Certification
REGULATION (EC) No. 1356/2001 OF THE COMMISSION
of July 4, 2001, which complements the annex to Regulation (EC) No. 2400/96 concerning the registration of certain names in the "Register of Protected Designations of Origin and Protected Geographical Indications" referred to in Council Regulation (EEC) No. 2081/92 on the protection of geographical indications and designations of origin for agricultural products and foodstuffs.
THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES
Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community, having regard to Council Regulation (EEC) No. 2081/92 of July 14, 1992, on the protection of geographical indications and designations of origin for agricultural products and foodstuffs (1), last amended by Commission Regulation (EC) No. 2796/2000 (2), in particular Article 6, paragraphs 3 and 4, considering the following:
- In accordance with Article 5 of Regulation (EEC) No. 2081/92, Italy has submitted an application to the Commission for the registration of a name as a geographical indication.
- In accordance with Article 6(1) of the aforementioned Regulation, it has been found that the application complies with this Regulation and, in particular, includes all the elements referred to in Article 4 thereof.
- No statements of opposition pursuant to Article 7 of Regulation (EEC) No. 2081/92 have been submitted to the Commission following the publication of the name in the Official Journal of the European Communities (3) as set out in the annex to this Regulation.
- As a result, this name may be entered in the "Register of Protected Designations of Origin and Protected Geographical Indications" and may therefore be protected at the Community level as a protected geographical indication.
- The annex to this Regulation completes the annex to Regulation (EC) No. 2400/96 (4), last amended by Regulation (EC) No. 898/2001 (5).
HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION:
Art. 1
The annex to Regulation (EC) No. 2400/96 is completed by the name set out in the annex to this Regulation, which is registered as a protected geographical indication (PGI) in the "Register of Protected Designations of Origin and Protected Geographical Indications" provided for in Article 6(3) of Regulation (EEC) No. 2081/92.
Art. 2
This Regulation shall enter into force on the day of its publication in the Official Journal of the European Communities.
This Regulation shall be binding in its entirety and directly applicable in each Member State.
Done at Brussels, on July 4, 2001.
For the Commission
Franz FISCHLER
Member of the Commission
Annex
PRODUCTS IN ANNEX I TO THE TREATY INTENDED FOR HUMAN CONSUMPTION
Horticultural products and cereals
ITALY
Limone Costa d'Amalfi (PGI)
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 for agricultural products and foodstuffs
(2000/C 282/04)
This publication confers a right of opposition pursuant to Article 7 of the aforementioned Regulation.
Any statements of opposition to this application must be submitted, through the competent authority of a Member State, within six months from the date of this publication. The publication is motivated by the elements set out below, particularly at point 4.6, on the basis of which the application is considered justified pursuant to Regulation (EEC) No. 2081/92.
COUNCIL REGULATION (EEC) No. 2081/92
APPLICATION FOR REGISTRATION: ARTICLE 5
PDO ( ) PGI (x)
National file number: 10
1. Competent authority of the Member State:
Name: Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry
Address: Via XX Settembre, 20, I-00187 Rome
Telephone: (39) 06-481 99 68
Fax: (39) 06-42 01 31 26.
2. Applicant association:
2.1a. Name: Consortium for the Enhancement of Lemons and Derivatives (CO.VA.L.D.)
2.2a. Address: Via S. Lucia, 3, I-84010 Minori (SA)
2.1b. Name: Amalfi Cooperative for Citrus Fruit Processing (CATA)
2.2b. Address: Via Salita Chiarito, 9, I-84011 Amalfi (SA)
2.3. Composition: producers/processors (x) other ( )
3. Type of product: class 1.6 ó natural lemons.
4. Description of the specifications:
(summary of the conditions referred to in Article 4(2))
4.1. Name: Limone Costa d'Amalfi
4.2. Description: elongated-elliptical fruit shape, with a large and pointed apex and medium-thickness peel of citron yellow color at maturity; fruit weight not less than 100 g; rich in essential oil; strong aroma; abundant juice (with a yield of not less than 25%) and high acidity (not less than 3.5 g/100 ml), straw-yellow in color; low number of seeds.
4.3. Geographical Area: It includes, in full, the territory of the municipality of Atrani in the province of Salerno and, partially, the territory of the following municipalities located in the same province: Amalfi, Cetara, Conca dei Marini, Furore, Maiori, Minori, Positano, Praiano, Ravello, Scala, Tramonti, Vietri sul Mare. The delimited area is internationally known as the Amalfi Coast or Costa d'Amalfi.
The perimeter of the affected geographical area is reported in the production specification, both on a cartographic basis and in a descriptive report.
4.4. Proof of Origin: In the Amalfi Coast, the presence of lemon trees has been widely documented for centuries, since the beginning of the 11th century, especially following the discovery of its effectiveness in combating scurvy, a disease caused, as is known, by a deficiency of vitamin C in the body. For this very reason, also in light of the studies of the famous Salerno Medical School, the Republic of Amalfi ordered that ships always carry supplies of such fruits on board. This also served to encourage the planting of lemon groves in the area (12th-14th century) which, since that historical period, began to occupy increasingly larger spaces along the coastline and the surrounding hills. Reports of this spread can be found in numerous documents from the medieval period. Camera, a historian from the 19th century, dates the first lemon and orange plantations in the Amalfi area to at least 1112, as evidenced by a parchment from that year that he discovered. Authentic documents from the 1600s mention a widespread presence of "lemon gardens (horti)" along the entire coast, while Ferrari, in 1646, describes for the first time the Amalphitan lemon, which closely corresponds to the modern Sfusato Amalfitano. Since that time, there has also been talk of a widespread lemon market in the area, with a progressive increase in quantities in the 1700s and, especially, in the second half of the 1800s when most of the merchandise was purchased by traders from other areas (Sorrento). After that period, new plantations began to decrease, also due to the limited availability of additional land, and human effort was focused primarily on land (terraces) and the intensification of planting intervals.
Producers are required to register their lemon groves in a specific list, activated, maintained, and updated by the Campania Region. Every year, within ten days of the end of the harvest, producers declare the quantity produced. The control structure verifies that the technical requirements referred to in the production specification are met for inclusion in the list and that the obligations imposed on producers are met in order to adequately identify the product lots.
4.5. Method of Obtaining: The traditionally practiced cultivation, for centuries, involves the cultivation of plants in a naturally spherical shape, placed under typical chestnut wood frameworks, consisting of vertical and horizontal stakes, on which seasonal coverings are placed (for example, "pagliarelle"), which serve both as protection from adverse weather conditions and as a delay in fruit ripening. The plantations are constructed, due to the steepness of the terrain, sometimes very steep, on typical terraces, incorporated into retaining walls, which strongly characterize the landscape of the entire coastal area (the universally known "lemon gardens of the Amalfi Peninsula"). Cultivation techniques are those that have been used in the area for a long time and still rely on traditional practices (such as hand-made conches for irrigation) closely related to the peculiar orographic, edaphic, and environmental characteristics of the area. The productions obtained are mainly distinguishable by the harvesting period; the summer one is by far more profitable and in demand than the winter-spring one due to the lower competition from other production areas (Sicily). The product is sold in rigid containers, with a capacity ranging from a minimum of 0.5 kg to a maximum of 15 kg. The packages are marked with the IGP and the corresponding label.
4.6. Connection: The name of the cultivar "Sfusato Amalfitano" itself testifies its strong connection to the affected geographical area. It should be added that this variety is cultivated almost exclusively in this area, and the intrinsic quality characteristics of the fruits have differentiated over the centuries in relation to the peculiarities of the surrounding environment. Reference is made, in particular, to the aroma, scent, juiciness, and acidity of the juice that have made this fruit famous worldwide. Lemon cultivation in the Amalfi coast has gradually prevailed over all others, playing a fundamental role not only in the local economy but also in the landscape characterization (not to mention the tourist aspect that relies heavily on the combination of "blue sea/green citrus groves") and for the hydrogeological protection of the territory.
4.7. Control Structure:
Name: Mediterranean Institute for the Certification of Agri-Food Processes and Products (IS.ME.CERT)
Address: c/o Agriculture Department of the Campania Region - Centro Direzionale Isola A6 - I-80143 Naples.
4.8. Labeling: The information on the label, in clear and indelible characters, includes:
- the IGP Limone Costa d'Amalfi;
- the name of the producing company;
- the actual quantity of product contained in the package;
- the year of production.
The label must include the graphic symbol related to the artistic image of the chosen logo, consisting of a lemon with leaves, placed on the left side of a double circle that encloses, on a yellow background, the black inscription "Limone Costa d'Amalfi". Inside the double circle, there is the outline of the coast, from Maiori to Capo Conca, while in the foreground there is a thicket of Mediterranean vegetation.
The color references are indicated in the production specification.
4.9. National Provisions: - EC No: IT/00116/2000.01.03.