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18.5.2020 EN Offi cial Jour nal of the European Union C 170/27 OTHER ACTS EUROPEAN COMMISSION Publication of an application for approval of an amendment, which is not minor, to a product specification 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 (2020/C 170/07) This publication confers the right to oppose the amendment application pursuant to Article 51 of Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012 of the European Parliament and of the Council (1) within three months from the date of this publication. APPLICATION FOR APPROVAL OF AN AMENDMENT TO THE PRODUCT SPECIFICATION OF A PROTECTED DESIGNATION OF ORIGIN/PROTECTED GEOGRAPHICAL INDICATION WHICH IS NOT MINOR Application for approval of an amendment in accordance with the first subparagraph of Article 53(2) of Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012 ‘PECORINO SICILIANO’ EU No: PDO-IT-0019-AM01 – 4.6.2018 PDO (X) PGI ( ) 1. Applicant group and legitimate interest Nuovo Consorzio di Tutela del Pecorino Siciliano (New Association for the Protection of Pecorino Siciliano) Head office at: Via dell’Amicizia, 26 Poggioreale (TP) ITALIA Email: [email protected] Certified email: [email protected] The Nuovo Consorzio di Tutela del Pecorino Siciliano is made up of ‘Pecorino Siciliano’ producers and is authorised to submit an application for amendment in accordance with Article 13(1) of Ministry of Agricultural, Food and Forestry Policy Decree No 12511 of 14 October 2013. 2. Member State or Third Country Italy 3. Heading in the product specification affected by the amendment(s) Name of product Description of product Geographical area Proof of origin (1) OJ L 343, 14.12.2012, p. 1. C 170/28 EN Offi cial Jour nal of the European Union 18.5.2020 Method of production Link Labelling Other: Articles not included in the existing specification are listed below: proof of origin, link with the geographical area, checks 4. Type of amendment(s) Amendment to the product specification of a registered PDO or PGI not to be qualified as minor within the meaning of the third subparagraph of Article 53(2) of Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012. Amendment to the product specification of a registered PDO or PGI for which a Single Document (or equivalent) has not been published and which cannot be qualified as minor within the meaning of the third subparagraph of Article 53(2) of Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012. 5. Amendment(s) It should be noted that the amendment to the specification for the PDO ‘Pecorino Siciliano’ is aimed above all at consolidating the specification into a single document. Pecorino Siciliano was registered as a PDO in Regulation (EC) No 1107/96 of 26 June 1996, in accordance with Article 17 of Regulation (EC) 2081/92. The registration was obtained on the basis of the following documents: Presidential Decree No 1269 of 30 October 1955, which recognised denominations of origin in Italy, a 19-page document entitled ‘Pecorino Siciliano D.O.P.’, and the summary sheet. Description of the product The ‘Tuma’ and ‘Primo sale’ types, which were placed on the market immediately after production and after approximately 10 days, respectively, no longer meet commercial needs, since in recent years the market has demanded a product with a minimum maturation. Accordingly, this amendment is to establish a minimum maturation period of 20 days, abolishing the abovementioned types and introducing the ‘Fresco’ type. This is necessary to allow ‘Pecorino Siciliano’ to take on characteristics which distinguish it from other types of sheep’s cheeses made from pasteurised milk. The minimum ageing period is necessary to allow the indigenous lactic bacteria and their enzymes, the microorganisms found in raw milk and in the wooden vats used for curdling with rennet, to do their work. In addition to the ‘Fresco’ type, the ‘Secondo sale’ type is renamed ‘Semistagionato’ in order to use terminology that is easier for consumers to understand and to distinguish the product based on the maturation period. The characteristics of the various types of products are specified and described in more depth, detailing the parameters relating to the maturation and ageing, form, dimensions, weight, characteristics of the rind and of the paste, organoleptic characteristics and the fat content. The heel height and maximum weight of each cheese have been amended slightly. The heel height, set at 10 to 18 cm in the current specification, has been amended to 10 to 25 cm. The weight, set at 4 to 12 kg in the current specification, has been amended to 3 to 14 kg. These modifications have been made in response to requests from certain small cheese-makers, who have stressed the need for greater flexibility in order to adapt cheese production to the amount of milk available. The restriction on production from June to October has been lifted. The lifting of the restriction is therefore a response to clear demands from producers, who are requesting the right to produce Pecorino Siciliano PDO also in summer. In fact, almost all sheep breeds kept in Sicily today lend themselves easily to seasonal production. Sheep’s milk is produced almost year round in Sicily, peaking in spring and falling in summer. The availability of milk in summer therefore allows ‘Pecorino Siciliano’ to be produced in the same season, especially the ‘Fresco’ and ‘Stagionato’ types, which are most in demand from consumers in summer, above all the tourists who arrive on the island en masse in search of typical Sicilian products. Therefore, the former wording: ‘In its classic form, “Pecorino Siciliano” has flat or slightly concave sides and bears the imprint of the basket; the heel height varies from 10 to 18 cm, the weight from 4 to 12 kg, with variations in both characteristics depending on production techniques. 18.5.2020 EN Offi cial Jour nal of the European Union C 170/29 “Tuma”: Table cheese, sweet in taste due to the high lactose content, that has not yet undergone fermentation. It is consumed immediately after production. “Primo Sale”: Table cheese, lightly and briefly cured with fine dry salt. It is consumed up to approximately 10 days after production. The nascent release of amino acids due to the initial degradation of the casein leaves space for the milk’s original components, giving it a pleasant taste. “Secondo Sale”: Consistently sweet and flavourful cheese for table and grating, reminiscent of the species of its provenance, cured with dry salt or by soaking in saturated brine. It is consumed between 45 and 90 days of its production. The essentially delicate organoleptic characteristics arise from the amalgam of the amino acids, the products of the incipient degradation of lipids and the original components of the milk. “Stagionato”: This is the classic “Pecorino Siciliano”, whose characteristics distinguish it from the other matured pecorino cheeses produced in Italy. It is fully matured within 4 to 6 months of its production. Cheese for grating with a granular structure.’ now reads: ‘Description of the product 2.1. When released for consumption, “Pecorino Siciliano” PDO is a cylindrical cheese with flat surfaces or slightly concave surfaces when larger. 2.2. “Pecorino Siciliano” PDO cheese, released for consumption in the types “Fresco” [“Fresh”], “Semistagionato” [“Semi-mature”] and “Stagionato” [“Mature”], has the following characteristics: “Fresh” — ripeness: 20 to 30 days — shape: cylindrical, with flat, or when larger slightly concave, surfaces; — dimensions the diameter of the flat sides must be between 10 and 20 cm and the height of the heel between 10 and 20 cm; — weight: between 3 and 5 kg, depending on the size of the cheese; — surfaces: no rind, white or straw yellow outer layer, visible marks from the basket in which it has been made; — body: white or straw yellow in colour, sometimes with black peppercorns, compact, with few eyes; — smell: characteristic of sheep’s cheese; — taste: sweet with a marked pasture smell, lightly spiced in the case of the “Pepato” type. No farmyard smell; — percentage of fat: not less than 40 % of dry matter; “Semistagionato” — ageing: from 45 to 90 days — shape: cylindrical, with flat, or when larger slightly concave, surfaces; — dimensions the diameter of the flat sides must be between 10 and 20 cm and the height of the heel between 10 and 20 cm; — weight: between 3 and 5 kg, depending on the size of the cheese; — surfaces: slight straw yellow crust, visible marks from the basket in which it has been made; — body: straw yellow to deep yellow in colour, sometimes with black peppercorns, compact, with few eyes; — smell: characteristic of sheep’s cheese; — taste: sweet with a marked pasture smell, lightly spiced in the case of the “Pepato” type. No farmyard smell; — percentage of fat: not less than 40 % of dry matter; C 170/30 EN Offi cial Jour nal of the European Union 18.5.2020 “Stagionato” — ageing: at least 120 days — shape: cylindrical, with flat, or when larger slightly concave, surfaces; — dimensions the diameter of the flat sides must be between 15 and 30 cm and the height of the heel between 15 and 25 cm; — weight: between 6 and 14 kg, depending on the size of the cheese; — surfaces: yellowish crust, visible marks from the basket in which it has been made — body: straw yellow in colour, compact, with few eyes; — smell: characteristic of sheep’s cheese; — taste: characteristically spicy; — percentage of fat: not less than 40 % of dry matter.’ Method of production In the pre-existing specification, the information about the method of production is contained in the documents included above. The following article was thus drawn up, consolidating the information contained in the documents detailing the production method and adapting it to the current rules.