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 314/04)

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

LIMONE FEMMINELLO DEL GARGANO

EC No: IT/00297/10.06.2003

PDO ( ) PGI ( X )

This summary has been drawn up for information purposes only. For full details interested parties, in particular the producers of products covered by the PGI in question, are invited to consult the full version of the specification, obtainable at national level or from the European Commission (1).

1.   Responsible department in the Member State:

2.   Group:

2.1   Name: Consorzio di tutela e valorizzazione ‘Gargano Agrumi’

2.2   Address:

2.3   Composition: producer/processor (x) other ( )

3.   Type of product:

Group 1.6 — Fresh fruit and vegetables

4.   Specification:

(summary of requirements under Article 4(2))

4.1   Name: ‘Limone Femminello del Gargano’

4.2   Description: Fresh fruit of the species Citrus limonium, of either the femminello comune variety, which has a soft rind and is known also as lustrino (Citrus limonium tenue R.), or the oblong variety, known also as fusillo (Citrus limonium oblungum R.).

The main characteristics of Limone Femminello del Gargano are as follows:

Soft-rind variety (lustrino):

roundish shape;

particularly smooth, very fine rind, pale yellow in colour;

minimum diameter at the centre: 50 mm;

at least 80 g in weight;

the flavedo is rich in essential oils and has a very intense aroma;

the fruit is made up of 8 to 11 segments;

the flesh and juice are lemon yellow with very few seeds. The juice accounts for 35 % of the weight of the fruit and has an acidity level of at least 3,5 per 100 ml.

Oblong variety (fusillo)

elliptical shape;

medium-thickness rind, fairly smooth and bright lemon yellow in colour;

minimum diameter at the centre 60mm;

at least 100 g in weight;

the flavedo is rich in essential oils and has a very intense aroma;

the fruit is made up of 8 to 11 segments;

the flesh and juice are lemon yellow. The juice accounts for 30 % of the weight of the fruit and has an acidity level of at least 3,5 per 100 ml.

4.3   Geographical area: The production and packing area is located in the province of Foggia (Region of Apulia) and includes the municipalities of Vico del Gargano, Ischitella and Rodi Garganico, specifically a section of the northern part of the Gargano promontory — part coastal and part sub-coastal — from Vico del Gargano and Rodi Garganico up to Ischitella.

4.4   Proof of origin: Each phase of the production process is constantly monitored. Products may be traced through registers of producers and packing stations, such registers being kept by the inspection body.

Product traceability and proof of origin are also guaranteed by recording all lemon groves in an appropriate register, which is kept and updated by the inspection body, and which also provides details on the location of groves and the quantities of produce reported to the inspection body. All legal and natural persons recorded in the registers are subject to checks carried out by the inspection body, under the provisions contained in the production specifications and the relevant monitoring plan.

4.5   Method of production: The product specification stipulates that the lemon grove must be planted in compliance with the orographic and soil conditions that characterise the area of production. Sloping land will be terraced, using dry-stone walls or embankments. Where necessary, protection from cold winds will be provided by windbreaks made predominantly from holm oak (a local material), cane-breaks and nets.

In accordance with tradition, the stock used is exclusively ‘melangolo’ (citrus mearda), certified as such under the applicable legislation.

The tree structure is formed of two main branches and two secondary branches, allowing the foliage to develop in a circular shape within a square frame, forming a flattened semi-circle, known as a ‘broken dome’ as it facilitates aeration and harvesting.

The groves are planted in the traditional pattern, a quincunx, at a density of between 250 and 400 trees per hectare.

The lemon trees are irrigated between May and October.

Lemon production must not exceed 35 tonnes per hectare.

Harvesting is manual, using scissors, and takes place all year round, since the soil and climate conditions and the specific features of the lemon groves ensure that the trees bear fruit for an extended period. Artificial ripening of the fruit is prohibited.

Packing of Limone Femminello del Gargano (PGI) takes place solely in the area of production, as stipulated in point 4.3, in order to ensure product traceability and monitoring and to prevent deterioration in the quality of the produce.

4.6.   Link: Due to the specific local environment, i.e. the soil and climate in the coastal and sub humid Mediterranean belt of the Gargano promontory, which, thanks to the age-old traditional experience of local farmers, have over time produced lemons so sought after that they have attracted foreign markets since antiquity, the Limone Femminello del Gargano is prized for its authenticity and, above all, a special aroma that sets this PGI apart from the lemons produced in other Italian regions.

Citrus-growing in the Gargano is still a traditional form of agriculture, performed by hand, with the pruner playing a major role. Over time, agriculture in the Gargano has built up a heritage of agronomic expertise that has been passed down through generations.

The first network of commercial links with the North American continent dates back to 1884, and accounted for a significant proportion of citrus production. The first historical documentation on the Limone Femminello del Gargano dates from the year 1000, whilst the earliest records of production in the area are to be found in the 1811 statistics of the Kingdom of Naples, when 60 % of production was exported.

4.7   Inspection body: The inspection body is an appointed public authority.

4.8   Labelling: Limone Femminello del Gargano must be released for consumption in closed, rigid packaging of vegetable origin, such as wood or cardboard, with a capacity of between 1 kg and 25 kg. The packaging must ensure that at least 80 % of the fruit, wrapped or unwrapped, carry the mark ‘PGI — Limone Femminello del Gargano’. If the fruit is sold loose, it must bear this mark.

The packaging must contain the following indications:

‘Limone Femminello del Gargano’ (which may be followed by either of the trade names ‘lustrino’ or ‘fusillo’), the logo, the PGI name in full and indications concerning the producer, packing station, retailer and the net weight as sold.

Products containing the protected designation product certified as such is the sole component of the product group concerned;

users of the protected designation product are authorised by the holders of the intellectual property right concerned, grouped together in a syndicate and assigned a supervisory role by the Ministry for Agricultural Policy. The syndicate will be responsible for registering them and keeping watch on correct use of the protected designation. In the absence of a supervisory syndicate, these functions shall be carried out by the Ministry for Agricultural and Forestry Policy, as the national authority responsible for implementing Regulation (EEC) No 2081/92.

The logo consists of a stylised image of two lemons with a leafy branch inside an elliptical crown. The crown bears the wording ‘Limone Femminello del Gargano’.

The lemons pictured and the wording ‘Limone Femminello del Gargano’ are in pale yellow, and the branch and leaves are green.

4.9   National requirements: —

(1)  European Commission, Directorate-General for Agriculture, Agricultural product quality policy, B-1049 Brussels.