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 288/09

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

‘WALBECKER SPARGEL’

EC No: DE-PGI-0005-0857-08.02.2011

PGI ( X ) PDO ( )

1.   Name:

‘Walbecker Spargel’

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 point 1 applies:

Fresh white, green or violet asparagus (Asparagus officinalis). The edible spears are put up for sale peeled or unpeeled. ‘Walbecker Spargel’ is produced according to the rules of good farming practice. When put up for sale unpeeled, it must comply at least with UNECE Standard FFV04 (Asparagus).

The length of the spears of the white asparagus is a maximum of 22 cm. The asparagus must be whole and undamaged. It must be free from putrefaction and damage and fresh in smell and appearance.

‘Walbecker Spargel’ is unique because of its fine fibre structure, its slightly nutty and intensive asparagus taste and the tenderness of the asparagus spears.

3.3.   Raw materials (for processed products only):

—

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

—

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

Production of ‘Walbecker Spargel’, from growing to picking, must take place in the defined geographical area.

Cultivation begins with the proper preparation of the soil prior to planting. The appropriate amounts of humus are applied to the asparagus growing area (green fertiliser, compost). The area is prepared for one year, with the soil being turned to a depth of 80 cm to enable the plants to grow deep roots and to develop optimally. The asparagus plants are generally set out in mid-April or even in March if spring arrives early. Old roots and stones are carefully removed from the earth mounds so that such hard objects do not prevent the asparagus spears from growing straight.

After two years of growth, the first asparagus is harvested in the third year.

If the asparagus is grown under black and white foil, great care must be taken when the sun is strong to ensure that the foil is turned from the black to the white side in good time so as to avoid any deterioration in quality as a result of the asparagus tips becoming mushy.

When the asparagus is being harvested, nitrogen fertiliser must not be applied until harvesting has been completed. About 21 days before the end of the asparagus season, soil samples are taken to establish what is lacking in the soil so that appropriate nitrogen fertilisation can be carried out when harvesting has been completed. To boost quality and growth, cultivation measures are carried out such as careful working of the soil and appropriate fertilisers including magnesium and potash fertiliser are applied.

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

Packaging

The contents of each package must be uniform. Each unit may only contain asparagus from the region approved for the production of ‘Walbecker Spargel’. The asparagus in a retail sales unit must be of the same quality, colour group and size. The visible part of the retail sales unit must also be representative of the total content.

‘Walbecker Spargel’ is quickly cooled in order to preserve its quality. Four hours at the latest after being picked, it must be cooled down in spring water or ice-cold water to a temperature of 1 to 12 degrees. It should be put up for sale as quickly as possible. It should not be stored for more than three days in a cold store at 1 to 4 degrees.

The producer’s cold chain may only be interrupted for a short period of time for packaging and delivery.

Packaging, refrigeration and any sales premises must comply with health requirements.

3.7.   Specific rules concerning labelling:

—

4.   Concise definition of the geographical area:

The growing area for ‘Walbecker Spargel’ lies in the north-west of the German federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia. It stretches along the German-Dutch border. The western end of the growing area is bounded by the national border. In the north, from the intersection between the national border and the A 57 motorway, the boundary follows the A 57 motorway in an easterly direction. From the intersection between the A 57 and the Bundesstrasse B 9, the boundary turns towards the south-east and follows the B 9 to the intersection between the B 9 and the B 58. At that point, the production area’s boundary turns towards the south-west and follows the B 58. From the intersection between the B 58 and the Landstrasse L 221, the boundary follows the L 221 to its intersection with the A 61 motorway. The boundary then follows the A 61 to the intersection between the A 61 and the national border.

5.   Link with the geographical area:

5.1.   Specificity of the geographical area:

The production area is part of the Lower Rhine Plain. It is characterised by climatic conditions which are ideal for growing asparagus. The amount of rain needed to grow asparagus falls in the important months of March, April, May and June and the temperatures are consistently mild.

The production area has sandy soils and, in the south-east, loamy and loess soils. The land traditionally selected for growing asparagus has soil with a high sand content. The sand is dune sand from the Meuse-Niers dune. The structure of the soil between the rivers Niers and Meuse developed during the ice age. It is characterised in certain places by slightly sandy, mineral-bearing soils which are permeable to air and rain and have a light loess content, extensive humus components and a good lime content. Farmers in the production area have traditionally regarded such soils as a major disadvantage compared with the rich soils in the surrounding areas of Pont, Nieuwkerk, Aldekerk and in the Baersdonk area which are generally better suited for growing crops than the soils in the geographical area. However, the soils in the geographical area are especially ideal for growing asparagus.

5.2.   Specificity of the product:

‘Walbecker Spargel’, which may only be marketed as fresh white, green or violet asparagus, is unique because of its fine fibre structure, its slightly nutty and intensive asparagus taste and the tenderness of the asparagus spears. The local producers have special skills in producing asparagus which, with proper preparation of the soil and planting and the decision when to harvest, ensures that ‘Walbecker Spargel’ grows particularly well and straight and is of good consistency. The high esteem in which ‘Walbecker Spargel’ is held goes far beyond the production area thanks to its long tradition and particularly good characteristics.

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 asparagus spears’ fine fibre structure, their nutty and intensive taste and their tenderness and straight growth are the result of the ideal soil conditions in the Walbeck area and the climatic conditions in the Lower Rhine Plain. With asparagus in particular, there is a particularly close link between the product’s characteristics and the natural conditions. Up to 70 % of the asparagus’s taste is determined by the soil, 20 % is the result of how the soil is tilled and manured and only 10 % depends on the variety. Sufficient rain falls in particular in March, April, May and June on the humus-enriched dune sands preferred by asparagus growers; these months also enjoy consistently mild temperatures. Furthermore, good agricultural practice guarantees the quality of the products.

The asparagus producers' skills have been acquired over several generations, in particular as regards the right time to start planting and to start and stop picking, the covering materials to be used and how extensively to use them, how to construct the earth mound properly and keep it free of root balls and stones and making sure the right amount of fertiliser is used by taking soil samples; these skills are factors which contribute to the special quality of ‘Walbecker Spargel’.

‘Walbecker Spargel’ enjoys an excellent reputation. The legal expert and retired major Dr Walther Klein-Walbeck made the first attempts at growing asparagus around Walbeck castle in 1923 during the period of inflation. His success soon attracted the interest of local farmers whose yields of other arable crops on the sandy soils were not particularly good. In autumn 1927, 33 farmers from Walbeck agreed to start growing asparagus in spring 1928. 50 hectares of land were planted with asparagus in the first season. On 1 January 1929, Dr Walther Klein-Walbeck and 55 asparagus growers from Walbeck set up ‘Spargelbaugenossenschaft Walbeck und Umgegend e.G.’, which is the present applicant. Since then, the growers who make up the applicant company have been producing asparagus on a cooperative basis and marketing it under the name ‘Walbecker Spargel’. From 1932 to 1938 it sent 36 000Zentner (50 kg) of asparagus to Straelen for auction, resulting in a profit of 1,3 million Reichsmark for Walbeck, which was formerly a poor heathland village. In 1936, 40 000 asparagus lovers visited the village during the asparagus season.

Asparagus production ceased during the Second World War. After the currency reform in 1948, asparagus production started up again. Today, the applicant has 50 members who grow asparagus on 80 hectares of land.

The ‘Walbecker Heimatlied’ by Jakob Schopmanns (text 1935, published in the Niederrheinische Landeszeitung on 5 July 1935) and his son Helmut (music, 1977) illustrates the importance of the asparagus for the identity of the village of Walbeck and the surrounding area:

At the annual two-day asparagus festival, there is a big procession during which the ‘Asparagus Princess’, who will rule for one asparagus season, is presented to spectators sitting on a throne on a float. She is the asparagus village of Walbeck’s representative on radio and television, at trade fairs and at many local festivals in the Lower Rhine area.

Reference to publication of the specification:

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

http://register.dpma.de/DPMAregister/geo/detail.pdfdownload/13251

(1)  OJ L 93, 31.3.2006, p. 12.