C 296/4 EN Official Journal of the European Union 12.10.2013 OTHER ACTS EUROPEAN COMMISSION Publication of an amendment application 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 (2013/C 296/05) This publication confers the right to oppose the application pursuant to Article 51 of Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012 of the European Parliament and of the Council ( 1 ). AMENDMENT APPLICATION COUNCIL REGULATION (EC) No 510/2006 on the protection of geographical indications and designations of origin for agricultural products and foodstuffs ( 2) AMENDMENT APPLICATION IN ACCORDANCE WITH ARTICLE 9 ‘VALENÇAY’ EC No: FR-PDO-0105-01055-30.10.2012 PGI ( ) PDO ( X ) 1. Heading in the specification affected by the amendment — Name of product — ☒ Description of product — Geographical area — ☒ Proof of origin — ☒ Production method — Link — ☒ Labelling — ☒ National requirements — ☒ Other (update of data on the main monitoring points and grouping) 2. Type of amendment(s) — ☒ Amendment to single document or summary sheet ( 1 ) OJ L 343, 14.12.2012, p. 1. ( 2 ) OJ L 93, 31.3.2006, p. 12. Replaced by Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012. 12.10.2013 EN Official Journal of the European Union C 296/5 — Amendment to specification of registered PDO or PGI for which neither the single document nor the summary sheet has been published — Amendment to specification that requires no amendment to the published single document (Article 9(3) of Regulation (EC) No 510/2006) — Temporary amendment to specification resulting from imposition of obligatory sanitary or phytosanitary measures by public authorities (Article 9(4) of Regulation (EC) No 510/2006) 3. Amendment(s) 3.1. Applicant group Milk collectors handle the transfer of milk from producer to processor, and thus form an integral part of the supply chain just as milk producers do; as such, it is important to include them in the list of operators. Milk collectors have therefore been added to the list of operators making up the group. 3.2. Description of product The product description has been improved (additional organoleptic information) and draws on technical aspects of cheese-making: — ‘Valençay’ is a cheese made from raw whole milk with a lactic quality, — ‘Valençay’ is characterised by a truncated pyramidal shape with a square base, a typical coating varying from light grey to bluish grey, and a china-white paste that is uniform, smooth and soft, — the rind is formed by adding vegetable carbon, — the cheese is characterised by: — a paste with a smooth and melting texture when it begins to mature, becoming firmer with age, — a slightly goaty aroma, with notes of undergrowth and mushrooms, and floral tones, — a very light goaty flavour at the early stages of maturation, becoming stronger with time, — the dry matter content makes up at least 40 % of the total weight of the cheese, and the total dry matter weight per cheese is: — at least 90 g if the cheese is made in a large mould, — at least 45 g if the cheese is made in a small mould. 3.3. Evidence that the product originates from the geographical area In order to comply with national legislation, this section has been reformulated and the following points have been included in the specification: — the operator must present the group with a statement of identity, — the requisite records must be kept to ensure traceability of the milk and PDO ‘Valençay’ cheeses, — an annual statement of production of PDO ‘Valençay’ cheeses must be sent to the group, — traceability of the feed that the operator gives the goats must be guaranteed; there are also clarifications on the product monitoring arrangements. 3.4. Production method Clarifications have been added regarding: — the flock: — the term ‘milking goat’ is defined, — out-of-season goat breeding is authorised, C 296/6 EN Official Journal of the European Union 12.10.2013 — feed: — the total feed ration (fodder + complementary feed) per milking goat per year comprises 820 kg of dry matter from the geographical area, and at most 275 kg from outside the area, of which a maximum of 130 kg is dehydrated fodder, meaning that at least 75 % of the total feed intake comes from the geographical area, — a maximum stocking rate per hectare of forage area is specified in order to better ensure the link with the geographical area, and the concept of forage area now includes areas planted with unripe (green) cereals, — coarse fodder specifications are given, — wrapped feed from the first cut of the forage area with a dry matter content of at least 55 % is permitted, as this enables an additional early-season cut to be made, making the first cut possible even in adverse weather conditions. This first cut guarantees better quality forage, reducing the need for complementary feed and encouraging supply from local farms. To limit the health risks, consumption of wrapped feed is limited to 1 kg of dry matter per milking goat per day, — the list of authorised complementary feed is specified, — no transgenic crops may be present on farms producing milk intended for processing into PDO ‘Valençay’ cheese. The use of GMOs in feed for the milking goats is also prohibited, — the milk used: — the requirement for milk from no more than the four most recent milkings applies to collected milk; for farm-produced cheese, the milk must come from the last two milkings, — manufacturing: the stages of production are clarified: — milk maturation: the characteristics of the milk maturation process are specified, as this step determines the milk’s suitability for cheese production and thus enables its aromatic potential to be expressed, — renneting: a small amount of rennet is used at renneting, in accordance with the type of cheese (matured cheese with a lactic quality). The rennet has a chymosin content of 520 mg per litre, which is the standard rennet concentration for cheese-making, — curdling: the duration of and temperature for curdling are specified, and delaying the process by freezing the curd is prohibited, — curd shaping and pre-draining: the curd is moulded only by being placed directly in the mould, — moulding and draining: the characteristics of the moulds and duration of draining are specified, — salting: the technique for salting cheeses is strongly linked to cheese-making expertise, and it is important to preserve different practices, such as salting with or without re-moulding, and salting followed by coating with ash. Surface salting and a complete coating of ash are essential for making a ‘Valençay’ cheese, — maturing and marketing: in order to ensure optimum maturing, the following specifications are made: — the minimum temperature for maturing is specified to ensure that the rind develops, — before a cheese can be sold, its rind must be fully formed, which ensures a definite maturing phase more effectively than a minimum maturing period or marketing date, 12.10.2013 EN Official Journal of the European Union C 296/7 — the storage conditions and maturation periods established by cheese producers who deliver their cheeses to maturers are specified so as to meet the particular needs of this production chain, — modified atmosphere packaging is prohibited. 3.5. Specific labelling details The following paragraph has been deleted: ‘All cheese marketed under the designation of origin must bear a mark that identifies the production unit and allows the product to be traced.’. For various reasons, no marking system was found to be satisfactory. According to the type of marker used, the marker either disintegrated due to the highly acidic nature of the curd, or there were problems with the ink; or the disc was covered by the flora as it matured, or there was a logistical problem in attaching it. References to the removable identifier have therefore been removed from the product specification. References to the production site that would have been included in the marking have been removed and not transferred to the label or packaging. The wording that may be used has been updated (including removal of the option to add ‘Produit du Berry’), and use of the European Union’s PDO symbol has been made compulsory. 3.6. Other changes: a table setting out the main inspection points has been added The references to inspection bodies have also been updated. SINGLE DOCUMENT COUNCIL REGULATION (EC) No 510/2006 on the protection of geographical indications and designations of origin for agricultural products and foodstuffs ( 3) ‘VALENÇAY’ EC No: FR-PDO-0105-01055-30.10.2012 PGI ( ) PDO ( X ) 1. Name ‘Valençay’ 2. Member State or Third Country France 3. Description of the agricultural product or foodstuff 3.1. Type of product Class 1.3. Cheeses 3.2. Description of product to which the name in point 1 applies ‘Valençay’ is a cheese made from raw whole goat’s milk, with a soft paste and a matured, lactic quality. It is characterised by: — a truncated pyramidal shape with a square base, — a light grey to bluish grey rind obtained by adding vegetable carbon, — a uniform, smooth and soft china-white paste. ( 3 ) See footnote 2. C 296/8 EN Official Journal of the European Union 12.10.2013 The internal dimensions of the truncated-pyramid moulds are as follows: — for large moulds: a base of 50-55 mm, and an angle of 96-102° between the mould’s base and side, — for small moulds: a base of 40-44 mm, and an angle of 96-102° between the mould’s base and side. Cheeses are only removed from the maturing site and sold if they have a complete rind covered with surface mould easily visible to the naked eye, and at the earliest 11 days after renneting.