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13.11.2013 Official
Journal
of
the
European
Union
L
302/1
II
(Non-legislative acts)
REGULATIONS
COMMISSION IMPLEMENTING REGULATION (EU) No 1127/2013
of 7 November 2013
approving minor amendments to the specification for a name entered in the register of protected
designations of origin and protected geographical indications (Montasio (PDO))
THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION,
amendments are minor within the meaning of the third
subparagraph of Article 53(2) of Regulation (EU) No
Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European
1151/2012, the Commission may approve them
Union,
without following the procedure set out in Articles 50
Having regard to Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012 of the
to 52 of the Regulation,
European Parliament and of the Council of 21 November
2012 on quality schemes for agricultural products and food
HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION:
stuffs ( 1 ), and in particular the second subparagraph of
Article 53(2) thereof,
Article 1
Whereas:
The specification for the protected designation of origin ‘Mon
(1) Pursuant
to
the
first
subparagraph
of
Article
53(1)
of tasio’ is hereby amended in accordance with Annex I to this
Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012, the Commission has
Regulation.
examined Italy’s application for the approval of
amendments to the specification for the protected desig
Article 2
nation of origin ‘Montasio’, registered under Commission
Annex II to this Regulation contains the consolidated Single
Regulation (EC) No 1107/96 ( 2 ), as amended by Imple
Document setting out the main points of the specification.
menting Regulation (EU) No 355/2011 ( 3 ).
(2)
The purpose of the application is to amend the specifi
Article 3
cation by clarifying the production method.
This Regulation shall enter into force on the twentieth day
(3) The Commission has examined the amendments in
following that of its publication in the Official Journal of the
question and decided that they are justified. Since the
European Union.
This Regulation shall be binding in its entirety and directly applicable in all Member States.
Done at Brussels, 7 November 2013.
For the Commission,
On behalf of the President,
Dacian CIOLO
Member of the Commission
( 1 ) OJ L 343, 14.12.2012, p. 1.
( 2 ) OJ L 148, 21.6.1996, p. 1.
( 3 ) OJ L 98, 13.4.2011, p. 6.

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L 302/2
EN
Official Journal of the European Union
13.11.2013
ANNEX I
In the specification for the protected designation of origin ‘Montasio’, the following amendments are approved:
1st amendment
The sentence: ‘The milk used must come from the evening and morning milking, up to a maximum of four consecutive
milkings’ is replaced by the following sentence: ‘The milk must come from consecutive milkings and be collected within
48 hours of the first milking’.
Initially, the milk delivered within the 48 hour period came from only traditional milkings, which were 4 in number.
With the introduction of automatic milking, the number of consecutive milkings possible in a 48 hour period can be
increased. The time period has therefore been maintained; only the total number of milkings has been changed. From a
technical and scientific point of view, the use of automatic milking systems does not affect the properties of the milk; in
particular, its composition is statistically comparable, in terms of fats and protein content, to that of milk obtained by
traditional milking. The cows’ health is even improved, since these systems eliminate the stress caused, during peaks of
high lactation, by the practice of only two milkings. The possibility of obtaining large quantities of milk more than twice
a day also has the effect of subjecting the udder and teats to less stress, improving the microbiological quality of the milk
and reducing the occurrence of mastitis.
The use of these systems also makes it possible to improve the milk’s rheological behaviour, which measures the
coagulation capacity, leading to both a faster enzymatic reaction in the curds and making the curds resistant to the
mechanical action of the curd knife.
2nd amendment
Current wording: ‘The milk intended for the PDO “Montasio” must not undergo pasteurisation processes and must be
accompanied by a clearly positive phosphatasia analysis.’
Amended text: ‘The milk intended for the PDO “Montasio” must not be pasteurised. Any analyses carried out on the heat-
treated milk intended for the production of the PDO “Montasio” must show a clearly positive reaction to the phosphatasia
test.’
For several years cheese self-monitoring dairies have subjected the milk to a systematic check by recording the milk’s
transitional temperatures each day. Thus, the phosphatasia test remains an analysis method used by the monitoring body
to check compliance with the specification. This check is carried out on the basis of risk analysis.
3rd amendment
Current text: ‘The production of the cheese for the PDO “Montasio” is carried out according to the following operational
sequence:
06) cooking at 42-48 °C and rolling away from the heat for a total of 20 to 30 minutes;’
Proposed text:
06) ‘cooking at + 42-48 °C and draining, away from the heat, for at least 10 minutes;’
It has been found that these two stages (the cooking and the successive draining, away from the heat) can vary greatly
according to the prevailing technical and technological conditions.
As regards equipment, the cheese dairies which produce ‘Montasio’ use either copper vats (from 1 to 1,5 tonnes) or multi-
purpose steel vats with a capacity of 3,5 to 8 tonnes.
Using these two types of vat is a factor which determines the time for heating the coagulated mass, since the speeds of
steam heating are very different from those resulting from the process which takes place.
As for the draining, away from heat, a stage during which part of the whey is removed from the coagulated mass, the
latter depends on the maximum temperature reached, how quickly the mass cools, which in turn depends on the type of
vat used, the quantities processed in each vat, the size of the curds’ kernels and the quantity of water contained which will
be removed by the effect of the temperature and the mixing.
Moreover, the decanting or withdrawal of the coagulated mass with a view to moulding can be speeded up or slowed
down depending on the time needed to carry out the operation and the degree of automation present.
For example, if the coagulated mass is decanted onto a moulding table from a multi-purpose vat placed above that table,
the time needed for the same quantity is well below that needed for manual decanting with a linen cloth from copper
vats.
Taking into account the fact that the optimum moment for decanting the curds is determined by each cheesemaker
according to daily assessment criteria, experience and personal know-how, etc., it is necessary to define a minimum
duration for the cooking and draining away from heat.

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EN
13.11.2013 Official
Journal
of
the
European
Union
L
302/3
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 )
‘MONTASIO’
EC No: IT-PDO-0317-0995-26.04.2012
PGI ( ) PDO ( X )
1. Name
‘Montasio’
2. Member
State
or
third
country
Italy
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 (1) applies
‘Montasio’ is a cheese made from cow’s milk, with medium or long ripening, cylindrical in shape, with a straight or
almost straight heel and flat or slightly convex sides. It is produced from non-pasteurised milk based exclusively on
natural lactic leavens or authorised fermenting agents. The minimum ripening period is 60 days and the moisture
content is monitored by boring at 10 and 60 days of ripening. At 60 days of ripening, cheese bearing the PDO
‘Montasio’ must have the following characteristics: a maximum moisture content less than or equal to 36,72 %; fat
content in dry extract: at least 40 %; weight: 6 to 8 kg; diameter: 30 to 35 cm; heel: at most 8 cm; rind: smooth,
regular and elastic; paste: compact with a few openings; colour: natural, drawing on straw yellow; aroma: typical;
flavour: agreeable, tending towards spicy in the case of long-ripened ‘Montasio’.
3.3. Raw materials (for processed products only)
The PDO ‘Montasio’ is produced from milk from farms located in the production area.
The main breeds reared are Brown Swiss, Italian Red Pied and Black Pied.
No preservatives are added and no heat treatment is authorised, except for cooling to a minimum temperature of
4 °C.
3.4. Feed (for products of animal origin only)
The cows’ feed comprises 75-85 % raw cereals, dry and green fodder and silage. The remaining 15 to 25 % raw feed
comprises concentrates and protein cattle-cake. The use of mineral and vitamin supplements is authorised. 60 % of
the feed comes from the geographical area. Feed which traditional cheesemakers regard as adversely affecting tyrosis
is banned, such as fodder from marshy land or located beside busy roads. Also not authorised are vegetables, fruit
and rape, or the by-products of processing rice, meal of animal origin, industrial feed for medical use, moist or
ensilaged fresh beet pulp, by-products of beer or of distilled products, ensilaged fodder (except ensilaged hay and
ensilaged maize) and fermented substances from the industrial processing of fruit, beet, beer and distilled products.
3.5. Specific steps in production that must take place in the defined geographical area
The whole production process (cattle rearing and milk production, coagulation, processing the curds, moulding,
draining, salting and ripening) must take place in the area defined under point 4.
( 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).

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L 302/4
EN
Official Journal of the European Union
13.11.2013
3.6. Specific rules concerning slicing, grating, packaging, etc.
—
3.7. Specific rules concerning labelling
The product is identified by marking, at the outset, in a specific mould which states the producer’s code, the
provincial acronym and the production date (year, month, day). The ‘stamp of origin’ of the PDO ‘Montasio’
consists of the name ‘Montasio’ written obliquely the right way up and upside down (Figure No 1).
The ‘stamp of origin’ is put on all the production of the associated and non-associated holdings, on condition that
the production has been obtained in compliance with the specification.
(Figure No 1)
1) Branding of the name ‘Montasio’ and sticker bearing the letters ‘PDM’
2) Month of production/3) Day of production/4) Cheesemaker’s code/5) Provincial acronym/VI) Year of production
The product logo comprises a stylised capital ‘M’, below which ‘MONTASIO’ is written. This logo must always be
reproduced using the ‘HORATIO’ font. It must comply with the proportions of Figure No 2 (for example, 8 cm wide
and 6 cm tall).
(Figure No 2)
When the whole production process — from producing the milk to ripening for at least 60 days — takes place in a
mountain area, as defined in the national legislation in force, located within the production area of the PDO
‘Montasio’, the cheese’s label may state ‘mountain product’. To that end, a sticker with the letters ‘PDM’ (‘prodotto
della montagna’ = ‘mountain product’) will be affixed to the heel.
On cheese loaves of ‘Montasio’ which have ripened for more than 100 days, the Consorzio per la Tutela del
Formaggio Montasio may, at the request of all the associated or non-associated producers, brand onto the part
of the heel intended for that purpose the logo of the name, after its prior verification (Figure No 2).
4. Concise
definition
of
the
geographical
area
The production area of the PDO ‘Montasio’ comprises: Friuli-Venezia Giulia: the whole territory. Veneto: the whole
territory of the provinces of Belluno and Treviso and part of the territory of the provinces of Padua and Venice
delimited as follows: ‘from the intersection with the border between the province of Treviso and that of Padua, the
perimeter follows that line until the Serenissima motorway. It continues along that line until the motorway bridge
crossing the River Brenta, then it follows the bank of the river until its mouth’.

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EN
13.11.2013 Official
Journal
of
the
European
Union
L
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5. Link
with
the
geographical
area
5.1. Specificity of the geographical area
The natural factors are linked to the climatic conditions in the production area, comprising mainly mountains and
foothill areas where mountain and meadow grazing are still practised, which influences the quality of the fodder
intended to feed the dairy cows.
‘Montasio’ was added to the market price list of San Daniele and Udine in 1773/1775. This attests to the marketing
of ‘Montasio’ and shows that it was not only a local product or intended for domestic consumption. The close link
between ‘Montasio’ and the production area is also attested by the strong impetus which the production of this
cheese gave to the development of cooperatives. ‘Montasio’ and its specific production method quickly spread in
Friuli and western Venice, because of both human and structural factors (such as the invention of cooperative cheese
dairies or the establishment of a school for cheesemakers) — to the point where there were more than 650 cheese
dairies active in the 1960s — and because of the environment itself within which that method first developed.
As regards the characteristics of the production area, the eastern part of Italy has always been and is still marked by
considerable spring and autumn precipitation, which favours pasture and cereal-growing (wheat and barley), which is
the basis of dairy cow feed. Maize-growing and therefore the use of maize as fresh feed and for ensilage also gained
in importance over time. More recently, the cultivation of soya, a protein supplement, has expanded in the
production area.
5.2. Specificity of the product
The main characteristic of ‘Montasio’ is its great suitability for medium- to long-term ripening. In the range of
national cheeses, ‘Montasio’ is among the semi-hard cheeses, but as it can be ripened for up to 36 months, it is also
among the category of rare long-ripened hard cheeses.
Another characteristic of ‘Montasio’ is in the dimensions of the loaf.
Moreover, the PDO ‘Montasio’ has retained in its specification the ban on pasteurising the milk, thereby preserving
to the absolute maximum extent possible the spontaneous bacterial load of the milk produced in the production
area.
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 suitability for medium-/long-term ripening is the result of ‘soft’ technology. Small doses of lactic fermenting
agents are used (about 1 %), cooking is done at low temperatures (between 42 and 48 °C) and the draining and
pressing give the cheese a medium firmness, with a moisture content at two months (which corresponds to the
minimum level for marketing the cheese) of about 36 %.
The environment in which ‘Montasio’ developed has microbiological characteristics adapted to its development and
dissemination. ‘Montasio’ is characterised by the presence of a thermophilic microbial flora which has always made it
possible to obtain a unique cheese product of its type, to be consumed fresh (at least two months’ ripening
nowadays, because it is produced from non-pasteurised milk) but it can also be ripened for up to 36 months;
this cheese therefore has organoleptic characteristics, a consistency, flavours and aromas which vary over time,
precisely thanks to the bacterial load naturally present in the meadows/pastures and the fodder in the production
area.
In fact, at two months’ ripeness ‘Montasio’ is a medium-firm cheese with a delicate flavour reminiscent of the milk
from which it is produced. As ripening is extended and substances concentrate, ‘Montasio’ acquires more marked and
slightly spicy flavours and the cheese becomes firmer and crumblier.
With the improvement in rearing methods, crop rationalisation and the introduction of ever more hygienic milking
methods, it became necessary to enrich the milk with cheese micro-organisms useful for the production of ‘Mon
tasio’. Thus lactic fermenting agents (high in cocci and low in bacilli), from the milk in the production area, started
to be used, a practice which subsequently became widespread.
Reference to publication of the specification
(Article 5(7) of Regulation (EC) No 510/2006)
The authority responsible launched the national opposition procedure by publishing the proposal for recognition of the
PDO ‘Montasio’ in Official Gazette of the Italian Republic No 271 of 21.11.2011.

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L 302/6
EN
Official Journal of the European Union
13.11.2013
The consolidated text of the product specification can be consulted on the following website:
http://www.politicheagricole.it/flex/cm/pages/ServeBLOB.php/L/IT/IDPagina/3335
or by going directly to the home page of the Ministry of Agricultural, Food and Forestry Policy (www.politicheagricole.it)
and clicking on ‘Qualità e sicurezza’ (Quality and safety) (at the top right of the screen) and then on ‘Disciplinari di
Produzione all’esame dell’UE’ (Specifications submitted for examination by the EU).

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Document Outline

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