With the issuance of the Decision by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries on transitional national protection of the product name “Istarski bijeli tartuf / Tartufo bianco d’Istria” as a protected designation of origin, the Truffle Hunters Association “Istra” has come one step closer to full application of this designation throughout the European Union. Namely, although the product name is initially protected only at the national level with a transitional designation, the manner and rights of using the name Istarski bijeli tartuf / Tartufo bianco d’Istria will be valid throughout the entire European Union.
This is the first step toward the ultimate goal—protected designation of origin status from the European Commission. Before beginning to use the transitional designation, the Truffle Hunters Association must submit an Application for registration of the name and the Single Document, and a control plan must also be prepared. The control plan, which will prescribe the method of registration in the register of producers of Istarski bijeli tartuf / Tartufo bianco d’Istria and the method of controlling the use of this name, will be produced by a delegated body selected by the Truffle Hunters Association “Istra”. Upon completion of the Application to the European Commission, national protection will begin to apply, and the deadline for the European Commission to accept or reject the Application will begin. The deadline for the European Commission’s decision is two years, which means the entire process could, we hope positively, be completed by the 100th anniversary of organized truffle hunting in Istria.
The deadline for submitting complete documentation is 60 days from the date of receiving the Decision, and all steps required for using the protected product name will then be known, about which we will inform you on our website and social media.
