# C_2023287EN.01001201.xml

| 16.8.2023 | EN | Official Journal of the European Union | C 287/12 |
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16.8.2023

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 287/12

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Publication of an application for approval of a non-minor amendment to a product specification pursuant to Article 50(2)(a) of Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012 of the European Parliament and of the Council on quality schemes for agricultural products and foodstuffs

(2023/C 287/06)

This publication confers the right to oppose the amendment application pursuant to Article 51 of Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012 of the European Parliament and of the Council (1) within three months of the date of this publication.

APPLICATION FOR APPROVAL OF A NON-MINOR AMENDMENT TO A PRODUCT SPECIFICATION FOR A PROTECTED DESIGNATION OF ORIGIN OR PROTECTED GEOGRAPHICAL INDICATION

Application for approval of an amendment in accordance with the first subparagraph of Article 53(2) of Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012

‘Huîtres Marennes Oléron’

EU No: PGI-FR-0591-AM02 — 26.4.2022

PDO ( ) PGI (X)

1.   Applicant group and legitimate interest

| Groupement Qualité ‘Huîtres Marennes Oléron’ [Association promoting the quality of ‘Huîtres Marennes Oléron’] |
| --- |
| 13, rue Sergent Lecest |
| ZAC Les Grossines CS 60 002 – 17320 Marennes |
| FRANCE |

Groupement Qualité ‘Huîtres Marennes Oléron’ [Association promoting the quality of ‘Huîtres Marennes Oléron’]

13, rue Sergent Lecest

ZAC Les Grossines CS 60 002 – 17320 Marennes

FRANCE

Tel. +33 0546850669

Fax +33 0546853652

Email: info@huitresmarennesoleron.com

Composition and legitimate interest: the group is an association whose members are operators involved in the actual production or packaging activities provided for in the specification.

It therefore has a legitimate right to request amendments to the product specification.

2.   Member State or Third Country

France

3.   Heading in the product specification affected by the amendment(s)

| ☐ | Product name |
| --- | --- |

☐

Product name

| ☒ | Product description |
| --- | --- |

☒

Product description

| ☒ | Geographical area |
| --- | --- |

☒

Geographical area

| ☒ | Proof of origin |
| --- | --- |

☒

Proof of origin

| ☒ | Production method |
| --- | --- |

☒

Production method

| ☒ | Link |
| --- | --- |

☒

Link

| ☒ | Labelling |
| --- | --- |

☒

Labelling

| ☒ | Other: deletion of the presentation and objectives of the association, addition of the contact details of the competent department in the Member State and of their inspection bodies and national requirements. |
| --- | --- |

☒

Other: deletion of the presentation and objectives of the association, addition of the contact details of the competent department in the Member State and of their inspection bodies and national requirements.

4.   Type of amendment(s)

| ☒ | Amendment to the product specification of a registered PDO or PGI not to be regarded as minor in accordance with the third subparagraph of Article 53(2) of Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012. |
| --- | --- |

☒

Amendment to the product specification of a registered PDO or PGI not to be regarded as minor in accordance with the third subparagraph of Article 53(2) of Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012.

| ☐ | Amendment to the product specification of a registered PDO or PGI for which a single document (or equivalent) has not been published, not to be regarded as minor in accordance with the third subparagraph of Article 53(2) of Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012. |
| --- | --- |

☐

Amendment to the product specification of a registered PDO or PGI for which a single document (or equivalent) has not been published, not to be regarded as minor in accordance with the third subparagraph of Article 53(2) of Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012.

5.   Amendment(s)

5.1.   Amendments that impact critical elements

—   Section entitled ‘Product description’

A marketing period from 1 September to 31 May has been added.

The registered specification does not contain any provision on the placing on the market of oysters covered by the PGI. Further marketing dates have therefore been added.

This amendment is consistent with professional practice: in summer, it is extremely difficult to mature oysters on oyster beds given that the high temperatures of the water in the oyster beds lead to an increased mortality risk. There is also no marketing of ‘pousse en claires’, which are the special oysters bred on oyster beds, during the summer.

The single document (point 3.2) has been amended accordingly.

—   Section entitled ‘Production method’

Sub-section entitled ‘Maturing and breeding oysters on oyster beds’

The maturing conditions have been amended.

A duration-density of 21 days/2 kg/m2 has been added and the distinction between summer and winter periods in respect of the duration-densities for maturing has been deleted. In the new product specification, the same maturing rules apply regardless of the season. The purpose of this amendment is to enable operators to choose their maturing rules independently of the summer and winter seasons and thus to adapt to changing climatic conditions. It allows them to mature the oysters over shorter periods of time during warm autumns and at lower densities in order to avoid mortality.

A further addition has been made to the effect that when several batches are matured in the same oyster bed on different dates, the compulsory maturing period for each batch depends on the overall density of the oyster bed. The duration is thus calculated from the date on which each batch is placed in the water.

Sensory analyses have been carried out to gauge whether or not reducing the minimum maturing period throughout the seasons has any impact on product quality. The results have shown that there is no impact on the product at the densities set out in the product specification.

A maximum concentration of 45 kg/m2 in the oyster bed enclosures has also been added.

This provision complements the system because in the time/density ratio, duration refers to the minimum duration and density to average maximum density. In practice, when maturing in oyster beds, the oysters are contained (in bags, racks, etc.). Although the bags or racks are not stacked on top of one another, it has proved important to define the maximum concentration of oysters in bags or on racks to avoid any excessive variations in the size of the containers.

The conditions for greening have been added to, with a distinction drawn between whether this takes place during or after maturing.

None of these amendments call into question the specificity of the product or the causal link established between the maturing method and the ‘Huîtres Marennes Oléron’.

As regards breeding in oyster beds, it has been added that harvesting is carried out manually. The purpose of this amendment is to lay down the relevant professional practices.

These amendments do not affect the single document.

—   Section entitled ‘sizing, storage and finishing’

In view of the deletion of the summer and winter maturing periods, the storage and finishing conditions (duration and density), which were also defined on the basis of these periods, have been supplemented and redefined with separate target values for oysters matured or bred in oyster beds.

These amendments do not affect the single document.

5.2.   Amendments that do not impact critical elements

—   Section entitled ‘Product description’

This section has been reorganised to present the characteristics of ‘Huîtres Marennes Oléron’ and then those of the various trade names of the oysters covered by the PGI. The organoleptic descriptors have been reworded in some instances in line with the vocabulary needed to implement the organoleptic testing. For example, for fine de claires - fine fattened oysters: ‘sweet’ and ‘less salty’ instead of ‘balanced in water, salt and iodine’; for spéciale de claire - special fattened oysters: their texture is ‘firm’ instead of ‘intense’.

However, the product characteristics have not been amended.

Some paragraphs have been deleted as they do not provide any further or necessary information to describe the product. The photographic reference system has been deleted in order to simplify the digital version of the specification.

The single document (point 3.2) has been amended accordingly.

—   Section entitled ‘Evidence that the product originates from the defined geographical area’

Two parts have been added, one relating to declaration requirements and the other to record-keeping. These additions are likely to facilitate inspections and quality control.

Producers are required to submit the following declarations to the association:

| — | a declaration confirming their identity to authorise producers prior to the start of the relevant activity; |
| --- | --- |

—

a declaration confirming their identity to authorise producers prior to the start of the relevant activity;

| — | a prior declaration of assignment of the oyster beds; |
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—

a prior declaration of assignment of the oyster beds;

This declaration is designed to ensure better monitoring of oyster bed use and to carry out checks on oyster bed production. It covers the implementation of maturing, breeding and storage operations carried out on oyster beds.

—   Sales declaration

This declaration is designed to ascertain over time the volumes of PGI sold and the average price per sales category in order to estimate the turnover in PGI. These elements are compiled and presented annually by the group in its annual report and provide a comprehensive overview of the economic position of the PGI sector.

In terms of record-keeping, the contents of the shipping register have been supplemented in order to permit monitoring of the conditions of storage and finishing before dispatch.

A point has been added to the effect that registers and all registration and monitoring documents must be kept on site so that they are accessible to inspection officers.

The general objectives of traceability have been deleted, as have the provisions on health marking which are part of the regulatory requirements.

The bottom-up and top-down traceability tables and the corresponding diagrams have been kept. However, the provisions on points of sale have been deleted as they do not concern traceability, but are rather recommendations or regulatory requirements concerning the placing on the market that have no impact on the intrinsic characteristics of the product.

These amendments do not affect the single document.

—   Section entitled ‘Production method’

—   Sub-section entitled ‘Selection prior to placing oysters in oyster beds’

The registered specification provides that only oysters reared on the French coast (Spanish to Belgian borders) are allowed to be placed in oyster beds. There is no change on this point.

The registered specification justifies the origin of oysters based on history and tradition, the draft specification supplements these elements by stating that ‘the rearing ponds on the French coast (Spanish to Belgian borders) developed in the 1970s, specifically on the initiative of the oyster producers in the Marennes Oléron basin who organise their production around placing oysters on oyster beds. Some producers then choose to breed or to obtain oysters bred in other ponds with greater and faster growth potential. This supply of market-ready oysters bred on the French coast (Spanish to Belgian borders) has made it possible to develop the sector and to recognise the characteristics of the oysters after they have matured or been bred in oyster beds as ‘pousse en claires’.

The definition of the breeding phase (oysters bred on the French Atlantic coast) is based on Article 38(1)(c) of Regulation (EU) No 1379/2013.

The criteria for selecting oysters before they are placed in oyster beds are specified: the phrase ‘the oyster is selected at the adult stage in general in its third year’ has been replaced by ‘the oyster is selected at the market-ready stage with a weight per unit of at least 30 g’ This is more of a rewording than an amendment, the weight criterion already being included in the registered specification.

The single document (point 3.4) has been amended accordingly.

The points relating to the quality of the shell and the organoleptic appearance of the oysters before being placed in oyster beds have been deleted, since these points are a matter of good professional practice rather than an obligation.

—   Section entitled ‘Link’

The current specification elaborates on the link between the product and its geographical origin in multiple sub-sections. These have been grouped together and summarised in the ‘Elements justifying the link with the geographical environment’ section of the product specification.

These elements have been restructured in three parts to better define the specific characteristics of the geographical area and of the product, and the link between them. An introductory paragraph has also been added to outline the basis for the link with the geographical origin.

The link with the geographical setting rests on the reputation and particular characteristics of ‘Huîtres Marennes Oléron’ resulting from natural and human factors that coincide in the geographical area. Due to its climatic and soil conditions, the local environment has proved to be conducive to the development of oysters in this region. Human activity, through spatial planning, has made it possible to develop specific oyster farming whose production is based on the use of oyster beds and thus stands out from an organoleptic point of view.

By comparison with the open sea, oyster beds are a very specific environment due to their geochemical characteristics: a highly mineral environment rich in nutrients with low water levels, low turbidity and cyclical water renewal. Oysters are filter-feeding animals with a high retention capacity that benefit effectively from this nutrient resource specific to oyster beds.

The single document (point 5) has also been amended to align it with the wording of this section of the product specification. It has been rewritten to specifically highlight the aspect of ‘reputation’, also included in the specification registered in 2009 (Commission Regulation (EC) No 98/2009 of 2 February 2009).

—   Section entitled ‘Labelling’

The obligation to market oysters with the specific logo of ‘Huîtres Marennes Oléron’ has been deleted as have the corresponding typographical elements.

The single document (point 3.6) has been amended accordingly.

5.3.   Amendments to wording

In the ‘Competent authority in the Member State’ section, the contact details for the national quality and origin institute (l’Institut national de la qualité et de l'origine - INAO) have been added as the competent Member State authority in accordance with Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012.

In the ‘Applicant group’ section, the description relating to the applicant group has been deleted as well as the text relating to the contracts concerned and the scope of the PGI.

The map of the geographical area has been deleted from the ‘Geographical area’ section. A line has been added indicating that the maps showing the geographical area can be viewed on the website of the national quality and origin institute.

The explanatory section and the description of the area (general information about the geography and definition of the oyster bed) have been deleted. The information on the link with the product has, however, been retained and are included in the section on the link with the place of origin.

The presentation has been revised to list the relevant municipalities of the Charente-Maritime department in accordance with the 2021 Official Geographic Code. Your attention is drawn to the merger of the municipalities of Hiers-Brouage and Marennes, which brings the number of municipalities to 26 instead of 27.

The single document (point 4) has been updated accordingly.

—   Section entitled ‘Production method’

—   Sub-section entitled ‘Maturing and breeding of oysters in oyster beds’

The points relating to the identification of the oyster beds have been moved to the section concerning the declaration obligation (prior declaration of assignment of the oyster beds) and record-keeping (shellfish product tracking register).

The conditions for the maintenance of the oyster beds have been reworded to emphasise their mandatory nature and to allow them to be checked.

The descriptive elements of the uses have been moved to the Link section and the general points deleted.

—   Sub-section entitled ‘Selection of oysters after maturing and breeding’

The changes made are editorial and thus make it possible to delete phrases which are unnecessary because they concern health regulations or allude to professional practices which are not subject to checks.

—   Sub-section entitled ‘sizing, storage and finishing’

Repetitions relating to staff training have been deleted.

—   Sub-section entitled ‘Packaging’

The purely descriptive parts have been deleted, as have the points relating specifically to health regulations.

The justification for packaging on site has been reworded to enlarge on the know-how aspect.

—   Sub-section entitled ‘Presentation for sales to consumers’

This part has been deleted, firstly because it was purely descriptive and secondly because it included regulatory requirements.

The name and contact details of the certifying body have been deleted from the section entitled ‘Control body’ in accordance with the applicable instructions at national level in order to harmonise the wording of the product specifications. This section now provides the contact details of the authorities responsible for inspections at national level, i.e.: the National Institute of Origin and Quality (INAO) and the Directorate-General for Competition, Consumer Affairs and Fraud Prevention (DGCCRF). The name and contact details of the certification body can be found on the INAO website and in the European Commission’s database.

In the light of changes to national legislation and rules, the section entitled ‘National requirements’ is presented in the form of a table indicating the main items to be checked and the evaluation methods to be used.

With the exception of the updating to the section entitled ‘Geographical area’, the single document: (point 4) is not affected by the above-mentioned editorial amendments.

SINGLE DOCUMENT

‘Huîtres Marennes Oléron’

EU No: PGI-FR-0591-AM02 — 26.4.2022

PDO ( ) PGI (X)

1.   Name(s) [of PDO or PGI]

‘Huîtres Marennes Oléron’

2.   Member State or Third Country

France

3.   Description of the agricultural product or foodstuff

3.1.   Type of product

Class 1.7 Fresh fish, molluscs and crustaceans and products derived therefrom

3.2.   Description of product to which the name in (1) applies

‘Huîtres Marennes Oléron’ are oysters which are matured or bred in oyster beds, which distinguishes them from open sea oysters.

‘Huîtres Marennes Oléron’ are characterised by the quality of their shell (mother-of-pearl and hardness) and their presentation (low incidence of epibionts).

‘Huîtres Marennes Oléron’ are marketed from 1 September to 31 May.

‘Huîtres Marennes Oléron’ are marketed live and unprocessed.

‘Huîtres Marennes Oléron’ are marketed with the following additional indications concerning the production methods:

—   ‘Fines de Claires’ [Fine fattened oysters] and ‘Fines de Claires Vertes’ [Green fine fattened oysters]

As they mature, their flavour becomes more ‘refined’ and sweeter and less salty. Their filling power index (FPI) is between 7 and 10.5.

Green fine fattened oysters possess the same characteristics as the fine fattened oysters and a green hue around the gills, as result of their maturing and becoming green naturally in a ‘green’ oyster bed.

—   ‘Spéciales de Claires’ [Special fattened oysters] and ‘Spéciales de Claires Vertes’ [Green special fattened oysters]

Oysters are selected for their roundness, thickness and flesh. They possess a sizeable amount of flesh (filling power index (FPI) ≥ 10.5). As they mature on the oyster beds, they acquire a more firm texture than the fine fattened oysters. Their taste is distinguished by their volume in the mouth and they are markedly sweeter.

Green fine fattened oysters possess the same characteristics as the special fattened oysters and are distinguished by a green hue around the gills, as result of their maturing and becoming green naturally in a ‘green’ oyster bed.

—   ‘Pousse en Claire’ [Special oysters grown in an oyster bed]

These oysters are bred in oyster beds for at least four months at very low density; during this period, they grow by forming characteristic lace patterns on their shells known as ‘growth lines’ [lignes de pousse]. They have a high flesh index (filling power index (FPI) ≥ 12), are firm and crunchy, and brilliant ivory in colour. They acquire a pronounced, long-lasting taste in the mouth.

3.3.   Feed (for products of animal origin only) and raw materials (for processed products only)

—

3.4.   Specific stages of production that must take place in the defined geographical area

Maturing of ‘Huîtres Marennes Oléron’ or the breeding of oysters grown in an oyster bed [‘Pousse en Claire’] must take place in oyster beds located in the geographical area.

In line with customary practice, only open sea oysters bred on the French coast (from the Belgian to the Spanish border) are authorised for placing in oyster beds.

3.5.   Specific rules concerning slicing, grating, packaging, etc. of the product to which the registered name refers

The packaging of ‘Huîtres Marennes Oléron’ in the geographical area makes it possible to preserve their quality and to ensure health control thanks to the speed of execution and to guarantee the product’s origin.

Packing is carried out quickly after the water is discharged (after finishing) in order to better preserve the oysters’ freshness: The packing date must correspond to the date on which the water is discharged.

This is carried out by workers who have been specifically trained in sorting and packing oysters in order to protect themselves against the risk of placing a final product on the market that is non-compliant.

The oysters must be packed flat, with the cupped valve facing downwards, to ensure the most favourable storage conditions possible. The packages are secured tightly and the baskets are adapted to the quantity of oysters packed, in order to prevent the oysters from moving.

Carrying out these operations in the geographical area, with a control system in place to check that the operations have been carried out as they should, limits the risk of a break in traceability and thus the risk of fraud.

3.6.   Specific rules concerning labelling of the product to which the registered name refers

In addition to the mandatory information required by the rules on the labelling and presentation of foodstuffs, labels must include:

| — | the product’s registered name: ‘Huîtres Marennes Oléron’ |
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—

the product’s registered name: ‘Huîtres Marennes Oléron’

| — | the European Union’s PGI symbol in the same visual field |
| --- | --- |

—

the European Union’s PGI symbol in the same visual field

| — | the specification: - ‘matured in oyster beds’ (for fine/special fattened oysters) |
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—

the specification: - ‘matured in oyster beds’ (for fine/special fattened oysters)

| — | The additional specification of the product:






  — | ‘Huîtres Fines de Claires’ [fine fattened oysters]; |
| --- | --- | --- |

—

The additional specification of the product:

—

‘Huîtres Fines de Claires’ [fine fattened oysters];

| — | ‘Huîtres Fines de Claires Vertes’ [green fine fattened oysters]; |
| --- | --- |

—

‘Huîtres Fines de Claires Vertes’ [green fine fattened oysters];

| — | ‘Huîtres Spéciales de Claires’ [special fattened oysters]; |
| --- | --- |

—

‘Huîtres Spéciales de Claires’ [special fattened oysters];

| — | ‘Huîtres Spéciales de Claires Vertes’ [green special fattened oysters]; |
| --- | --- |

—

‘Huîtres Spéciales de Claires Vertes’ [green special fattened oysters];

| — | ‘Huîtres Pousse en Claire’ [special oysters grown in an oyster bed] |
| --- | --- |

—

‘Huîtres Pousse en Claire’ [special oysters grown in an oyster bed]

| — | The address of the consumer service. |
| --- | --- |

—

The address of the consumer service.

4.   Concise definition of the geographical area

The geographical area for maturing in oyster beds, the breeding of special oysters grown in oyster beds and the packaging of the PGI ‘Huîtres Marennes Oléron’ covers the following municipalities in the department of Charente-Maritime based on the 2021 Official Geographic Code (COG):

Charente-Maritime (17): Arvert, Beaugeay, Bourcefranc-le-Chapus, (La) Brée-les-Bains, Breuillet, Chaillevette, (Le) Château-d'Oléron, Dolus-d'Oléron, (L') Éguille, Étaule, (Le) Grand-Village-Plage, (Le) Gua, Marennes-Hiers-Brouage, Moëze, Mornac-sur-Seudre, Nieulle-sur-Seudre, Port-des-Barques, Saint-Denis-d'Oléron, Saint-Froult, Saint-Georges-d'Oléron, Saint-Just-Luzac, Saint-Nazaire-sur-Charente, Saint-Pierre-d'Oléron, Saint-Trojan-les-Bains, Soubise and (La) Tremblade.

5.   Link with the geographical area

The link with the geographical area rests on the reputation and particular characteristics of ‘Huîtres Marennes Oléron’ resulting from natural and human factors that coincide in the geographical area. Due to its climatic and soil conditions, the local environment has proved to be conducive to the development of oysters in this region. Human activity, through spatial planning, has made it possible to develop specific oyster farming whose production is based on the use of oyster beds and thus stands out from an organoleptic point of view.

5.1.   Specificity of the geographical area

On the Atlantic coast of the department of Charente-Maritime, the île d’Oléron, a spit measuring around 30 kilometres from north to south by 10 kilometres east to west, harbours the Marennes Oléron basin of oceanic depressions, wave motion and winds.

The Marennes Oléron basin is supplied with fresh water from the Seudre to the south and the Charente to the north. This zone, covering 400 square kilometres corresponds to part of the former Gulf of Santonia. The area, subject to the silt deposits from the Charente and Seudre, was covered by the ocean before the embankment works began. The salt marshes here cover a total area of approximately 3 000 hectares.

The silt deposits consist of impermeable soil that has been in place since the Quaternary era. This sediment layer measures several tens of metres in thickness in some places in the geographical area.

In the Marennes Oléron basin, the setting of the first oyster beds on the left bank of the Seudre is attributed to Charles of Oléron in the 16th century.

The ‘Huîtres Marennes Oléron’ are already distinguished by their maturing in oyster beds. It is estimated that in 1738 there were 7 000 oyster beds on the left bank of the Seudre, and the term ‘claire’ [oyster bed] appears for the first time in the ‘Dictionnaire Raisonné des Sciences, des Arts et des Métiers’ in 1753.

There is a distinct similarity between the oyster beds of the 18th century and the traditional beds currently in use. The concerns are the same: maintenance of slopes, monitoring of the supply of water for the beds, fear of heat and frost. In the 19th century, the production methods and the maturing of the oysters in beds in the Marennes region were described in great detail, in particular, by Coste in his work ‘Voyage d’exploration sur le littoral de la France et de l’Italie’ [Voyage of exploration along the coastlines of France and Italy] in 1861.

In the 20th century, a number of epizootic crises severely affected oyster production in the Marennes Oléron basin. Flat oysters (Ostrea edulis) and the Portuguese cupped oyster (Crassostrea angulata) were decimated. This was followed by a period of decline in maturing and breeding in oyster beds. From the 1990s onwards, the oyster farmers redesigned and restructured the oyster beds and adopted the Japanese cupped oyster (Crassostrea gigas), which is now the most widespread type of oyster farmed in the area.

Oyster beds are positioned below the highest water spring tides and are supplied and drained by gravity. Each bed possesses its own hydraulic structure allowing different ways of managing the water supply and drainage.

Since the establishment of the first oyster beds right down to the present day, producers have gained experience that is passed on from generation to generation on how to maintain and look after the oyster beds. In order to remain in good condition and to maintain their efficiency, the oyster beds require regular maintenance.

Constant monitoring of the oyster beds enables the development of macroalgae to be kept to a minimum, as if they were to proliferate, this would reduce the productivity of the oyster beds and ‘thin down’ the oysters.

The flooring, draining and re-flooding of the oyster beds are part of the maintenance work needed to develop the micro algae upon which the oysters feed, allowing them to mature or breed on the oyster beds.

5.2.   Specificity of the product

Huîtres Marennes Oléron are oysters which are matured or bred on oyster beds, and this distinguishes them from open sea oysters and confers on them a sweeter and less salty flavour, a quality shell (low presence of epibionts on the outside and a thicker layer of mother-of-pearl on the inside), a green hue around the gills (for the fine fattened green oysters or the special fattened green oysters), and a firmer texture (for the special fattened oysters). In addition to the characteristics of maturing on oyster beds, breeding on oyster beds enables the oysters to grow significantly (flesh and shell), to acquire a firm and crunchy texture, a brilliant ivory colour and a pronounced ‘oyster bed taste’.

5.3.   Causal link between the geographical area and the reputation or other characteristics of the product

The climatic conditions of the geographical area are very favourable to the oyster farming practised on the foreshore and salt marshes (oyster beds for maturing and breeding). It is the main activity of this basin covering the banks of the Seudre to the south, from the île d’Oléron to the west and the Brouage marshes in the centre to Port-des-Barques and île-Madam to the north.

The present oyster beds possess the same geomorphological and water-based characteristics that have prevailed over the centuries. They are situated between the land and the sea and feature aspects of both these environments. They are supplied with water and drained by gravity, depending on the variations in river flows and tidal levels.

By comparison with the open sea, oyster beds are a very specific environment due to their geochemical characteristics: a highly mineral environment rich in nutrients with low water levels, low turbidity and cyclical water renewal. Oysters are filter-feeding animals with a high retention capacity that benefit effectively from this nutrient resource specific to oyster beds.

Only oyster beds in good working order, regularly maintained, cleaned and dried out each year, retain their characteristics and ensure that placing oysters in the beds transforms and improves the quality of the product.

The clay and mineral nature of the oyster beds contributes to obtaining an important nutrient substrate for the development of the food the oysters feed upon, phytoplankton. This specific nourishment gives the oysters their ‘oyster bed taste’. In addition, the salty flavour is generally less intense as the salinity of oyster bed oysters is usually lower than that of open sea oysters.

The internal floors and sides of the oyster beds may naturally be covered with a benthic phytoplanktonic species: the diatom Haslea ostrearia, commonly known as blue navicula. Discovered in oyster beds of the Marennes Oléron basin, this diatom produces the natural blue pigment ‘marennine’. By filtering the water in the beds, the oysters’ gills become pigmented. The blue pigment of the marennine combined with the pale yellow colour of the gills turns the gills green.

During breeding in the oyster beds, the oyster shells undergo a growth spurt, which provides a visual clue that they have been cultivated in oyster beds. Moreover, the extremely rich environment of oyster beds in respect of breeding densities increases the oysters’ flesh content. The ‘pousse en claire’ [special oysters grown in an oyster bed] is a very fleshy oyster with a particularly firm and crunchy flesh.

The reputation of oysters from the Marennes Oléron Basin is long-standing. In 1698, the intendant of the Navy in Rochefort drafted a notice on the Generality of La Rochelle and presented Marennes: ‘It is a large town between the river of Seudre and the port of Brouage; its land is not fertile and does not produce good wines. A lot of salt is made there and it is of very good quality. The green oysters of Marennes are highly regarded.’

Two extracts from the ‘Journal de Marennes’ (10 June and 16 September 1866) highlight the ever-increasing share of oysters matured in oyster beds in the regional economy. At the beginning of the 20th century, the Marennes Oléron basin accounted for one third of national oyster production.

‘Huîtres Marennes Oléron’ have a renowned national reputation (IFREMER 1997 survey): 74 % of consumers are familiar with the origin of these oysters, and 51 % prefer them to oysters from other regions. ‘Huîtres Marennes Oléron’ are very often referred to in major cities, where they seem to enjoy a good reputation. In these major cities, oysters have more of a connotation as a product for a special occasion. Under these circumstances, consumers are willing to pay a high price. By contrast, those questioned close to the Marennes Oléron basin consider oysters as an everyday product that they consume often.

Each year, oyster farmers present their ‘Huîtres Marennes Oléron’ at the competition for regional products in Nouvelle Aquitaine and at the Concours Générale Agricole [Paris General Agricultural Competition] in Paris and are awarded medals.

In 2022, the following were awarded:

| — | at the Concours Générale Agricole de Paris, two gold medals for fine and special fattened oysters, one bronze medal for fine green fattened oysters); |
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at the Concours Générale Agricole de Paris, two gold medals for fine and special fattened oysters, one bronze medal for fine green fattened oysters);

| — | at the Saveurs Nouvelle Aquitaine competition, three gold medals for fine and fine green fattened oysters and oysters grown on an oyster bed, three silver medals for (fine green fattened oysters, fine and special fattened oysters), and one bronze medal for fine fattened oysters. |
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at the Saveurs Nouvelle Aquitaine competition, three gold medals for fine and fine green fattened oysters and oysters grown on an oyster bed, three silver medals for (fine green fattened oysters, fine and special fattened oysters), and one bronze medal for fine fattened oysters.

Reference to publication of the specification

https://extranet.inao.gouv.fr/fichier/CDC-IGPHMO-2203.pdf

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(1)  OJ L 343 of 14.12.2012, p. 1.

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