C 358/2EN Official Journal of the European Communities 10.12.1999

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

(1999/C 358/02) This publication confers the right to object to the application pursuant to Article 7 of the abovementioned Regulation. Any objection to this application must be submitted via the competent authority in the Member State concerned 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: 2/99

1. Responsible department in the Member State:

Name: Ministero per le Politiche Agricole — Direzione generale delle Politiche agricole ed agroindus- triali nazionali — ex Div. VI

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

Tel.: (34 064) 665 51 04

Fax: (34 064) 201 31 26

2. Applicant group:

2.1. Name: A.PROL (Associazione produttori olivicoli)

2.2. Address: Via di S. Giuliano, 4 — Villaggio Artigiani — I-71100

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

3. Type of product:

black and green olives in brine — Classe 1.6

4. Specification:

(summary of requirements under Art. 4 (2))

4.1. Name: ‘La Bella della Daunia’

4.2. Description: The name is without doubt related to the characteristic shape of the drupe, which looks much like a plum. The cultivar is partly self-compatible, the following being regarded as pollinators: Sant' Agostino, Biancolilla, Termite di Bitetto and Mele. Fruit setting is around 0,20 % — 0,40 %. The fruit of this variety is well known on account of its size, pleasant appearance, flesh texture and volume, and ability to withstand handling and storage. It is mainly processed when green; in response to strong consumer demande, however, black and ripe olives have recently begun to be processed.

The product's characteristics depend grealty on when harvesting takes place, which must be undertaken when the epicarp begins to turn a greenish straw-yellow colour, normally after 1 October. The requirements of the producer, the processing industry and the consumer are then all met. At this point the average number of fruit per kg is 80 to 90 olives; the average weight of the drupe is over 11 g, reaching a maximum 18 g. The yield in terms of flesh is about 85 %. 10.12.1999EN Official Journal of the European Communities C 358/3

Green olives: fat content < 15 %, reducing sugars > 2,8 %;black olives: black olives < 18 %, reducing sugars > 2,4 %. Recent research indicates that the Bella della Daunia originates from the ‘Oliva di ’, a polyclonal cv with a wide range of distinctive characteristics, depending on the strength of the genetic matrix, pedoclimatic factors, the rootstock and devel- opments in growing techniques. From this original variety found in the Daunia area (now called the Tavoliere di Capitanata) a better clone with genetic similarities to the original cv but with superior commercial properties was produced as a result of a natural genetic mutation and constant, careful clonal selection by local growers and nurseries. The new cultivar was named Bella di Cerignola, and is registered under No 15 in the Italian Olive-growing Register.

4.3. Geographical area: The municipalities of Cerignola Orta Nova, S. Ferdinando di Puglia, , , Trinitapoli (FG) are all part of the ‘Tavoliere della Puglia’, a large area consisting mainly of a central expanse and two extensive strips of differing shape and size to the north and south. The above municipalities are located in the central area, towards the coastal zone. This zone slopes gently and evenly down to the sea at the area's eastern end. Average height above sea level is about 100 to 150 m, although the Tavoliere della Puglia should be thought of as one of the Italian coastal plains. The slope is 7 to 8 ‰. The water table level is at a depth of 25 to 50 m, depending on the area. Confined groundwater is also present at various depths, depending on the area, but flows are already good at depths of 60 to 70 m.

Area: Cerignola 58 965 ha, Orta Nova 14 393 ha, San Ferdinando di Puglia 4 181 ha, Stornara 3 364 ha, Stornarella 3 388 ha, Trinitapoli 14 755 ha. Total: 99 046 ha. The area demarcated by the La Bella della Daunia PDO is about 30 % smaller, given that areas have been removed whose pedoclimatic features are not suited to table olive growing. The area under cultivation is currently about 850 ha and a further 180 ha were recently planted with European Union assistance.

4.4. Proof of origin: The Oliva di Cerignola cv, also known as the Oliva di Spagna, has been grown for domestic rather than for commercial purposes since time immemorial. Some researchers believe that the olive was introduced in about 1400 and spread to a varying extent through the area covered by the specification, except where conditions were right for more valuable crops. Some authors believe that this cultivar derives from the Orchites olives of the Ancient Romans, others believe it came from Spain, but it is, in any event, considered a native variety.

The production and marketing of this table olive has always been an important activity for Cerignola, a municipality in the Centre-South. All operators, from the earliest times to the present day, have willingly gone to great efforts to increase the presence of this table variety on the domestic and international markets. The pickled olives were even sent to the Americas, in ‘Vascidd’ wooden barrels holding 50 to 100 kg, or more often in ‘Cugnett’ characteristic wooden containers in the shape of a truncated cone holding 50 to 10 kg for small-scale, almost domestic or family requirements but which had great advertising appeal. The product was also introduced in California in 1925 by Italian immigrants. A typical element of the Mediterranean diet, it can be used as an accompaniment, a course in its own right or a snack with aperitifs; it is ideal for immediate consumption. Medically the presence of mono-unsaturated fatty acids is considered to play an important role in preventing arteriosclerosis. In addition to its pleasant taste, immediate consumption without prior cooking and the length of conservation all make this olive ideal for various quick and tasty preparations ranging from snacks to appetisers, as an additional ingredient in main courses and in cooked or uncooked dressings, or as an accompaniment for meat and cheese. The conservation methods used ensure that the high hygiene and food standards offered by modern technology can be achieved while maintaining the product's traditional organoleptic characteristics. C 358/4EN Official Journal of the European Communities 10.12.1999

Among the table olive cultivars grown in , the Bella di Cerignola cv, formerly known as the Oliva di Spagna or Oliva di Cerignola, or Grossa di Spagna, has a pre-eminent place. Much discussion has taken place as to whether this variety was introduced from Spain before 1400 or thereabouts, durcing Aragonese rule, but it has never been found among the native cultivars of the Iberian Peninsula, and so can be considered a native variety here. In 1930 it was selected by a technical committee set up to identify the best Italian table olive cultivars for the production of green olives. In the Daunia area this table variety has, together with the varieties for olive oil, always been considered by our ancestors as an important source of wealth and survival. They had great faith in these table olives and their amenability, unpretentiousness and longevity and, where possible, grew the table varieties on the best land, relegating the oil varieties to less suitable and often difficult and stony ground, thus providing work and food and ensuring the protection of the environment. This huge olive-growing heritage, which has continued to expand, demonstrates the economic and social importance of this olive in the Capitanata area. Underpinning cultivation of the Bella di Daunia olive could improve table olive cultivation, which is a cornerstone of the economy of the municipalities demarcated by the PDO specifications. The olive also plays a major social role, since many man-hours go into its cultivation, processing and packaging and it is an important factor in terms of landscape and environmental protection.

Moreover, while it might appear a humble part of the local gastronomic tradition, it does never- theless recall for many the value of a Mediterranean culture long developed by the people of all the municipalities demarcated by the PDO who, far from neglecting their roots which owe much to the richness of farming, actually take them on board and reinterpret them in the light of modern trading requirements and the need to deal with various realities.

The Bella di Cerignola displays all the worth of a product derived firstly from a pedoclimatic environment that matches the olive's ideal growing area, that harmonises and adds to the type and quality characteristics of the Bella di Cerignola cultivar, characteristics that cannot be reproduced in other areas, and secondly from the fact that the areas concerned naturally lend themselves to olive growing. In addition to its nutritive value, one can add history, gastronomy, the beauty of a landscape of vast expanses of olive trees, traditions, custom and the olive-growing culture of the local people in all the municipalities demarcated by this PDO.

In the four years from 1927 to 1930 many surveys were carried out in the Cerignola area which were concerned with the cultivation of this table olive, then incorrectly called Oliva di Spagna, or ‘a Prugna’ because of its resemblance to a plum. In 1932 a Cerignola agronomist, Dr Carlo Fratepietro, published some ‘Observations on the Cerignola olive’.

In 1937, to add to the corpus of knowledge on the olive varieties grown for oil or for the table in Italy, the National Olive Growing Federation produced an eminent treatise containing all the technical reports of the committee set up by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry to study the varieties of table and oil olives grown in Italy.

With consummate skill, Professor L. Vivarelli produced a whole series of observations and experiments on the following varieties: Olivia di Cerignola (‘a Prugna’), S. Agostino, S. Caterina, Cucco, Peranzana and Limone.

In 1926 in Rome, at the Congress on International Olivegrowing (Table Olives) organised by the International Agricultural Institute, Professor Vivarelli presented a paper entitled: ‘Biometric study of the Cerignola Olive, an edible olive also known as the plum olive’. This was later published in L'Italia Agricola in 1932.

In 1963 the Oliva di Cerignola cultivar was illustrated in the Book ‘Olive da Tavola’ edited by E. Baldini et al. (Edagricole publishers).

The Bella di Cerignola olive was also discussed at length during the seminar on ‘Table olives as a feature of olive growing’, held in Cerignola on 12 December 1969. 10.12.1999EN Official Journal of the European Communities C 358/5

In ‘Olive da tavola’, (1971; Ramo Editoriale degli Agricoltori, Rome) Professor Alessandro Morettini writes about the ‘Oliva di Cerignola’, which by then was known also as the ‘Bella di Cerignola’. In 1976 Professor Michele Vitagliano, Director of the Institute of Agrarian Industries at the University of Bari, presented a paper on a new type of table olive, the black Bella di Cerignola, the result of two years' experimentation. This work indicated a truly high-value product without equal on the Italian or on world markets.

Frutticoltura No 11 of 1984 sets out the results of research carried out under a National Research Council project entitled ‘Improvements in crop production for food and industrial purposes through genetic manipulation’.

This featured a subproject ‘The table olive — contribution to our knowledge of the Bella di Cerignola cultivar’.

The Bella di Cerignola is now one of the best varities for table olive production. The consistently high weight of the drupes and their good quality features if harvested at the right time are of particular significance.

The survey also looked at the distinguishing features of the two main clones and some aspects of their floral biology which indicate a fair level of self-compatibility: it was carried out by Enrico Ferrar, Vito Giorgio Alfio Reina (Institute of Tree Cultivation) and Francesco Lamparelli (Institute of Agrarian Industries, University of Bari).

In January 1991, in an article appearing in the Informatore Agrario, ‘What prospects for table olives in Italy?’, Vincenzo Marselio included the Bella di Cerignola among the most important table olive cultivars.

Professor Giuseppe Fontanazza in his paper ‘Intensive mechanised olive growing’, (1993, Edag- ricole) also described the Bella della Cerignola table olive cultivar.

The Bella di Cerignola cultivar is registered in the Italian olive-growing register, under table olives.

4.5. Method of production: The green olives are processed using the Seville system: after grading they are treated with an alkaline lye solution (sodium hydroxide), which must cover the fruit to prevent oxidation: concentrations range from 2 to 4o Baumé. Treatment stops when the lye has penetrated about two thirds of the way through the flesh (8 to 12 hours). The olives are then rinsed with water several times to remove the sodium solution. They are then fermented for 30 to 60 days in appropriate containers in a brine solution that must initially have a concentration of 9 to 10 %, but which rapidly falls to about 5 % because of the olive's high water exchange rate. Crushed salt must then be added to stabilise the solution between 8 % and 10 %. After fermentation the olives are put in glass containes or tins in 3 % brine with a pH of 4,6 or thereabouts. They are then pasteurised or sterilised.

Ripe or black olives are processed using the Californian system: after grading, the drupes are first treated with a roughly 2 % lye solution (sodium hydroxide) and are then aerated either directly or by pumping compressed air into the water. Repeated treatments with solutions of lye following by airing each time allows the lye to penetrate right to the stone, thereby lowering pH to almost neutral. If necessary the olives are treated with a solution of ferrous gluconate or dietary ferrous lactate of up to 150 mg/kg of olives to completely blacken the fruit. The olives are then washed, steamed and put in glass containers or tins in 3 % brine with a pH of 4,6 or thereabouts. They are then pasteurised or sterilised.

4.6. Link: The municipalities of Cerignoloa, Orta Nova, S. Ferdinando di Puglia, Stornara, Stornarella and Trinitapoli (FG) share soil, water and climatic features such as to produce a homogeneous growing area. The climate is typically Mediterranean: cold and wet in the autumn and winter, hot and dry in the summer. The areas demarcated in the specification are those with the lowest rainfall in Apuli. In the ten years from 1985 to 1994 recorded rainfall was: minimum 395 mm; average; 446,5 mm; maximum: 505 mm. The rains come mainly in autumn and winter, and are rare in spring and summer. C 358/6EN Official Journal of the European Communities 10.12.1999

Local humidity ranges between daytime lows of 20 to 30 % and night-time highs of 80 to 95 %, regardless of the season. Light: average sunshine 5 hours 47 minutes; average sunshine in hours: April: 175, May: 233, June: 263, July: 399, August: 203, September: 238. Temperature: the Bella di Cerignola''s temperature requirements are usually met: minimum temperature + 3 °C, - 4 °C approx. in winter; maximum temperature: 38 to 40°C in summer. Average number of days of frost. 118. Spring ground frosts can occur in April that damage flowering. Daily temeprature fluctuations can be as high as 18°C. Wind: these areas are often swept by winds exceeding 90 km/hour. The most damaging winds are the tramontana (N) and bora (N-NE) in winter, the maestrale (NW) and the favonio (S-SW). The scirocco, or south wind initially arrives moist and carries rain to the hillsides on the Tyrrhenian side but loses its moisture when crossing the Appenines and so sweeps down the Adriatic and Ionian hillsides as a hot, dry wind. Soils are of varying depth, and their level of compaction varies considerably; soils of an average mix predominate. Permeability is generally good; winter water- logging is due to the presence of hardpans close to the surface, rich in limestone and sandy clay. The pH is almost always sub-alkaline or neutral. The soils can achieve a good level of productivity and with proper working can prove suitable in terms of appropriate physical structure. 4.7. Inspection body: Name: Agro Qualità Srl Address: Piazza Sallustio, 21 — I-00187 Roma 4.8. Labelling: All the containers must be labelled in accordance with the laws in force; the labels will clearly indicate the following, in print of the same size: ‘La Bella della Daunia’ and ‘Denominazione di origine protetta’ (or the acronym DOP); the name, company name, address of the producer and packaging, expressed in accordance with rules in force. The specific, unambiguous graphic symbol to be used alongside the protected designation of origin must also appear. The symbol takes the form of a female shape in black silhouette, inspired by ancient vase-paintings in Daunia. The dancing figure holds an olive branch in her raised left hand. The words ‘La Bella della Daunia’ in classical (serif upper case) characters surround the figure. Inserted into the outer border of Pantone Gold (PMS 872), are the words ‘Oliva da mensa DOP’, with below that the name of the cultivar variety: ‘Bella della Cerignola’. The symbol will be reproduced on a sticker that comes in three sizes: 2 cm, 3 cm or 5 cm. 4.9. National requirements: —

EC No: IT/00085/99.03.03. Date of receipt of the full application: 1 June 1999.