’ must be kept in the geographical area for at least one production period (starting in April of the year in question) from fry (K2) to table fish (K3). The third year (K2 to K3) is decisive for the increase in weight and the development of the taste. During this period the weight of the fish increases by more than 1 kg per fish.

The stocking density at the K2 stage may not be more than 800 carp per hectare.

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

—

3.7.   Specific rules concerning labelling:

—

4.   Concise definition of the geographical area:

The geographical area includes all carp ponds in the rural districts of Erlangen-Höchstadt, Neustadt a.d. Aisch, Bad Winsheim and Fürth, Kitzingen, Bamberg, Forchheim Nürnberger Land and the urban munipalities of Erlangen, Forchheim, Bamberg, Nürnberg and Fürth.

5.   Link with the geographical area:

5.1.   Specificity of the geographical area:

The development of pond farming in the Aischgrund region can be traced back to the appearance of its many monasteries in the Middle Ages and the resulting demand for fish during periods of fasting, which lasted for months at a time. For the monks the main thing was to have fish to put on the refectory table — the profitability of fish farming as a business was less of an issue.

In the centre of the Aischgrund the ground beneath the numerous ponds consists of impervious Late Triassic clay. The emergence and survival of this pond-rich region owed a lot, therefore, to a number of basic physical/geographical factors: the complex alternation of sandstone deposits and layers of clayey, impermeable ‘Burgsandstein’, the gentle gradients of the valleys, the myriad swamp-prone springs and soil that was not particularly suitable for farming.

While in other areas carp yields are restricted by the temperature profile, the same does not apply to the Aischgrund, which is the warmest aquaculture area in Germany. Annual temperatures average around 8 °C or 9 °C, depending on altitude. The limiting factor in the Aischgrund, on the other hand, is the supply of water to the ponds. Average precipitation is 600-650 mm a year, but this figure falls to about 530 mm as one moves from the north-west to the south-east. The ponds extend over an area of rain shadow to the east of the Frankenhöhe hills and the Steigerwald forest where precipitation levels vary from year to year. Water supply to the majority of the ponds consists only of rainfall and snowmelt. The climate is warmer than in the Oberpfalz and the ponds are more fertile and give better yields as a result.

Carp farming has shaped not only the character of the countryside in the geographical area (which is the biggest continuous pond region in Germany), but also its culture. There are books of fish-farming anecdotes, songs about carp and even (art) exhibitions dedicated to the carp. The world’s biggest carp statue has been erected in Höchstadt an der Aisch as a symbol of the region. Confectioners sell chocolate carp and it is also possible to buy ‘Aischgründer Kärpfla’, or carp-shaped fruit gums. Carp also adorn doorbell plates, carnival paraphernalia, club T-shirts, etc.

‘Aischgründer Karpfen’ is a traditional meal served in hostelries all over Franconia, many of which — like the delicacy itself — have been there for hundreds of years. Most of the innkeepers, who follow in a long family tradition of serving carp, keep them in tanks or basins so that they always have a ready supply of fresh fish.

5.2.   Specificity of the product:

‘Aischgründer Karpfen’ is known throughout the region and beyond and is highly regarded among consumers. The fish has a number of other special characteristics: it has a height-to-length ratio of between 1:2 and 1:2,5 and is therefore higher-backed than carp from elsewhere. This is due to the warm weather and the level of fertility in the ponds.

Another distinctive feature of ‘Aischgründer Karpfen’ is its firm white flesh, which has its own typical flavour (not earthy or musty, pleasantly palatable and reminiscent of freshly boiled potatoes).

As a result of the prescribed stocking density, ‘Aischgründer Karpfen’ has a low fat content of practically no more than 10 % when filleted.

5.3.   Causal link between the geographical area and a specific quality, the reputation or other characteristic of the product:

The fish’s high back, which is a characteristic feature of ‘Aischgründer Karpfen’, is also due to the good breeding conditions in the Aischgrund, the warmest carp-farming area in Germany.

The high regard in which ‘Aischgründer Karpfen’ is held stems from the importance of pond farming in the region and from centuries of tradition.

Opinion polls conducted by Weihenstephan Technical College and the Technical University of Munich show that ‘Aischgründer Karpfen’ is highly regarded as a foodstuff throughout the region. The traditional carp season in Aischgrund runs from 1 September to 30 April and its opening is marked by numerous festivities. The carp is an integral part of cultural life in the geographical area; it is a highly-prized foodstuff and a key component of the traditional cuisine — these factors too make ‘Aischgründer Karpfen’ a speciality of the region and give it a reputation that extends far beyond it.

Surveys conducted by Weihenstephan Technical College in 2002 show that 79 % of those asked in Aischgrund and 49 % of those asked in Nürnberg prefer ‘Aischgründer Karpfen’ to carp from other areas.

Reference to publication of the specification:

Trade Mark Journal No 32 of 10 August 2007, Part 7a-aa, p. 14623

(http://publikationen.dpma.de/DPMApublikationen/dld_gd_file.do?id=81)

(1)  OJ L 93, 31.3.2006, p. 12.