ANNEX IISupplementary provisions
ANNEX II CONSOLIDATED SINGLE DOCUMENT Council Regulation (EC) No 510/2006 of 20 March 2006 on the protection of geographical indications and designations of origin for agricultural products and foodstuffs ( 1 ) ‘MORBIER’ EC No: FR-PDO-0205-0933-29.12.2011 PGI ( ) PDO ( X ) 1. Name ‘Morbier’ 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 the product to which the name in (1) applies ‘Morbier’ is a cheese made from raw cow’s milk, with an uncooked pressed paste, in the shape of a flat cylinder 30 to 40 centimetres in diameter, 5 to 8 centimetres high, weighing 5 to 8 kg, with flat sides and a slightly convex heel. Throughout each slice the cheese has a continuous, joined, horizontal, central black mark. Its rind is natural, rubbed, of regular appearance, smeared, and bears the imprint of the frame of the mould. Its colour is beige to orange with shades of orangey brown, orangey red and orangey pink. Its paste is homogeneous and ivory to pale yellow in colour, with frequently a number of scattered openings the size of a redcurrant or small flattened bubbles. It is soft to the touch, smooth and melting and not very sticky in the mouth and its texture is smooth and fine. The taste is clear with hints of milk, caramel, vanilla and fruit. With ageing, the aromatic range becomes enriched by roasted, spicy and vegetable nuances. The flavours are balanced. The cheese has a minimum fat content of 45 grams per 100 grams after complete desiccation. The moisture content of the fat-free cheese must be between 58 % and 67 %. The maturing of the cheese is carried out over a minimum period of 45 days from the day of production, without interrupting the cycle. 3.3. Raw materials (for processed products only) The milk used to produce ‘Morbier’ must come solely from a dairy herd of Montbéliarde cows of breed type 46, or from French Simmental cows of breed type 35, or from crosses of these two breeds of certified descent. 3.4. Feed (for products of animal origin only) The dairy cows’ basic intake comprises grass grazed throughout the growing period, and during the winter hay or second-cut hay likewise harvested in the geographical area. In order to guarantee a close link between the region and the product by specific feed from the geographical area, supplementary feed is limited to 1 800 kg per dairy cow per year. On the holding, the grazing area actually used must be at least equal to 1 hectare per dairy cow. In order to maintain the traditional practice of grazing, farm production systems where all the feed is supplied in troughs are forbidden. The dairy cows graze after the snow has melted and as soon as the soils’ bearing capacity allows. In the grazing season, the cows in production use at least 20 acres of grassland per dairy cow. These restrictions mean that at least 70 % of the feed comes from the geographical area. Fermented fodder, whether silage products or other, are not to be used in the feed of the dairy herd at any time of the year owing to the technological risks related to these practices during the production and maturing of cheeses. Only raw materials and supplementary feed derived from non-transgenic products are authorised for the dairy herd so as to preserve the traditional nature of the feed. 3.5. Specific steps in production that must take place in the defined geographical area The milk is produced and the cheese manufactured and matured in the geographical area. 3.6. Specific rules concerning slicing, grating, packaging, etc. — 3.7. Specific rules concerning labelling The labelling of the cheeses qualifying for the designation of origin ‘Morbier’ must include the name of the designation written in characters at least equal in size to the largest characters appearing on the label. The labelling must include the European Union ‘PDO’ symbol. The identification (name or business name and address) of the maturing plant is clearly shown on the whole cheeses. It is specified that, irrespective of the regulatory references applicable to all cheeses, the use of any term or other reference accompanying the designation of origin is prohibited on the labelling, advertising, invoices or commercial documents, with the exception of specific trademarks. 4. Concise definition of the geographical area The geographical area extends over the territory of the following municipalities: Department of Ain: municipalities of Apremont, Bellegarde-sur-Valserine as regards the part corresponding to the former municipality of Coupy, Belleydoux, Champfromier, Charix, Chezery-Forens, Confort, Echallon, Giron, Lancrans, Leaz, Lelex, Mijoux, Plagne, Montanges and Saint-Germain-de-Joux. Department of Doubs: all the municipalities of the department. Department of Jura: all the municipalities with the exception of Annoire, Aumur, Champdivers, Chemin, Longwy-sur-le-Doubs, Molay, Peseux, Petit-Noir, Saint-Aubin, Saint-Loup, Tavaux. Department of Saône and Loire: municipalities of Beaurepaire-en-Bresse, Beauvernois, Bellevesvre, Champagnat, Cuiseaux, Flacey-en-Bresse, Fretterans, Joudes, Mouthier-en-Bresse, Sagy, Saillenard, Savigny-en-Revermont and Torpes. 5. Link with the geographical area 5.1. Specificity of the geographical area Natural factors The geographical area comprises the arc of the Jura mountains, a set of limestone plateaux, and its extension into a small part of the adjoining plain. The altitude is often high. The landscape is divided between grassland and woodland. The grassland’s natural limestone flora is very varied. The whole of the area is characterised by a continental type of climate, with large differences in temperature between winter and summer, and precipitation which, although spread throughout the year, is considerable in summer. The whole of the area is also defined by a northern climate with a low annual average temperature (despite considerable heat in the summer) and a large number of days of frost. It is a very wet mountain or submountain environment with annual rainfall always in excess of 900 mm and generally in excess of 1 000 mm. This rainfall is already considerable at low altitude and increases towards the interior of the mountain ranges. Seasonal distribution is characterised by the lack of a dry season. This climate particularly favours the growth of grass. Human factors In the centre and the north of the Jura mountains the importance of grazing has shaped the regional economy based essentially on livestock rearing and above all on dairy production. The oldest document referring to ‘Morbier’ dates from 1799. The cheese was already known in Paris at that time, which indicates that its origin was older. Originally it was produced at a time when the level of milk was low and in particular insufficient for the production of a wheel of ‘Comté’. The production of ‘Morbier’ and ‘Comté’ are closely linked. There are currently several theories about the origin of the making of ‘Morbier’. According to one theory, ‘Morbier’ was made out of necessity, on the farms, in order to use two successive milkings to produce a cheese of 8 to 10 kilograms. The first curd loaf was coated with soot taken from under the cauldron in order to provide protection against external contamination and avoid superficial alteration before being put together with the curds of the following batch. The residual layer marked the join between the two batches. The application of carbon by hand presupposes an exact balance between coating curds which were too dry and coating curds which were too moist. Maintaining a stage performed by hand guarantees that cheesemakers’ know-how in relation to ‘Morbier’ is maintained, as well as respect for tradition. The livestock rearers in the Jura mountains have over the generations opted for a breed of cow, the ‘Montbéliarde’, which is particularly suited to the local natural conditions and whose milk is well-suited to the regional cheesemaking technologies. Secondarily, they have also opted for the ‘Simmental’, which is less prevalent. 5.2. Specificity of the product ‘Morbier’ is a cow’s milk cheese weighing 5 to 8 kg. ‘Morbier’ is a cheese which is recognisable by a horizontal, central black line which runs through the whole slice like a weld. The black line is obtained solely by coating vegetable carbon on the side of one of the loaves of curds before pressing. With the cheese marked in the centre by this famous black line, its paste is homogeneous in colour from ivory to pale yellow with frequently a number of scattered openings. The taste is clear with hints of milk, caramel, vanilla and fruit. With ageing, the aromatic range becomes enriched by roasted, spicy and vegetable nuances. 5.3. Causal link between the geographical area and the quality or characteristics of the product (for PDO) or a specific quality, the reputation or other characteristic of the product (for PGI) The dominant share of grass in the dairy cows’ feed influences the characteristics of the milk and the organoleptic features of ‘Morbier’. Each variation in the floristic composition of the grassland translates into variations in the cheese’s aromatic nuances. This effect can easily be verified over the course of the seasons. That is why several production conditions in the specification aim to preserve the natural floristic diversity. These grass resources are preserved by banning genetically modified crops, which could alter the floristic composition or limit its diversity. The richness of the grassland’s flora is also preserved by restricting fertiliser inputs. The shape of the cheese (a medium-sized cylinder) was originally adapted to production on mountain farms. Dual production, corresponding to two milkings, makes it possible to obtain quite a large size, limiting losses during storage. This size will subsequently be taken over by the cheese dairies (cheesemaking cooperatives), thereby enabling cheese production when the level of milk production is low. This link with the making of cooked pressed pastes, and in particular ‘Comté’, is found in the rind smearing techniques. This type of care contributes, beyond appearance, to the special taste of the cheese. Using wood for maturing constitutes a direct link with the technological requirements and with the existence nearby of large coniferous forests which are part of the natural environment. In order to obtain a fine, smooth texture and the expression of fine nuances in the taste of ‘Morbier’, it is essential to use raw milk with a particular lactic flora. The removal of lactose, while contributing to the texture of ‘Morbier’, enables the expression of these secondary aromatic nuances. The central black line was initially obtained by using soot from the cauldron. This technique affirms the link with the production of cooked pressed pastes in Franche-Comté. Reference to publication of the specification (Article 5(7) of Regulation (EC) No 510/2006) https://www.inao.gouv.fr/fichier/CDCMorbier.pdf ( 1 ) OJ L 93, 31.3.2006, p. 12 . Replaced by Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 21 November 2012 on quality schemes for agricultural products and foodstuffs ( OJ L 343, 14.12.2012, p. 1 ).