8.2.2001EN Official Journal of the European Communities C 42/5 4.9. National requirements Law No 25/1970 of 2 December 1970, Estatuto de la Viæa, del Vino y de los Alcoholes (Statute for Vineyards, Wines and Spirit Drinks); Decree No 835/1972 of 28 March 1972, Regulation of Law No 25/1970; Order of 25 January 1994 clarifying the conformity between the Spanish legislation and Regulation (EEC) No 2081/92 on the protection of geographical indications and designations of origin for agricultural products and foodstuffs; Royal Decree No 1643/1999 of 22 October 1999 laying down rules on the processing of applications for entry into the Community Register of Protected Designations of Origin and Protected Geographical Indications. EC No: G/E/00138/2000.07.03. Date of receipt of the full application: 3 July 2000. Publication of an application for registration pursuant to Article 6(2) of Council Regulation (EEC) No 2081/92 on the protection of geographical indications and designations of origin (2001/C 42/03) 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 68 1. Responsible department in the Member State Name: Subdirección General de Denominaciones de Calidad y Relaciones Interprofesionales y Contractuales. Dirección General de Alimentación. Subsecretaría General de Agricultura, Pesca y Alimentación. Ministerio de Agricultura, Pesca y Alimentación Address: Paseo de La Infanta Isabel, 1, E-28071 Madrid Tel. (34) 913 47 53 94 Fax (34) 913 47 54 10 2. Applicant groups 2.1. Name: Unión Provincial de Cooperativas del Campo de Valencia Address: C/ Caballeros, 26, E-46003 Valencia Composition: Producer/processor (x) Other ( ) 2.2. Name: Asociación Profesional de Industriales Arroceros Levantinos Address: Pasaje La Sangre, 5, 2o,9a, E-46002 Valencia Composition: Producer/processor (x) Other ( ) C 42/6EN Official Journal of the European Communities 8.2.2001 3. Type of product: Rice. Class 1.6. Cereals. 4. Specification (summary of requirements under Article 4(2)) 4.1. Name: Arroz de Valencia or Arròs de ValŁncia. 4.2. Description: Rice (Oryza sativa) of the varieties Senia, Bahía and Bomba. To be sold as wholegrain rice or extra class white rice The average requirements for the varieties included in the PDO are as follows: (a) Characteristics of the various varieties of paddy rice produced Length Whiteness Vitrosity Pearling rate Average grain Variety Length/width (mm) (%) (%) (%) size Bahía 5,6 1,8 46,3 2,49 99 2,3 Senia 5,6 1,8 48,0 2,46 99 2,4 Bomba 5,2 1,8 45,0 2,08 99 2,9 (b) Milling requirements Total yield Whole Broken Variety (%) (%) (%) Bahía 72,6 63,2 9,4 Senia 72,1 61,9 10,2 Bomba 72,1 53,7 18,5 (c) Composition requirements Amylose Proteins Variety (%) (%) Bahía 19,1 8,4 Senia 19,3 8,4 Bomba 24,9 9,5 (d) Cooking requirements Gel consistency Consistency Stickiness Variety (mm) (kg/cm2) (g/cm) Bahía 70 0,76 5,26 Senia 77 0,71 5,31 Bomba 28 1,06 1,37 8.2.2001EN Official Journal of the European Communities C 42/7 4.3. Geographical area Geographical location of crop: Wetlands in Provinces of Alicante, Castellón and Valencia, in the autonomous community of Valencia, mainly municipalities in the area surrounding the Albufera Nature Reserve. Municipalities covered: Area surrounding Albufera Nature Reserve (Province of Valencia): Albal, Albalat de la Ribera, Alfafar, Algemesí, Beniparrell, Catarroja, Cullera, Massanasa, Sedaví, Silla, Sollana, Sueca and Valencia. Other municipalities in the Province of Valencia: Alginet, Almacera, Almusafes, Alquería de la Condesa, La Alcudia, Benifayó, Corbera, Favareta, Fortaleny, Llaurí, Masamagrell, Oliva, La Pobla de Farnals, PolinyÆ del Xœquer, Puzol, Riola, Sagunto and Tabernes de Valldigna. Municipality in the Province of Alicante: Pego. Municipalities in the Province of Castellón: Almenara, Castellón. The surface area dedicated to rice-growing is approximately 16 000 hectares. Processing and packaging is carried out in the area of origin. 4.4. Proof of origin: Only rice grown on plots of land entered in inspection registers and processed by firms entered in these in plot registers may be sold with a designation of origin. The rice comes exclusively from plots registered in the Land Plot Register, after having been checked twice during growing. Growers recorded in the register submit a harvest declaration and a sale of harvest declaration, stating the particulars of and signed by the undertaking purchasing the rice. These undertakings must be recorded in the corresponding Register of Rice- handling Undertakings, and must submit monthly reports on movements of the protected rice. These undertakings are inspected three times per year through documentary checks on the origin and quantities of rice handled, and sample-taking to check the quality of the rice. After undergoing these checks, the product is given a numbered label specifying the designation of origin and inspection body. 4.5. Method of production: The vast majority of rice gowers in the autonomous community of Valencia use the direct sowing method, either by hand or from light aircraft. The water level varies in accordance with climatic conditions and crop development. During the growing season, the crop undergoes one or two eixugons (where it is dried out), which consist in leaving it without water for several days to inhibit algae growth. Summary of the process: sowing: with centrifugal broadcasters or from a light aircraft. From end of April to mid May, harvesting: with mechanised combine-harvesters. From beginning of September to beginning of October, drying: on the ground in sequers or forced through hot-air dryers, either once or twice. September and October, cleaning, milling and packing: entirely mechanised. Throughout the year. 4.6. Links Historical: Documents provide proof that rice was grown in the former Kingdom of Valencia before it was conquered by Jaime I, in 1238. The libre dels repartiments, that divided up the land of the newly conquered kingdom, refers to rice fields. C 42/8EN Official Journal of the European Communities 8.2.2001 King Fernando VI’s regulation of 1753 demarcates the rice-growing fields in the area. Other documents that describe the history of rice-growing in the autonomous community of Valencia are: El arroz (Rice) (1939) Rafael Font de Mora y Llorens, and Compendio arrocero (A compendium of rice) (1952) JosØ Ma Carrasco García. Rice-growing has continued uninterrupted until the present day, with rice constituting an essential ingredient in the cuisine of this region, and one that has international renown, as it forms the basis of Valencian paella. Natural: The autonomous community of Valencia has several natural wetlands (the largest being Albufera) that have the right soil and floodability conditions for the crop, as well as having climatic characteristics suited to rice-growing. Summary of the conditions: Soil: On both banks of the river Jœcar, and in the areas bordering the Albufera, soil is limy in nature (30 to 50 % carbonates), clayey, poor in organic solids and alkaline (pH 8-8,3). The earth is hard and only slightly permeable: optimal physical conditions for rice-growing. Climate: Temperature, light and humidity conditions in the area of production correspond broadly to those established as optimal for rice-growing in agronomic studies carried out. 4.7. Inspection body Name: Instituto de Calidad Alimentaria de la Comunidad Valenciana Address: plaza Polo de BernabØ, 8, bajo, E-46020 Valencia Tel. (34) 96 38 41 24 Fax (34) 96 38 41 79 E-mail: [email protected] The production control tasks are to be provisionally assumed by the Instituto de Calidad Agroali- mentaria, as a competent authority in designations of quality for the autonomous community of Valencia, until the Regulating Body of the PDO Arroz de Valencia complies with standard EN-45011. 4.8. Labelling: The protected rice is to be sold only in packaging supplied with a label, numbered, issued and inspected by the regulating body. It is compulsory for these labels to bear the indi- cation, Denominación de Origen Arroz de Valencia or the equivalent in Valenciano, Denominació d’Orige Arròs de ValŁncia. The commercial labels used must be approved by the regulating body. 4.9. National Requirements: Law No 25/1970 of 2 December 1970 (Statute of vineyards, wine and spirit drinks), Decree No 835/1972 of 28 March 1972, regulation of Law No 25/1970, Order of 25 January 1994 specifying the correlation between Spanish legislation and Regu- lation (EEC) No 2081/92 on designations of origin and geographical indications for agricultural and food products, Royal Decree No 1643/1999 of 22 October 1999 regulating the process for the handling of applications for registration in the Community register of protected designation of origins and protected geographical indications. EC No: G/E/00151/2000.09.04. Date of receipt of the full application: 4 September 2000..