France's Ardèche chestnut is now protected within the EU
The new law stating the protected designation of origin ''Châtaigne d'Ardèche" was printed on Tuesday in the official EU newspaper. This PDO is reserved for local Ardèche chestnuts farmed in traditional orchards on a slope, sometimes terraced. Geographically, the ''Châtaigne d'Ardèche" PDO goes from the South-East border of the Massif central and spreads out over the Ardèche region. It covers 197 communes, of which 188 are communes in the Ardèche, 7 in the Gard and 2 in the Drôme.
An essential product for the locals, the Ardèche chestnut has become an important part of the region's gastronomy. Many 100 year old well-known businesses developed at the end of the 19th century produce such as 'marrons glacés' and chestnut purées.
According to the figures in 2012, the 192 chestnut producers farm 1,200 hectares of chestnut groves (approx. 54,000 trees) for a production of 580 tons.
The PDO is the European equivalent of the French 'appellation d'origine contrôlée' (AOC) and exists since 1992. PDO is designated to products of which all stages of fabrication (production, processing and preparation) are carried out using a recognised know-how in one geographical region, which is what characterises the product. The EU already acknowledges about 1,100 regional and/or quality products under the legislation for protection of geographical regions, designations of origin and traditional specialities.
Source: agrisalon.com
