EN Official Journal of the European Union L 43/1

COMMISSION IMPLEMENTING REGULATION (EU) No 129/2012

of 13 February 2012

approving minor amendments to the specification for a name entered in the register of protected designations of origin and protected geographical indications (Queso Manchego (PDO))

THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION,

Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union,

Having regard to 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), and in particular the second sentence of Article 9(2) thereof,

Whereas:

(1) In accordance with the first subparagraph of Article 9(1) and Article 17(2) of Regulation (EC) No 510/2006, the Commission has examined Spain’s application for the approval of amendments to the specification for the protected designation of origin ‘Queso Manchego’, registered under Commission Regulation (EC) No 1107/96 (2), as amended by Commission Regulation (EC) No 561/2009 (3).

(2) The application concerns the amendments to the method of production of the protected designation of origin ‘Queso Manchego’ and involves changes to the single document.

(3) The Commission has examined the amendment in question and decided that it is justified. Since this concerns a minor amendment, in accordance with Article 9 of Regulation (EC) No 510/2006, the Commission may adopt it without using the procedure set out in Articles 5, 6 and 7 of that Regulation,

HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION:

Article 1

The specification for the protected designation of origin ‘Queso Manchego’ is hereby amended in accordance with Annex I to this Regulation.

Article 2

The consolidated single document setting out the main points of the specification is set out in Annex II to this Regulation.

Article 3

This Regulation shall enter into force on the 20th day following 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, 13 February 2012. For the Commission, On behalf of the President, Dacian CIOLOȘ Member of the Commission

(1) OJ L 93, 31.3.2006, p. 12.

(2) OJ L 148, 21.6.1996, p. 1.

(3) OJ L 166, 27.6.2009, p. 36.

ANNEX I The following amendments to the specification for the protected designation of origin ‘Queso Manchego’ have been approved: Raw materials With regard to the analytical characteristics of the milk, the reference parameters have been updated as a result of the series of tests carried out by the official laboratory, the centre to which the samples collected on the farms are sent. Lactose content and density will no longer be determined as they do not affect the quality of the finished product and their analysis was based on a production method which no longer reflects the developments which have taken place on farms. However, the acidity of the milk is measured by determining the pH level and not in Dornic grades, and a change to this effect is being made in the specifications. Additionally, as a result of technological progress made in the production industries, the process is carried out with a greater level of control in terms of the key parameters for final quality, and therefore the earlier version has become obsolete in terms of some of the stages of production. The following part is being amended correspondingly: Part E – Obtaining the product At the ‘cutting of the curd’ stage, the size of the curd grains obtained when the curd is cut is no longer specified, this being considered a criterion which each industry must establish depending on the process it uses. The curd must have the right consistency for ensuring correct draining in accordance with the type of cheese produced and this is not determined by specifying the exact size of the grain, but by means of checks carried out as part of the production system and the experience of the producer. The ‘pressing’ stage includes the time needed for pressing, which in the current specification is included in the stage of removal from the mould, which is incorrect. A pressing time of between 1 and 6 hours is specified. This period of time for pressing has changed in relation to the time initially established as a result of the technological advances made in the pressing system, which no longer requires such long periods which have a negative effect on the smaller-sized product. This period is defined as being suitable for the various sizes of product and the various models of press and allows the operator to decide the best time for the product to be removed from the mould and to move to the salting stage, which will be determined not by the number of hours taken, but by measuring pH, which is the indicative value for the state of the product. The ‘maturation and preservation’ stages have been combined into a single stage called ‘maturation’ and the preservation stage has been eliminated as maturation is not interrupted when the product is in the preservation chambers, in other words maturation continues throughout the product’s lifetime and it continues to mature provided that it is kept at the right controlled temperature and relative humidity. Therefore the stages have been combined, with the temperature set at between 3 °C and 16 °C and the humidity between 75 % and 90 %. For the temperature, the minimum value has been increased from 1 °C to 3 °C, which is a more suitable temperature for maintaining the product and guarantees the necessary health requirements, given that at 1 °C the product may deteriorate. As for the maximum value, 16 °C is given as a reference value in order to ensure the optimal maturation of the product and its development in terms of its organoleptic characteristics. The humidity range is an overall value which covers the two stages.