7.5.2013

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 130/1

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Non-opposition to a notified concentration

(Case COMP/M.6293 — Thermo Fisher/Phadia)

(Text with EEA relevance)

2013/C 130/01

On 18 August 2011, the Commission decided not to oppose the above notified concentration and to declare it compatible with the common market. This decision is based on Article 6(1)(b) of Council Regulation (EC) No 139/2004. The full text of the decision is available only in English and will be made public after it is cleared of any business secrets it may contain. It will be available:

—	in the merger section of the Competition website of the Commission (http://ec.europa.eu/competition/mergers/cases/). This website provides various facilities to help locate individual merger decisions, including company, case number, date and sectoral indexes,

—	in electronic form on the EUR-Lex website (http://eur-lex.europa.eu/en/index.htm) under document number 32011M6293. EUR-Lex is the on-line access to the European law.

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7.5.2013

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 130/1

---

Non-opposition to a notified concentration

(Case COMP/M.6722 — FrieslandCampina/Zijerveld & Veldhuyzen and Den Hollander)

(Text with EEA relevance)

2013/C 130/02

On 12 April 2013, the Commission decided not to oppose the above notified concentration and to declare it compatible with the common market. This decision is based on Article 6(1)(b) of Council Regulation (EC) No 139/2004. The full text of the decision is available only in English and will be made public after it is cleared of any business secrets it may contain. It will be available:

—	in the merger section of the Competition website of the Commission (http://ec.europa.eu/competition/mergers/cases/). This website provides various facilities to help locate individual merger decisions, including company, case number, date and sectoral indexes,

—	in electronic form on the EUR-Lex website (http://eur-lex.europa.eu/en/index.htm) under document number 32013M6722. EUR-Lex is the on-line access to the European law.

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7.5.2013

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 130/2

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Communication from the Commission concerning the quantity not applied for to be added to the quantity fixed for the subperiod 1 July to 30 September 2013 under certain quotas opened by the Union for poultrymeat, eggs and egg albumin

2013/C 130/03

Commission Regulations (EC) No 1384/2007 (1) and (EC) No 1385/2007 (2) opened tariff quotas for imports of products in the poultrymeat sector. The applications for import licences lodged during the first seven days of March 2013 for the subperiod 1 April to 30 June 2013 are, for quotas 09.4091, 09.4092 and 09.4421, for quantities smaller than those available. Pursuant to the second sentence of Article 7(4) of Commission Regulation (EC) No 1301/2006 (3), the quantities not applied for are to be added to the quantity fixed for the following quota subperiod, from 1 July to 30 September 2013; they are set out in the Annex to this communication.

---

(1)  OJ L 309, 27.11.2007, p. 40.

(2)  OJ L 309, 27.11.2007, p. 47.

(3)  OJ L 238, 1.9.2006, p. 13.

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7.5.2013

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 130/3

---

Euro exchange rates (1)

6 May 2013

2013/C 130/04

1 euro =

	Currency	Exchange rate
USD	US dollar	1,3107
JPY	Japanese yen	130,18
DKK	Danish krone	7,4528
GBP	Pound sterling	0,84310
SEK	Swedish krona	8,5543
CHF	Swiss franc	1,2280
ISK	Iceland króna
NOK	Norwegian krone	7,6240
BGN	Bulgarian lev	1,9558
CZK	Czech koruna	25,693
HUF	Hungarian forint	296,40
LTL	Lithuanian litas	3,4528
LVL	Latvian lats	0,7001
PLN	Polish zloty	4,1515
RON	Romanian leu	4,3135
TRY	Turkish lira	2,3543
AUD	Australian dollar	1,2801
CAD	Canadian dollar	1,3217
HKD	Hong Kong dollar	10,1705
NZD	New Zealand dollar	1,5380
SGD	Singapore dollar	1,6144
KRW	South Korean won	1 435,42
ZAR	South African rand	11,7695
CNY	Chinese yuan renminbi	8,0826
HRK	Croatian kuna	7,5721
IDR	Indonesian rupiah	12 758,36
MYR	Malaysian ringgit	3,9026
PHP	Philippine peso	53,551
RUB	Russian rouble	40,7400
THB	Thai baht	38,744
BRL	Brazilian real	2,6373
MXN	Mexican peso	15,8424
INR	Indian rupee	70,9940

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(1)  Source: reference exchange rate published by the ECB.

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7.5.2013

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 130/4

---

Commission communication in the framework of the implementation of the Commission Regulation (EC) No 278/2009 implementing Directive 2005/32/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council with regard to ecodesign requirements for no-load condition electric power consumption and average active efficiency of external power supplies

(Publication of titles and references of harmonised standards under Union harmonisation legislation)

(Text with EEA relevance)

2013/C 130/05

ESO (1)	Reference and title of the harmonised standard (and reference document)	Reference of superseded standard	Date of cessation of presumption of conformity of superseded standard Note 1	First publication OJ
Cenelec	EN 50563:2011 External a.c.-d.c. and a.c.-a.c. power supplies — Determination of no-load power and average efficiency of active modes			This is the first publication
This standard needs to be completed to clearly indicate those legal requirements aimed to be covered

Note 1:

Generally the date of cessation of presumption of conformity will be the date of withdrawal (‘dow’), set by the European standardisation organisation, but attention of users of these standards is drawn to the fact that in certain exceptional cases this can be otherwise.

Note 2.1:

The new (or amended) standard has the same scope as the superseded standard. On the date stated, the superseded standard ceases to give presumption of conformity with the essential or other requirements of the relevant Union legislation.

Note 2.2:

The new standard has a broader scope than the superseded standard. On the date stated the superseded standard ceases to give presumption of conformity with the essential or other requirements of the relevant Union legislation.

Note 2.3:

The new standard has a narrower scope than the superseded standard. On the date stated the (partially) superseded standard ceases to give presumption of conformity with the essential or other requirements of the relevant Union legislation for those products or services that fall within the scope of the new standard. Presumption of conformity with the essential or other requirements of the relevant Union legislation for products or services that still fall within the scope of the (partially) superseded standard, but that do not fall within the scope of the new standard, is unaffected.

Note 3:

In case of amendments, the referenced standard is EN CCCCC:YYYY, its previous amendments, if any, and the new, quoted amendment. The superseded standard therefore consists of EN CCCCC:YYYY and its previous amendments, if any, but without the new quoted amendment. On the date stated, the superseded standard ceases to give presumption of conformity with the essential or other requirements of the relevant Union legislation.

NOTE:

—

Any information concerning the availability of the standards can be obtained either from the European standardisation organisations or from the national standardisation bodies the list of which is published in the Official Journal of the European Union according to Article 27 of the Regulation (EU) No 1025/2012 (2).

—

Standards are adopted by the European standardisation organisations in English (CEN and Cenelec also publish in French and German). Subsequently, the titles of the standards are translated into all other required official languages of the European Union by the national standardisation bodies. The European Commission is not responsible for the correctness of the titles which have been presented for publication in the Official Journal.

—

References to Corrigenda ‘…/AC:YYYY’ are published for information only. A Corrigendum removes printing, linguistic or similar errors from the text of a standard and may relate to one or more language versions (English, French and/or German) of a standard as adopted by a European standardisation organisation.

—	Publication of the references in the Official Journal of the European Union does not imply that the standards are available in all the official languages of the European Union.

—	This list replaces all the previous lists published in the Official Journal of the European Union. The European Commission ensures the updating of this list.

—	More information about harmonised standards and other European standards on the Internet at: http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/policies/european-standards/harmonised-standards/index_en.htm

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(1)  ESO: European standardisation organisation:

—	CEN: Avenue Marnix 17, 1000 Bruxelles/Brussel, BELGIQUE/BELGIË, Tel. +32 25500811; Fax +32 25500819 (http://www.cen.eu).

—	Cenelec: Avenue Marnix 17, 1000 Bruxelles/Brussel, BELGIQUE/BELGIË, Tel. +32 25196871; Fax +32 25196919 (http://www.cenelec.eu).

—	ETSI: 650 route des Lucioles, 06921 Sophia Antipolis, FRANCE, Tel. +33 492944200; Fax +33 493654716 (http://www.etsi.eu).

(2)  OJ L 316, 14.11.2012, p. 12.

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7.5.2013

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 130/6

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Article 107(1), (2) and (4) of Regulation (EEC) No 574/72

Reference period: April 2013

Application period: July, August and September 2013

04-2013	EUR	BGN	CZK	DKK	LVL	LTL	HUF	PLN
1 EUR =	1	1,95580	25,8410	7,45533	0,700557	3,45280	298,669	4,13589
1 BGN =	0,511300	1	13,2125	3,81191	0,358195	1,76542	152,709	2,11468
1 CZK =	0,0386982	0,0756859	1	0,288508	0,0271103	0,133617	11,5580	0,160051
1 DKK =	0,134132	0,262336	3,46611	1	0,0939673	0,463132	40,0612	0,554756
1 LVL =	1,42744	2,79178	36,8864	10,6420	1	4,92865	426,331	5,90371
1 LTL =	0,289620	0,566439	7,48407	2,15921	0,202895	1	86,5005	1,19784
1 HUF =	0,00334819	0,00654839	0,0865205	0,0249618	0,00234560	0,0115606	1	0,0138477
1 PLN =	0,241786	0,472885	6,24800	1,80260	0,169385	0,834839	72,2140	1
1 RON =	0,228416	0,446736	5,90250	1,70292	0,160018	0,788675	68,2208	0,944703
1 SEK =	0,118415	0,231596	3,05997	0,882824	0,0829566	0,408864	35,3670	0,489752
1 GBP =	1,17542	2,29889	30,3741	8,76317	0,823451	4,05850	351,063	4,86142
1 NOK =	0,132549	0,259239	3,42520	0,988196	0,0928581	0,457665	39,5883	0,548207
1 ISK =	0,00646287	0,0126401	0,167007	0,0481828	0,00452761	0,022315	1,93026	0,0267297
1 CHF =	0,819749	1,60326	21,1831	6,11150	0,574281	2,83043	244,834	3,39039

04-2013	RON	SEK	GBP	NOK	ISK	CHF
1 EUR =	4,37798	8,44486	0,850757	7,54438	154,730	1,21989
1 BGN =	2,23846	4,31786	0,434992	3,85744	79,1134	0,623727
1 CZK =	0,169420	0,326801	0,0329228	0,291954	5,98777	0,0472074
1 DKK =	0,587228	1,13273	0,114114	1,011940	20,7543	0,163626
1 LVL =	6,24928	12,0545	1,21440	10,7691	220,867	1,74131
1 LTL =	1,26795	2,44580	0,246396	2,18500	44,8129	0,353303
1 HUF =	0,0146583	0,0282750	0,00284849	0,0252600	0,518065	0,00408441
1 PLN =	1,05853	2,04185	0,205701	1,82413	37,4116	0,294952
1 RON =	1	1,92894	0,194327	1,72326	35,3428	0,278641
1 SEK =	0,518419	1	0,1007430	0,893369	18,3224	0,144453
1 GBP =	5,14598	9,92629	1	8,86784	181,873	1,43388
1 NOK =	0,580296	1,11936	0,112767	1	20,5093	0,161695
1 ISK =	0,0282943	0,0545781	0,00549833	0,0487584	1	0,00788396
1 CHF =	3,58884	6,92267	0,697407	6,18450	126,840	1

Note: all cross rates involving ISK are calculated using ISK/EUR rate data from the Central Bank of Iceland

reference: Apr-13	1 EUR in national currency	1 unit of N.C. in EUR
BGN	1,95580	0,511300
CZK	25,8410	0,0386982
DKK	7,45533	0,134132
LVL	0,700557	1,42744
LTL	3,45280	0,289620
HUF	298,669	0,00334819
PLN	4,13589	0,241786
RON	4,37798	0,228416
SEK	8,44486	0,118415
GBP	0,850757	1,17542
NOK	7,54438	0,132549
ISK	154,730	0,00646287
CHF	1,21989	0,819749

Note: ISK/EUR rates based on data from the Central Bank of Iceland

1.

Regulation (EEC) No 574/72 determines that the rate for the conversion into a currency of amounts denominated in another currency shall be the rate calculated by the Commission and based on the monthly average, during the reference period specified in paragraph 2, of reference rates of exchange of currencies published by the European Central Bank.

2.

The reference period shall be: — the month of January for rates of conversion applicable from 1 April following, — the month of April for rates of conversion applicable from 1 July following, — the month of July for rates of conversion applicable from 1 October following, — the month of October for rates of conversion applicable from 1 January following. The rates for the conversion of currencies shall be published in the second Official Journal of the European Union (C series) of the months of February, May, August and November.

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7.5.2013

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 130/8

---

CALL FOR PROPOSALS — EAC/S05/13

European Policy Network of National Literacy Organisations

(open call)

2013/C 130/07

1.   Objectives and description

The purpose of this call is to strengthen cross-European collaboration between foundations and associations, ministries and other organisations active in the field of literacy promotion in order to raise levels of literacy amongst children, young people and adults in Europe. The network will be supported by a grant for an action with multiple beneficiaries from the Lifelong Learning Programme, as defined in the annual work programme 2013, paragraph 4.1.4, adopted on 27 of March 2013.

The call aims to support the establishment of one European policy network to raise awareness, gather and analyse policy information, and exchange policy approaches, good practice and promising campaigns and initiatives to promote literacy and in light of the education and training framework (‘ET 2020’) benchmark to reduce the number of low achievers in reading by 2020 (1).

The applicant shall submit a work programme outlining the concrete actions and outputs proposed in order to achieve the objectives set out in this call for proposals. The work programme should include clear targets, indicators and a timetable.

The scope of the proposed work programme shall cover:

—	development of country-specific knowledge,

—	facilitating the exchange of good practice,

—	awareness-raising initiatives,

—	cooperation with other institutions and organisations working in the field of literacy both at national and EU level to promote effective literacy policies.

The Commission department responsible for implementation and management of this action is the School Education and Comenius Unit of the Directorate-General for Education and Culture.

2.   Eligibility

2.1.   Applicant

Only applications from legal entities established in the following countries are eligible:

—	27 Member States of the European Union,

—	acceding country: Croatia,

—	candidate countries: Iceland, Montenegro, Serbia, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and Turkey,

—	EFTA States: Liechtenstein, Norway, Switzerland.

Proposals from applicants in candidate countries may be selected provided that, on the date of award, agreements have been signed setting out the arrangements for the participation of those countries in the Lifelong Learning Programme.

The network should cover at least 20 LLP participating countries with a good geographical balance. In order to achieve a good geographical balance, the members of the network should represent at least 15 EU Member States.

2.2.   Proposals

Under this call for proposals, the following proposals are eligible:

—	proposals received by the deadline stipulated in this call for proposals,

—	proposals submitted using the official application form and complying with its requirements, completed in full and signed,

—	applications must be drafted in one of the EU official languages.

3.   Budget and project duration

The total budget earmarked for the co-financing of the action is estimated at EUR 3 000 000 maximum, for the period 2013-2015.

The financial contribution from the Commission cannot exceed 75 % of the total eligible costs.

The Commission reserves the right not to distribute all the funds available.

Implementation period:

—	activities should start after signature of the grant agreement (December 2013 the latest),

—	activities are to be completed 24 months after signature of the grant agreement,

—	the maximum duration of the action is 24 months.

4.   Deadline for applications

Applications must be sent no later than on 29 August 2013 — 12.00, date as per postmark, to:

‘Call for proposals European Policy Network of National Literacy Organisations EAC/S05/13’

For the attention of Mr João DELGADO

Head of Unit

Directorate-General for Education and Culture

Unit B1: School Education; Comenius

J-70, 02/232

1049 Bruxelles/Brussel

BELGIQUE/BELGIË

5.   Further information

The other texts relating to this call for proposals, which include the application form and the programme guide containing the technical and administrative specifications, can be found at the following Internet address:

http://ec.europa.eu/education/calls/index_en.htm

Applications must comply with the abovementioned texts and must be submitted on the forms provided.

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(1)  By 2020, the share of low-achieving 15-years olds in reading, mathematics and science should be less than 15 % — http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:C:2009:119:0002:0010:EN:PDF

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7.5.2013

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 130/11

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Prior notification of a concentration

(Case COMP/M.6899 — Lion Capital/Avedon Capital Partners/Ad van Geloven Holding)

Candidate case for simplified procedure

(Text with EEA relevance)

2013/C 130/08

1.

On 29 April 2013, the Commission received a notification of a proposed concentration pursuant to Article 4 of Council Regulation (EC) No 139/2004 (1) by which the undertakings Lion Capital LLP (United Kingdom) and Avedon Capital Partners B.V. (Netherlands) acquire within the meaning of Article 3(1)(b) of the Merger Regulation joint control of the undertaking Ad van Geloven Holding B.V. (Netherlands) by way of Avedon Capital Partners B.V.’s acquisition of shares.

2.

The business activities of the undertakings concerned are: — Lion Capital LLP is a private equity company focusing on investments in businesses active in the production and sale of consumer-branded goods. It holds controlling interests in a number of companies including A.S. Adventures, active in the sale of outdoor equipment and clothing in Belgium, the Netherlands and the UK, and in Findus and Picard, active in the sale of frozen and chilled food products. Lion Capital also already holds a controlling interest in Ad van Geloven Holding B.V., — Avedon Capital Partners B.V. is a private equity investor with controlling interests in a number of companies including Euretco which is active among other things in the sale of sporting goods in the Netherlands, — Ad van Geloven Holding B.V. is active in the production and sale of mainly frozen snacks, both branded and private label, for the retail and out-of-home channels mainly in the Netherlands.

3.

On preliminary examination, the Commission finds that the notified transaction could fall within the scope of the EC Merger Regulation. However, the final decision on this point is reserved. Pursuant to the Commission Notice on a simplified procedure for treatment of certain concentrations under the EC Merger Regulation (2) it should be noted that this case is a candidate for treatment under the procedure set out in the Notice.

4.

The Commission invites interested third parties to submit their possible observations on the proposed operation to the Commission. Observations must reach the Commission not later than 10 days following the date of this publication. Observations can be sent to the Commission by fax (+32 22964301), by email to COMP-MERGER-REGISTRY@ec.europa.eu or by post, under reference number COMP/M.6899 — Lion Capital/Avedon Capital Partners/Ad van Geloven Holding, to the following address: European Commission Directorate-General for Competition Merger Registry 1049 Bruxelles/Brussel BELGIQUE/BELGIË

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(1)  OJ L 24, 29.1.2004, p. 1 (the ‘EC Merger Regulation’).

(2)  OJ C 56, 5.3.2005, p. 32 (‘Notice on a simplified procedure’).

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7.5.2013

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 130/13

---

Prior notification of a concentration

(Case COMP/M.6915 — OJSC Unimilk Company/NDL International/JV)

Candidate case for simplified procedure

(Text with EEA relevance)

2013/C 130/09

1.

On 29 April 2013, the Commission received a notification of a proposed concentration pursuant to Article 4 of Council Regulation (EC) No 139/2004 (1) by which the undertakings OJSC Unimilk Company (‘OJSC Unimilk’, Russia), ultimately controlled by Danone Group (‘Danone’, France), and NDL International, belonging to the Norbert Dentressangle Group (‘NDL’, France) acquire within the meaning of Article 3(4) of the Merger Regulation joint control over NDL Holding Russia BV (‘NDLH Russia’, the Netherlands) by way of purchase of shares in a newly created joint venture.

2.

The business activities of the undertakings concerned are: — OJSC Unimilk is active in the production and sale of milk and dairy products. It is part of Danone, a world-wide manufacturer of food products, in particular dairy products, water, baby food and medical nutrition products, — NDL International is a supplier of logistics services. It is part of NDL, a world-wide provider of logistics, transport and freight forwarding services, — NDLH Russia will provide logistics and distribution of chilled food and beverage products in Russia.

3.

On preliminary examination, the Commission finds that the notified transaction could fall within the scope of the EC Merger Regulation. However, the final decision on this point is reserved. Pursuant to the Commission Notice on a simplified procedure for treatment of certain concentrations under the EC Merger Regulation (2) it should be noted that this case is a candidate for treatment under the procedure set out in the Notice.

4.

The Commission invites interested third parties to submit their possible observations on the proposed operation to the Commission. Observations must reach the Commission not later than 10 days following the date of this publication. Observations can be sent to the Commission by fax (+32 22964301), by email to COMP-MERGER-REGISTRY@ec.europa.eu or by post, under reference number COMP/M.6915 — OJSC Unimilk Company/NDL International/JV, to the following address: European Commission Directorate-General for Competition Merger Registry 1049 Bruxelles/Brussel BELGIQUE/BELGIË

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(1)  OJ L 24, 29.1.2004, p. 1 (the ‘EC Merger Regulation’).

(2)  OJ C 56, 5.3.2005, p. 32 (‘Notice on a simplified procedure’).

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7.5.2013

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 130/14

---

Prior notification of a concentration

(Case COMP/M.6908 — Randstad/USG Assets)

(Text with EEA relevance)

2013/C 130/10

1.

On 29 April 2013, the Commission received a notification of a proposed concentration pursuant to Article 4 of Council Regulation (EC) No 139/2004 (1) by which Randstad Holding N.V. (‘Randstad’, The Netherlands) acquires within the meaning of Article 3(1)(b) of the Merger Regulation sole control of part of USG People N.V. (‘USG Assets’, The Netherlands) by way of purchase of shares.

2.

The business activities of the undertakings concerned are: — for Randstad: international provider of temporary employment services, permanent placement services and other human resources related services, — for USG Assets: USG People is an international provider of temporary employment services, permanent placement services and other human resources related services. USG Assets relate to USG People general staffing companies in Austria, Italy, Luxembourg, Poland, Spain and Switzerland.

3.	On preliminary examination, the Commission finds that the notified transaction could fall within the scope the EC Merger Regulation. However, the final decision on this point is reserved.

4.

The Commission invites interested third parties to submit their possible observations on the proposed operation to the Commission. Observations must reach the Commission not later than 10 days following the date of this publication. Observations can be sent to the Commission by fax (+32 22964301), by e-mail to COMP-MERGER-REGISTRY@ec.europa.eu or by post, under reference number COMP/M.6908 — Randstad/USG Assets, to the following address: European Commission Directorate-General for Competition Merger Registry 1049 Bruxelles/Brussel BELGIQUE/BELGIË

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(1)  OJ L 24, 29.1.2004, p. 1 (the ‘EC Merger Regulation’).

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7.5.2013

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 130/15

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Publication of an 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

2013/C 130/11

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

SINGLE DOCUMENT

COUNCIL REGULATION (EC) No 510/2006

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

‘RIGOTTE DE CONDRIEU’

EC No: FR-PDO-0005-0782-07.07.2009

PGI ( ) PDO ( X )

1.   Name

‘Rigotte de Condrieu’

2.   Member State or Third Country

France

3.   Description of the agricultural product or foodstuff

3.1.   Type of product

Class 1.3.

Cheeses

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

‘Rigotte de Condrieu’ is a small non-standardised cheese made from raw, full-fat goat’s milk. It is made from curdled goat’s milk. It is an unpressed soft cheese.

At the end of the minimum maturation period (eight days from the day of removal from the mould), it is shaped like a small round puck of between 4,2 cm and 5 cm in diameter and 1,9 cm and 2,4 cm in height. Its weight even after a longer maturation process must not fall below 30 grams.

The surface flora is made up of ivory-coloured, white and blue mould. The cheese paste is white or ivory-coloured, firm and smooth. It contains at least 40 g fat per 100 g of cheese after total desiccation and it must contain 40 g of dry matter per 100 g of cheese.

When tasted, it has a mix of flavours reminiscent of hazelnut, vegetation and whey, and it is moderately salty.

3.3.   Raw materials (for processed products only)

It is made from the milk of Alpine or Saanen goats, either from the ‘Massif Central breed’ or a cross-breed of the two, in the defined geographical area and it is raw, full-fat and non-standardised.

3.4.   Feed (for products of animal origin only)

The staple feed over the year for the goats is made up mainly of coarse fodder grown in the defined geographical area.

This coarse fodder includes fresh grass, dry hay from permanent or temporary pasture and, in general, any plants eaten when grazing, dried alfalfa with a protein content of less than 20 % and any other unfermented fodder which does not turn the milk sour, e.g. cereals which are not yet ripe, protein crops, oilseeds, tubers and pulses, which may be used for fodder.

In addition, bale grass may be used as feed for the goats, as long as it contains at least 55 % dry matter and was cut fresh from the pastureland of the farm.

The goats graze or are fed with green fodder grown in the defined geographical area, local weather conditions permitting, for a minimum of 120 days per year.

The annual amount of supplementary feed distributed to the goats may not exceed 350 kg of raw matter per goat. There is a set list of authorised supplementary feed. Only plants, by-products and supplementary feed derived from non-transgenic products are authorised in the goat feed.

Preference is given to fodder and supplementary feed grown in the defined geographical area.

Fodder or supplementary feed grown outside the defined geographical area cannot make up more than 40 % in total of the dry matter consumed by the goats. This amount will be reduced to 20 % from 1 January 2014.

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

The milk must be produced and processed, and the cheese must be matured, within the defined geographical area.

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

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3.7.   Specific rules concerning labelling

In addition to the regulatory information requirements applicable to all cheeses, each cheese with the protected designation of origin ‘Rigotte de Condrieu’, or at least each unit for sale to the consumer, is marketed under an individual label bearing the name of the protected designation of origin in characters at least two-thirds of the size of the largest characters on the label, as well as bearing the EU PDO logo.

4.   Concise definition of the geographical area

‘Rigotte de Condrieu’ is made in the Massif du Pilat, an area south-west of Lyon. This massif straddles two départements: the Rhône and the Loire. It is part of the Rhône-Alpes region.

The milk may only be produced and turned into cheese, which is then matured, in the following municipalities:

Municipalities belonging to the Rhône département:   Municipalities completely covered: Ampuis, Condrieu, Echalas, Les Haies, Loire-sur-Rhône, Longes, Sainte-Colombe, Saint-Cyr-sur-Rhône, Saint-Romain-en-Gal, Trèves and Tupin-et-Semons.   Municipalities covered in part, excluding urban areas: Givors and Saint-Romain-en-Gier.

Municipalities belonging to the Loire département:   Municipalities completely covered: Le Bessat, Bessey, Bourg-Argental, Burdignes, La Chapelle-Villars, Châteauneuf, Chavanay, Chuyer, Colombier, Doizieux, Farnay, Graix, Lupe, Maclas, Malleval, Pavezin, Pelussin, Planfoy, Roisey, Saint-Appolinard, Sainte-Croix-en-Jarez, Saint-Julien-Molin-Molette, Saint-Michel-Sur-Rhône, Saint-Paul-en-Jarez, Saint-Pierre-de-Boeuf, Saint-Sauveur-en-Rue, Tarentaise, La Terrasse-sur-Dorlay, Thélis-la-Combe, La Valla-en-Gier, Veranne, Verin and La Versanne.   Municipalities covered in part, excluding urban areas: Saint-Chamond and Saint-Etienne.

5.   Link with the geographical area

5.1.   Specificity of the geographical area

The geographical area where ‘Rigotte de Condrieu’ is produced is characterised by specific geographical and human factors. As it is a massif, the area has a very varied climate, slopes are the most common land form, the soil is brown, acidic and shallow, and there is a great deal of biodiversity.

This has led to different types of farming with goat breeding playing an important role both traditionally and in today’s economy.

Geographical factors

The Massif du Pilat is a mid-mountain area whose natural borders are made up by valleys to the north-west and east (the Gier, Ondaine and Rhône valleys) and the Eteize hills to the south. It is part of the Massif Central but it is not typical of it with its complex geology, its acidic and light soil and its very mountainous landscape with its extreme slopes. The Massif du Pilat is characterised by its ancient igneous and metamorphic rocks. It is marked by chirats, rare geological formations made up of characteristic rock piles cemented together. The chemical composition of its soil is fairly homogeneous: it has a high silica content and a low iron content. This mix is conducive to the build-up of acidic soil.

The Pilat is at a climatic crossroads where Atlantic, Mediterranean and continental climatic conditions meet. The temperature and rainfall levels are greatly influenced by the mountainous terrain. The rainfall levels are moderate (between 580 mm and 1 000 mm) but are distributed unevenly throughout the year: the summer tends to be very dry. The climate of the Pilat is also affected by frequent and strong winds.

The natural vegetation is normal for hilly and mountainous areas. Despite the moderate altitudes and its continental and southern location, the vegetation in the Pilat is normal for mountain areas.

The landscape is dominated by the peak. The villages huddle together on the promontories between its crêts or ridges, which are covered in mountain moorland, mixed pine forest and steep-sided valleys.

Half of the area is covered in trees and 80 % of the usable agricultural area (UAA), which represents only 36 % of the total area, is used for growing fodder. Two-thirds of the fodder comes from natural pastureland.

The floral diversity of the Massif du Pilat is remarkable (40 to 60 species per type of pasture) and this has led to the designation of many of these pastures as ‘natural habitats’ of Community interest under Directive 92/43/EEC.

The flora mainly consists of the acidophilic and acidocline species. The most common of these are grass species such as oatgrass, leguminous plants such as trefoil or other plants from the succisa and knautia genera.

Human factors

The Massif du Pilat does have a strong goat breeding tradition in its mixed farms where keeping goats, initially a woman’s job, led to diversification.

Since the 18th century, goat breeding has become particularly popular in the driest parts of the Massif du Pilat, as these are not suited to cattle breeding. Traditionally, farms in these areas made cheese from both cow’s and goat’s milk. Cheese made from cow’s milk tended to be for private use so that the cheese made from goat’s milk could be sold, as it fetched higher prices.

In areas where production was limited, goats made economic sense, as they could be bred on land not suited to cattle. It was efficient as more milk could be produced for the same surface area.

As this cheese was traded nearby (in Lyon and Saint-Étienne), it tended to be small as its small size was ideal for rapid drying and maturing. The use of small strainers of about 7 cm in diameter helped distinguish the goat’s cheese from the cow’s cheese which was strained in larger moulds. The choice of a small strainer was also based on the fact that most farms did not produce much goat’s milk as they only had small herds.

Traditionally, the milk used is raw, full-fat and non-standardised. Production processes have been adapted to making curdled goat’s milk, so that the milk is matured and becomes more acidic. If possible, whey from previous curdling stages containing lactic bacteria is injected. The mould must suit the structure of the curd, so that it does not need to be sliced, pre-drained or mixed. The cheese is turned over once within 12 hours of being placed in the mould and is dry salted on both sides at the same time.

After eight days, on removal from the mould, ‘Rigotte de Condrieu’ has developed its specific characteristics.

5.2.   Specificity of the product

‘Rigotte de Condrieu’ is characterised by:

—	its small size (small round puck weighing slightly over 30 g),

—	its delicate surface flora is made up of ivory-coloured, white and blue mould,

—	its paste is firm and smooth in texture, without holes and soft when tasted,

—	its mix of flavours, hazelnut, vegetation and whey, and its moderate saltiness.

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 acidic, sandy and shallow soil typical of this area and the specific local climate, as well as local breeding practices, have led to the planting and cultivation of pastures with a very varied flora which thrives on acidic soil.

The diversity and botanical composition of the flora in this area have influenced the content and composition of fat-soluble compounds in the milk. They have also led to the growth of microbial flora which is injected via the whey before curdling, thus helping to mature the cheese and develop its flavour.

The breeding methods employed to produce ‘Rigotte de Condrieu’ make the best use of the special characteristics of the area by exploiting local resources, producing local fodder, green pasture and feeding and outdoor grazing.

The processing of full-fat, raw milk and, if possible, the injection of bacteria via whey from previous curdling stages also preserve the milk’s flora.

The curdling process using a mould which respects the structure of the curd results in a paste with a homogenous and smooth texture which is characteristic of ‘Rigotte de Condrieu’. Turning over the cheese once it has been placed in the mould and dry salting both sides at the same time means that the salt is well distributed. These processing techniques help produce a cheese with a firm and homogeneous paste which is soft when tasted.

The geographical location of the Pilat near major trading centres, its windy climate (in the past, ‘Rigotte de Condrieu’ was dried in a chasière, a sort of cupboard with bars in the open air) and the organisation of its farms has led to the making of a small goat’s cheese. The small size of the cheese means that it lends itself to fairly rapid drying, followed by maturing.

The characteristics of the natural habitat, along with the significant amount of local fodder in the animal feed and the local know-how on how best to drain the cheese and preserve the flora in the milk, result in a small cheese (4,2 cm to 5 cm in diameter) with a delicate surface flora in various colours, which is typical of this type of cheese which can be sold at different maturing stages, and with its mix of flavours, i.e. hazelnut, vegetation and whey, and its moderate saltiness.

Due to these special characteristics, this small cheese, which has been produced in the Massif du Pilat since the end of the 18th century, has gradually built up its regional reputation. It was first called ‘Rigotte’ then ‘Rigotte de Condrieu’ after the canton of Condrieu which, until steam boats were developed in the mid-19th century, was a thriving trading centre for the Rhône region. Guicherd and Ponsart’s study on ‘L’Agriculture du Rhône en 1926’ (‘Agriculture in the Rhône in 1926’) published in 1927 already referred to ‘Rigotte de Condrieu’ as one of the best two goat cheeses of the Rhône département.

Reference to publication of the specification

(Article 5(7) of Regulation (EC) No 510/2006 (3))

https://www.inao.gouv.fr/fichier/CDCRigottedeCondrieu.pdf

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(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)  See footnote 2.

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