Publication of an application for registration pursuant to Article 6(2) of Regulation (EEC) No 2081/92 on the protection of geographical indications and designations of origin

(2005/C 138/04)

This publication confers the right to object to the application pursuant to Articles 7 and 12d of the abovementioned Regulation. Any objection to this application must be submitted via the competent authority in a Member State, in a WTO member country or in a third country recognized in accordance with Article 12(3) within a time limit of six months from the date of this publication. The arguments for publication are set out below, in particular under 4.6, and are considered to justify the application within the meaning of Regulation (EEC) No 2081/92.

SUMMARY

COUNCIL REGULATION (EEC) No 2081/92

‘MELANNURCA CAMPANA’

EC No: IT/00193/27.4.2001

PDO ( ) PGI (X)

This note is a summary produced for information. For full details, interested parties and in particular the producers of the products covered by the PDO and the PGI in question are invited to consult the full version of the specifications at national services or associations or at the competent services of the European Commission (1).

1.   Responsible department in the Member State:

2.   Applicant:

3.   Type of product:

Class 1.6: Natural and processed fruit, vegetables and cereals.

4.   Specification:

(summary of requirements under Article 4(2))

4.1   Name: ‘Melannurca Campana’

4.2   Description: When ready for consumption, the fresh product should have the following characteristics:

For the Annurca variety:

For the Rossa del sud variety:

4.3   Geographical area: The production area of Melannurca Campana PGI comprises municipalities within the provinces of Avellino, Benevento, Caserta, Naples and Salerno, as detailed in the product specification.

4.4   Proof of origin: Every phase of production should be monitored, in each case documenting the inputs and outputs. In this way, and through registration of producers, plots of cultivation land, processors and packagers on special lists maintained by the regulatory body, the traceability of the product (from one end of the production chain to the other in both directions) is guaranteed.

All persons, both individuals and legal entities, on the relevant lists will be regulated by the regulatory body as established in the product specification and the relevant regulation plan. Whenever the regulatory body establishes non-conformity, even if it is only in one phase of the production chain, the product may not be sold under the protected geographical indication Melannurca Campana.

4.5   Method of production: The product specification provides amongst other things that in the cultivation phase, the trees are grown in the standard way, branching only at the top, although new pruning methods are acceptable provided that they do not alter the unique characteristics of the product. The most widespread stock remains Franco, but cloned stocks are also considered suitable. The number of trees per hectare may vary up to a maximum of 1 200 trees/ha. The maximum permitted production, even allowing for seasonal climatic variations, is set at 35 t/ha. Irrigation water should have a salt content no greater than 1.1 Ecw. The fruits must be harvested by hand. From time immemorial, the fruit has traditionally been reddened on the ground in what are known as ‘melai’. The apples are placed on layers of various soft materials on small plots of ground, lined up on ridges to avoid water collecting around them. The fruits are arranged in one or two lines, exposing the least coloured areas in particular to the light by periodically turning them.

Cultivation, processing and packaging must take place within the territory defined above at point 4.3 in order to guarantee that the product can be traced and regulated.

4.6   Link: Cultivation of the Annurca apple has always characterised the countryside of Campania thanks to the favourable soil and weather conditions which have allowed it to spread wherever the land, whether due to the soil composition or to the rainfall (6 000 — 7 000 m3/ha from spring to autumn), has a depth suitable for the roots i.e. greater than 80 cm, has limestone values of less than 10 and a salt content expressed in mS/cm of less than 2. The Annurca apple starts to flower and to germinate late, thus escaping the negative consequences of low temperatures coinciding with flowering and germination. The area involved in production of the PGI is characterised by good drainage and the ground is notable for its mixed composition (light loam), and for a pH between 6.5 and 7.5. The human factor which closely accompanies the entire production cycle of the Annurca apple is fundamental, from cultivation to harvest and ultimately to the construction of melai and the techniques for reddening. The relationship between the Annurca and Campania is very ancient, a link which began in the Roman era in the Phlegraean Fields (Pozzuoli area), became firmly established over the centuries and has progressively grown to involve many other areas within the region, areas — chosen for their environmental suitability — which have required centuries of patient toil on the part of the local agricultural workers. From time immemorial and in every text on the subject, the Annurca apple has been synonymous with Campania.

In Campania, known as Campania felix by the Romans for its exceptional geographical situation, there has been a rich and varied tradition of fruit cultivation for millennia; the Annurca apple takes pride of place in this and it is called, for good reason, the ‘queen of apples’. Uncovering the roots of the Annurca means returning to elements of the glorious ancient past since it is recognisable in paintings at Pompeii, and in particular those inside the Casa dei Cervi at Herculaneum. This suggests that the ancient inhabitants of those areas were eating these apples even then. Pliny the Elder first describes them in his monumental encyclopaedia Naturalis Historia.

4.7   Inspection body:

4.8   Labelling: The following items must appear on the labels in clear, indelible print:

the mark ‘I.G.P. MELANNURCA CAMPANA’, followed by the name of the variety ‘ANNURCA’ or ‘ROSSA del SUD’;

the name, business name and address of the producer;

the quantity of the product contained within the packaging;

the PGI logo, a stylised apple against a white background, whose lower edge and upper left edge are red while the upper right edge is green.

Products prepared using Melannurca PGI, even after development and processing, may be sold in packaging making reference to the designation without the addition of the Community logo, provided that:

only fruits that conform with this specification are used, apart from in terms of size and refractometer residue which may be less than those at Article 6 but never below 50 mm in diameter and 10.5o Bx residue;

the weight relationship between the amount of Melannurca Campana PGI used and the amount of derived product is precisely stated;

the use of Melannurca Campana PGI is attested by production certificates issued by the competent bodies;

users of the Melannurca Campana PGI are authorised by the holders of the intellectual property right conferred by registration of the PGI, organised in an association for the protection of the PGI recognised by the Ministry of Agricultural and Forestry Policies. This association will also enter the users in special registers and monitor the correct use of the protected geographical indication. In the absence of a recognised association, the above tasks will be carried out by the Ministry of Agricultural and Forestry Policies as the national authority responsible for implementing Regulation (EEC) No 2081/92.

4.9   National requirements: —

(1)  European Commission, Directorate-General for Agriculture and Rural Development, Agricultural Products Quality Policy Unit, B-1049 Brussels.