HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.01 Transitional//EN"L 53/4
EN
Official Journal of the European Union
25.2.2012
COMMISSION IMPLEMENTING REGULATION (EU) No 165/2012
of 24 February 2012
entering a name in the register of protected designations of origin and protected geographical
indications (Alfldi kamillavirágzat (PDO))
THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION,
(5) According
to
Article
16(4)
of
Commission
Regulation
(EC) No 1898/2006 ( 3 ), an amendment to be regarded
Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European
as minor, within the meaning of the second
Union,
subparagraph of Article 7(5) of Regulation (EC) No
510/2006, cannot:
Having regard to Council Regulation (EC) No 510/2006 of
20 March 2006 on the protection of geographical indications
(a) relate to the essential characteristics of the product;
and designations of origin for agricultural products and food
stuffs ( 1 ), and in particular the second subparagraph of
(b) alter the link;
Article 7(5) thereof,
(c) include a change to the name, or to any part of the
Whereas:
name, of the product;
(1) Pursuant
to
Article
6(2)
of
Regulation
(EC)
No
510/2006,
(d) affect the defined geographical area;
an application from Hungary received on 21 December
2005 to register the name ‘Alfldi kamillavirágzat’ as a
(e) represent an increase in restrictions on trade in the
protected designation of origin was published in the
product or its raw materials.
Official Journal of the European Union ( 2 ).
(6)
In the light of the above, the name ‘Alfldi kamillavir
(2) Germany
lodged
an
objection
to
such
registration
under
ágzat’ should be entered in the register of protected
Article 7(1) of Regulation (EC) No 510/2006. The
designations of origin and protected geographical indi
objections were deemed admissible under point (c) of
cations and the summary should be updated accordingly
Article 7(3) thereof. By letter dated 17 February 2011,
and published,
the Commission asked the Parties concerned to seek
agreement among themselves in accordance with their
HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION:
internal procedures.
Article 1
(3) An
agreement
was
reached
between
Hungary
and
Germany, which resulted in deleting the following text
The designation contained in Annex I to this Regulation shall
under point 4.2 of the summary (as published in the OJ
be entered in the register.
on 16 July 2010): ‘This dried product the Chamomillae
anthodium — commonly known as Wild Camomile — is
Article 2
listed as an official medicine in the up-to-date version of the
The updated summary is contained in Annex II of this Regu
Hungarian Pharmacopia and the European Pharmacopia,
lation.
and it is used as precious basic material in the sachets and
bagged infusion prepared from the camomile flower.’
Article 3
(4) Under
this
agreement,
the
opponent
has
withdrawn
the This Regulation shall enter into force on the 20th day following
opposition.
its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union.
This Regulation shall be binding in its entirety and directly applicable in all Member States.
Done at Brussels, 24 February 2012.
For the Commission
The President
José Manuel BARROSO
( 1 ) OJ L 93, 31.3.2006, p. 12.
( 2 ) OJ C 192, 16.7.2010, p. 10.
( 3 ) OJ L 369, 23.12.2006, p. 1.

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EN
25.2.2012 Official
Journal
of
the
European
Union
L
53/5
ANNEX I
Agricultural products intended for human consumption in Annex I to the Treaty:
Class 1.8. Other products of Annex I to the Treaty (spices etc.)
HUNGARY
Alfldi kamillavirágzat (PDO)

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L 53/6
EN
Official Journal of the European Union
25.2.2012
ANNEX II
SUMMARY
COUNCIL REGULATION (EC) No 510/2006
‘ALFLDI KAMILLAVIRGZAT’
EC NUMBER: HU-PDO-0005-0516-21.12.2005
PDO ( X ) PGI ( )
This summary sets out the main elements of the product specification for information purposes.
1. Responsible
department
in
the
Member
State:
Name: Fldmvelésügyi és Vidékfejlesztési Minisztérium — lelmiszerlánc-elemzési Fosztály (Department of
Food Chain Analysis of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development)
Address: Budapest
Kossuth Lajos tér 11
1055
MAGYARORSZG/HUNGARY
Tel. +36
13014419
Fax +36
13014808
E-mail: eniko.zobor@fvm.gov.hu
2. Group:
Name: Alfldi
vadonterm kamillavirág gyjtk és, feldolgozók csoportosulása (Group of pickers and
processors of wild camomile flowers of the Alfld)
Address: Budapest
Dózsa Gyrgy út 144
1134
MAGYARORSZG/HUNGARY
Tel. +36
12886-700/303
Fax +36
13501691
E-mail: herbaria@herbaria.hu
Composition: Producers/processors ( X ) Other ( X )
3. Type
of
product:
Group 1.8. Other products of Annex I to the Treaty
4. Specification:
(summary of requirements under Article 4(2) of Regulation (EC) No 510/2006)
4.1. Name:
‘Alfldi kamillavirágzat’
4.2. Description:
‘Alfldi kamillavirágzat’ is a dried, selected flower from the wild camomile flower (Matricaria chamomilla L.), hand-
picked from the saline soils of the Great Hungarian Plain.
The flower of the ‘Alfldi kamillavirágzat’ is strong, aromatic, sweet-smelling, slightly bitter-tasting and, during
processing, does not disintegrate, is less powdery and its essential oil preserves better than the herbal medicine
made from cultivated camomile.
There are considerably larger quantities — at least 20 % several times more — of α-bisabolol (a component with
antiphlogistic and anti-ulcerative effects) in the essential oil of ‘Alfldi kamillavirágzat’ than in cultivated camomile.
4.3. Geographical area:
The area where the wild growing ‘Alfldi kamillavirágzat’ is gathered and processed covers the administrative area of
individual agglomerations in the counties of Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg, Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén, Heves, Jász-Nagykun-
Szolnok, Hajdú-Bihar, Békés, Csongrád, Bács-Kiskun and Pest. The names of the agglomerations found in the
counties were defined accurately under the product specification. The geographical description ‘Alfldi kamillavir
ágzat’ may be applied to products prepared from material collected within the administrative boundaries of the listed
places.

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EN
25.2.2012 Official
Journal
of
the
European
Union
L
53/7
4.4. Proof of origin:
The origin of the ‘Alfldi kamillavirágzat’ is established by organoleptic and technical tests, as well as by the
implementation of a tracing system.
The entire process of producing the ‘Alfldi kamillavirágzat’ must be implemented under strict manufacturing and
inspection conditions, with the quality-assurance system extending to inspection of the documented source of
gathering, consequently, the journey of the product from gathering to delivery of the finished product is identifiable
and verifiable.
The Purchasing Standard on the quality rules for wild medicinal plants and their basic materials established by the
group sets out the quality standards for gathering:
Many individual gatherers pick the flowers in the camomile fields during the camomile flower’s short harvesting
season of a few weeks. There are purchasing points in the region, where the gatherers hand over the freshly picked
plants. The buyers transport the loose raw goods of appropriate quality to processing plants in the region without
delay within 4 to 8 hours. The accompanying transport certificate includes a delivery letter and a declaration, on
which the transporter states the name of the area where the goods have been gathered.
Proof of purchase is issued upon the quantity and quality acceptance of the raw basic material picked by individual
gatherers, indicating the name of the place where the goods were gathered and substantiated by the gatherer’s
signature. If the basic material arrives at the processing plant in dried form, a certificate of origin and area of
gathering must in any event be requested.
To ensure traceability during the drying process the logbook must document the amount and place of gathering of
the product, as well as the location of gathering and the purchase points. A production report must be drafted on
drying in every case.
An average quality sample taken from the batches packaged in 10 kg cardboard boxes in the course of official
sampling represents the quality of the entire batch. If the product meets the requirements of the European Phar
macopia and the up-to-date version of the Hungarian Pharmacopia and the α-bisabolol content of the essential
oil constituent required by the product specification is established, the cardboard boxes receive a ‘green’ label, while
the product receives a qualification document by indicating quantity and quality. The qualification document number
is a specific identification of the ‘Alfldi kamillavirágzat’ and refers exclusively to the product tested. If the product
does not meet the requirements, it may not be placed on the market as ‘Alfldi kamillavirágzat’.
During the process of putting the camomile into sachets and bags, a bagging logbook must be kept for every single
operation. The distribution permit number appears alongside the amounts used and measured. The permit number
and the manufacturing number specified in the bagging logbooks appear on the commercial packaging of the end
products. These data can be used to trace the date of manufacture, as well as the identification number, amount and
origin of the batch used.
4.5. Method of production:
(a) G a t h e r i n g a n d t r a n s p o r t
The flowers are picked in May and June, but often also as early as late April. The wild camomile is gathered using
a camomile comb which can be made from wood, iron or tin. The flower is detached from the stem with the
help of the teeth of the comb, then emptied into sacks. Flowers collected cold in sacks can be kept for up to 4
hours without any deterioration in quality. Larger quantities must be spread out in a 15-20 cm deep layer and
may be placed in sacks using a wooden scoop only immediately before transport. As the camomile flower is
fairly fragile, it should not be pressed or turned unnecessarily.
(b) D r y i n g
Camomile flowers can be dried naturally or artificially.
The traditional method of drying camomile flowers is natural drying in a loft. The cleaned flowers are spread out
in the loft in an inch-deep layer. The flowers dry within 5-6 days in an airy loft that is easy to ventilate.
When camomile flowers are dried artificially, the untreated flowers are spread out on a clean surface in a 15-
20 cm deep layer, then gathered in baskets or other means of transport and tipped onto the conveyor belt.
Drying can be carried out in a drier, on a crop-drying floor or in what is known as a tunnel-drying system.

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EN
Official Journal of the European Union
25.2.2012
(c) S t e m r e m o v a l , s e l e c t i o n b y h a n d
The adapted riddle system processes the dried camomile flowers which were tipped onto the stem-removing
machine, removes the fallen petals, the middlings, the buds and any remaining impurities. The swing blades at
the bottom and end of the riddle or topping rolls remove the stems, then the product arrives on the selection
belt where it is subject to a further selection by hand and is packaged into 10 kg cardboard boxes for storage.
(d) P a c k a g i n g
‘Alfldi kamillavirágzat’ is placed on the market in accordance with health and consumer protection
requirements:
— in aroma-preserving bags containing ground camomile a net weight of 1,2 g,
— in aroma-preserving sachets containing full flowers
a net weight of 2 g,
— as bagged flowers
in 50 g units,
— in large cardboard boxes
in 10 kg units.
4.6. Link:
H i s t o r y
Dr Ferenc Simonffy refers to the link between the southern part of the Great Hungarian plain and wild camomile in
his book Adatok Székkutas jelenébl és múltjából — Trténelmi megemlékezés a volt vásárhelyi ‘Nagypusztáról’
(Data from the present and the past of Székkutas — A historical commemoration of the former ‘Great Puszta’ of
Vásárhely), in which he writes that ‘camomile mainly grows in the saline areas of the Puszta.’ The author mentions
that a succession of customers came from the Northern countries (Sweden, Denmark, Finland and Canada).
According to the medical and chemical experts of those countries, ‘this plant cannot be grown artificially because
cultivated camomile does not contain the substances found in camomile growing wild and on saline soil’.
After the First World War, the rise in demand on the German market created the background for camomile’s
success. The Herbária Országos Gyógynvény és Selyemgubóforgalmi Szvetkezeti Vállalat (Herbarium National
Medicinal Plant and Silk Cocoon Trading Cooperative) started production with a simple dryer in Székkutas in
1936-37, initially engaging in the preservation and drying of vegetables. On 23 February 1939 the central represen
tatives of the cooperative decided to extend their activities to include the gathering and industrial drying of
camomile and to build a factory necessary for this purpose.
G e o g r a p h i c a l l i n k
The development of gathering, processing and sale of wild camomile is a valuable model example for the regional
use of flora. The ‘Alfldi kamillavirágzat’ owes its unique characteristics (see 4.2) to the ecological features of the
habitat, that is the soil, the number of hours of sunshine and annual precipitation.
First-class produce can be obtained from plants growing on the Great Hungarian Plain’s saline Puszta that can hardly
be used for any other purpose, but is rich in sunshine. Matricaria chamomilla, the basic material of ‘Alfldi kamillavir
ágzat’, is able to accumulate 10 mg/g of sodium salts in its root cells. This explains why it is able to utilise moisture
on the saline soils of the Great Plain that cannot be used by other plants.
The number of hours of sunshine in the Great Plain varies between 2 000 and 2 100 a year, with an annual
precipitation of around 500 to 600 mm. The high level of sunshine allows for an increased level of active agent
accumulation while weather with less sunshine reduces the accumulation of active agents. Foreign research has also
confirmed that high sunshine levels and heat (the main climatic features of the Great Plain area) have a beneficial
effect on and influence the composition of the essential oil content of camomile (Saleh, 1973). Research results have
also proven that lower precipitation levels lead to a reduction in the plant height and flower size of camomile
(Gosztola et al., 2008). Also, alkaline and saline soils lead to diminished growth (Sztefanov et al., 2003; Balak et al.,
1999). Numerous research projects conducted in Hungary into natural, wild-growing camomile have revealed that
there is a sharp differentiation between the camomile populations of the Transdanubia and Great Plain areas in terms
of morphology and content. Wild-growing camomile from areas with neutral or slightly acidy soils is of more robust
growth and has larger flowers but its essential oil has a lower α-bisabolol content, while camomile picked in the
more continental, saline areas of the Great Plain is smaller in growth, has a compact flower, but its essential oil
contains a large amount of the valuable, antispasmodic and anti-inflammatory α-bisabolol, the main component of
the essential oil. This reaches 20 % in any event, but may be as high as 45-58 % depending on the year (Gosztola et
al., 2005; Sztefanov et al., 2003).

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EN
25.2.2012 Official
Journal
of
the
European
Union
L
53/9
It can be established from the link between the product and the geographical environment of the Great Hungarian
Plain — examined with respect to climate and soil — that the basic material of ‘Alfldi kamillavirágzat’ consists of
the low-growing camomile plant high in α-bisabolol, which grows exclusively in habitats of the Great Plain with the
ecological conditions mentioned above.
4.7. Inspection body:
Name: Csongrád
Megyei
lelmiszerlánc-biztonsági
és
llategészségügyi
Igazgatóság
(Csongrád
County
Food
Chain
Safety and Animal Health Directorate)
Address: Szeged
Vasas Szent Péter u. 9/a
6700
MAGYARORSZG/HUNGARY
Tel. +36
62422358
/
62551850
Fax +36
62426183
e-mail: szigetis@oai.hu;
csongrad_megye@oai.hu
Name: Hajdú-Bihar
Megyei
lelmiszerlánc-biztonsági
és
llategészségügyi
Igazgatóság
(Hajdú-Bihar
County
Food
Chain Safety and Animal Health Directorate)
Address: Debrecen
Diószegi út 30
4030
MAGYARORSZG/HUNGARY
Tel. +36
52526240
Fax +36
52442841
e-mail: harsanyi@oai.hu
4.8. Labelling:
Besides the details set forth in relevant legislation, the following must also be present on the consumer label:
— product name ‘ALFLDI KAMILLAVIRGZAT’,
— the indication ‘wild growing’,
— ‘filteres tea’ (tea bags) or ‘tasakolt tea’ (tea sachets) under the product name,
— graphical depiction of a camomile flower,
— ‘protected designation of origin’ or its abbreviation (PDO),
— the European Union logo (following registration).
If the product is packaged outside the geographical area indicated above, traceability to the place of origin must be
guaranteed. The protected name, logo and corresponding European Union symbol must be placed on the packaging
of ‘Alfldi kamillavirágzat’ even in this case.

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