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

(2004/C 41/02)

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.

COUNCIL REGULATION (EEC) No 2081/92

APPLICATION FOR REGISTRATION: ARTICLE 5

PDO (x) PGI ( )

National application No: 12/2002

1.

   Responsible department in Member State

Name: Ministero delle Politiche agricole e forestali

Address: Via XX Settembre, 20 — I-00187 Roma

Tel. (39-06) 481 99 68

Fax (39-06) 42 01 31 26

E-mail: qualita@politicheagricole.it

2.

   Applicant group

Name: Consorzio di tutela e valorizzazione dell'olio extra di oliva Cartoceto

Address: Piazza Garibaldi, 1 — I-61030 Cartoceto (PS)

Composition: Producer/processor (x) other ( )

3.

    Type of product: Group 1.5 — extra virgin olive oil

4.

   Specification (summary of requirements under Article 4(2))

4.1.

    Name: ‘Cartoceto’

4.2.

   Description: Extra virgin olive oil with the following chemical and organoleptic characteristics:

—	maximum acidity: 0,5 % (expressed as oleic acid),

—	panel test points ≥ 7, clear absence of defects and perception of the fruity,

—	peroxides: maximum value 12 meq O2/kg,

—	total polyphenols ≥ 100 mg/kg,

—	oleic/linoleic acid ratio ≥ 8,

—	green or green with golden yellow tints for oils still very young; golden yellow with greenish tints for more mature oils,

—	aroma: green olive fruity from light to medium on the IOOC scale with a light herbaceous note,

—	taste: well balanced, fusing green fruity, sweet, bitter and pungent.

4.3.

    Geographical area: The production area is located in the Province of Pesaro e Urbino (Marche Region) and comprises the territory of the communes of Cartoceto, Saltara, Serrungarina and Mombaroccio and part of that of Fano (entire north hill slope bounded by the Flaminia national highway to its junction with the Adriatica national highway (south side) and the administrative boundary (north side).

4.4.

   Proof of origin: Some historians ascribe the origin of Cartoceto and the surrounding villages to Carthaginians who survived the battle on the River Metauros (207 BC) and escaped capture and slaughter by sheltering in the woods on the right bank of the river, while others crossed it and hid in the hills overlooking the valley, then covered in thick woods. Unable to return home, they stayed where they were and formed the first family groups. Thus Cartoceto would derive from Karchidon or Karthada, the Greek name for Carthage, or from the Latin Carthaginensium coetus ‘group of Carthaginians’, hence Carticetum.

The presence of the olive in the Cartoceto district is attested by a series of acts and documents dating back to the 13th century, when for the granting of lands in lease, including ground with olive trees at Ripalta, from 1178 agreements were concluded assigning half of the olive crop and stipulating payment of 100 soldi of Lucca if the terms were not kept. The lands under the jurisdiction of Fano were an important source of olive oil and Cartoceto was of particular importance, outstanding for its production, as noted in 1392 by l'Amiani in the Memorie historiche della città di Fano. The great interest of the owners in growing olives is apparent in the 1540 land register when 116 out of 195 had olive trees on their ground. Despite the duties on oil Cartoceto increased the number of trees over the centuries. Between 1590 and 1681 it quadrupled.

Notarial acts of that period record the presence of numerous mills at Cartoceto and cast light on the provisions governing them. Joint operation is a recurring feature throughout the 15th and 16th centuries, with enterprises being set up between owners on specific terms. In consequence breaking up the ownership of a mill was a complex and sometimes confused matter. Often one is dealing with a half or a third part but there are also cases of smaller divisions where given the awkwardness of the operation several people were assigned to the assessment. From examination of the notarial deeds in chronological succession it is deduced that on 1 August 1538 seven mills were operating in Cartoceto. That oil produced there has always been among the most highly prized of goods is shown by its being used in 1390 to indicate the value of other goods, e.g. ‘a white ass with a saddle is worth seven quartaroli of oil’ (61 litres). The oil fulfilled various functions: it served as a form of payment for various types of work and was given in income to each canon of the collegiate church and as revenue to the bishop. From the earliest times the community made sure that the oil could be sold at a booth in the piazza particularly on market days. The seller undertook not to increase the price to strangers, to keep the oil in good condition and in the containers and to display a placard with the price. The oil met not only the needs of the district but was in demand and appreciated elsewhere. Various documents attest the fame that the oil produced at Cartoceto had acquired as far back as 1500.

Growing, processing and bottling take place within the delimited area. Bottling has to be within the area in order to safeguard the distinctive characteristics and quality of the oil by having inspection by the third party organisation carried out under the watchful eye of the producers themselves, to whom the protected designation of origin is of vital importance, offering as it does, and as the Regulation itself intends, a means of supplementing their income. Moreover, this operation has traditionally being carried out in the delimited area.

The olives come from the growers' registered groves and extraction, bottling and packaging are done by approved registered establishments. The inspection body checks that the technical requirements that the production specification imposes for registration are met and that all the parties in the production chain comply with the traceability provisions.

4.5.

   Method of production: The oil is produced from the varieties Raggiola, Frantoio and Leccino, which in the groves must have a representation jointly or individually of not less than 70 %. The minor varieties Raggia, Moraiolo and Pendolino are allowed up to a maximum of 30 %. Cropping starts when the colour change begins (in the delimited zone this is generally seen from the second 10 days of October) and is not prolonged beyond 25 November each year. The olives are picked either by the traditional hand-combing method or pneumatic or electric rakes are used. Shaking, beating down and detachment are prohibited. Until they are crushed the olives are kept in rigid ventilated containers that prevent damage to the fruit. Treatment is given against Dacus oleae from the end of July/beginning of August (the last treatment can never be later than 10 September) and against sooty mould in winter and summer.

Maximum production is 9 000 kg per hectare for the new groves (dynamic layout, irrigated land, particularly fertile soil) and for the old traditional groves 7 500 kg, while for mixed groves the average production is 20 kg per tree. The oil must be bottled in the area and produced exclusively from healthy olives grown and crushed in it. Crushing must occur within 48 hours of cropping and the olives can be kept in the mill for only a few hours. Extraction is exclusively by traditional methods or in continuous process and throughout the extraction cycle the temperature parameters set in Regulation (EC) 2568/92 must be strictly observed and the production specification requirements setting crushing procedures, temperatures and kneading times according to the degree of colouring and cropping period adhered to. The ripasso method is prohibited, as are use of chemical or biochemical products during conversion of the olives into oil, and only mechanical filteration is permitted. Deleafing is done in advance. The yield may not exceed 18 kg/quintal of olives. Until bottled the oil must be kept in stainless steel casks under nitrogen.

4.6.

   Link: The presence of the olive in the district is a characteristic feature of the landscape. Its cultivation is part of the way of life of the small community and the history of its cultivation is part of the community's history. A microclimate favoured by the predominantly south to south-east exposure, the restricted altitudes, the natural barriers of the Partemio hills and of the Mattera, the hill slopes of which the entire zone is made up, the medium-textured predominantly tuff/sandstone soil dating back to the Miocene, the ascending tributaries of the Metauro rising through the Rio Secco and the cold winds deflected by the Cesane have in conjunction made this a decisively olive-growing area. The climate is sub-Mediterranean, ideal for the olive, with a mean annual temperature of around 14 °C as a result of minima around 0 °C in January and February and July and August temperatures of no more than 26 °C.

Olive-growing is deeply rooted in the delimited area and there are numerous testimonies to the strong tie between the olive and the population. A well known example is the First People's Council in January 1558, where in the presence of Cartoceto's magistrate and the area's notary 50 of the most representative and prominent people discussed the serious economic and financial situation into which the Cartoceto community was falling owing to the many recurring fiscal impositions. To stop the situation constantly worsening the community decided to acquire one or two oil mills in order to provide a secure income with which to pay the various taxes.

As far back at the 16th century the oil was subjected to rigid supervision and there were various provisions aimed at keeping track of the olives pouring into the mills and so forestalling speculative hoarding and smuggling. Successive decrees required declaration of the oil just extracted and also of old oil and the place where it was stored. It was made compulsory to keep at the mills dated books with progressive numbers and to enter on one side the olives brought and the presser's name and on the other the quantity of oil produced. For offenders there was a fine of 25 scudi and other penalties. After pressing a note of the oil had to be sent to the criminal chancery at Fano.

Despite the vicissitudes the Cartoceto community has undergone interest in the olive and its cultivation has always been high and establishment of the ‘Olive and olive oil fair and market’, held in the month of November since 1977, which arouses great interest and is highly attended, is the most conspicuous manifestation of this.

4.7.

   Inspection body

Name: Agroqualita' s.r.l.

Address: Via Montebello, 8 — I-00185 Roma

4.8.

   Labelling Olio extra vergine di oliva ‘Cartoceto’ Denominazione di Origine Protetta

The name must appear on the label in clear indelible lettering coloured in strong contrast to the label colour and markedly distinct from the other indications on the label.

The oil must be sold for consumption in glass containers of capacity not exceeding 5 litres.

4.9.

    National requirements: —

EC No: IT/00292/31.01.2003.

Date of receipt of full application: 17 November 2003.