Rules regarding certificates of specificity for agricultural products and food products.

These Rules establish the regulation according to which an EU certificate of specificity can be obtained for agricultural products and food products listed in Annex I and for the food products listed in Annex II, which are an integral part of these rules. Specificity shall be intended the element or set of elements by which an agricultural product or a food product is clearly distinguishable from other similar agricultural products or food products belonging to the same category. The specificity cannot be limited to a qualitative or quantitative composition or to a production method established by EU or national regulation or by voluntary standards. The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Rural Development establishes and administers a register of certificates of specificity, in which the names of agricultural products and food products whose specificity has been recognized in accordance with these rules are registered. The use of the geographical indication is authorized under a name that does not fall under the regulations regarding the protection of geographical indications and designations of origin of agricultural products and food products. The specification contains at least the following elements: (a) the name of the product written in one or more languages; (b) description of the production method, including the nature and characteristics of the raw material and/or the ingredients used and/or the preparation method of the agricultural product or the food product, with reference to its specificity; (c) the elements that allow the evaluation of the traditional character; (d) the description of the characteristics of the agricultural product or the food product, by indicating its main physical, chemical, microbiological and/or organoleptic characteristics that relate to the specificity; and (e) the minimum requirements and the procedures for the inspection of the specificity.