Publication of the amended single document following the approval of a minor amendment pursuant to the second subparagraph of Article 53(2) of Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012

(2022/C 217/06)

The European Commission has approved this minor amendment in accordance with the third subparagraph of Article 6(2) of Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) No 664/2014 (1) .

The application for approval of this minor amendment can be consulted in the Commission’s eAmbrosia database.

SINGLE DOCUMENT

‘Cordero Manchego’

EU No: PGI-ES-0047-AM03 – 1.12.2020

PDO ( ) PGI (X)

1. Name

‘Cordero Manchego’

2. Member State or Third Country

Spain

3. Description of the agricultural product or foodstuff

3.1. Type of product

Class 1.1. Fresh meat (and offal)

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

Fresh meat exclusively from lambs of the Manchego breed, irrespective of their sex. Carcasses in the ‘Extra’ and ‘First’ categories, weighing between 10 and 15 kg in the case of the ‘Recental’ (young lambs) type or between 5 and 8 kg in the case of the ‘Lechal’ (suckling lamb) type (1 kg less if headless and without the pluck), with an elongated profile, slightly rounded contours and harmonious proportions. Meats that are lean to moderately fatty. Fat that is a creamy-white colour and has a firm consistency. Meat that is pale pink in colour, is very tender and succulent, and has a very pleasant smell.

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

Lambs must be fed in stables on their mothers’ milk supplemented, ad libitum, with white straw and concentrates permitted by the Regulatory Council, until they can be weaned and fed only on white straw and the aforementioned concentrates.

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

The lambs must be reared and fattened within the identified geographical area.

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

—

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

Carcasses protected by the PGI are marked with an indelible ink stamp containing the letters ‘CM’ on the shanks, ribs and shoulders and are labelled with an individual number depicting the logo of the Regulatory Council. The colour differs depending on the type of ‘Cordero Manchego’ [Recental (young lamb) or Lechal (suckling lamb)].

Logo of the Regulatory Board for the ‘Cordero Manchego’ PGI, ‘Recental’ (young lamb) type

Logo of the Regulatory Board for the ‘Cordero Manchego’ PGI, ‘Lechal’ (suckling lamb) type

4. Concise definition of the geographical area

The production or breeding area in which the Manchego breed is farmed covers the geographical area of La Mancha, which comprises the following districts:

1. Albacete: Mancha, Manchuela, Centro and Almansa.

2. Ciudad Real: Mancha, Campo de Calatrava and Campo de Montiel.

3. Cuenca: Manchuela, Mancha Baja and Mancha Alta.

4. Toledo: La Mancha With an area of 79 230 km2, Castile-La Mancha is the third largest Autonomous Community in Spain

5. Link with the geographical area

The link between the ‘Cordero Manchego’ PGI [and the geographical area] is based on the characteristics of the fresh meat, which is exclusively from lambs of the Manchego breed. The meat is lean to moderately fatty and the fat is creamy-white in colour and firm in consistency. The meat is pale pink in colour. It is very tender and succulent and has a very pleasant smell.

5.1. Specificity of the geographical area

La Mancha is an ancient steppe, cultivated by the Romans for esparto grass, which the Arabs called ‘Manyá’, meaning ‘waterless’. These two names clearly denote the character of the region.

Although Castile-La Mancha has traditionally been considered a plain (given that its most characteristic feature is the geographical area of La Mancha), it is actually more like a raised plateau criss-crossed by mountains; two thirds of the area is at an altitude of above 600 m, and no part of it is less than 200 m above sea level. The area is therefore predominantly flat and high country with mountainous areas both on the edges and in the interior of the region, resulting in a wide variety of topographical features and landscape.

In geological terms it is a plain formed of Miocene sediments, at an altitude of between 650 and 800 metres above sea level. Large shallow ponds and pools form across the flat plain during the rainy season, which retain the water for a certain amount of time.

The main rivers of the area are the Tagus, the upper reaches of the Guadiana, the upper and middle reaches of the Júcar, the Záncara, the Cigüela, the Jabalón and the Riánsares which, despite having very erratic watercourses, are utilised extensively for irrigation, particularly in recent times, when large tracts of land have been irrigated.

An analysis of the average annual temperatures for four settlements in the region shows that absolute maximum temperatures may exceed 35 oC in the summer months. The hottest month is July, when average temperatures can rise to as much as 25 oC.

Average annual precipitation is typically close to 400 mm, as compared to an average of 600 mm for Spain as a whole. Apart from being scarce, the rainfall is also distributed unevenly. First of all, this is the result of considerable unevenness of rainfall from year to year, meaning that volumes of rainfall in a climatic series can be very different from one another. A second reason is the annual distribution of rainfall; summer stands out as the driest season, accounting for barely 10-15 % of annual rainfall. By contrast, spring and autumn are usually the wettest seasons.

5.2. Specificity of the product

The lamb’s varied diet, obtained by grazing in arid areas, and the peculiarities of the breed itself gives its meat special characteristics in terms of succulence, colour and flavour which are related to its origins.

5.3. Causal link between the geographical area and the quality or characteristics of the product (for PDO) or a specific quality, the reputation or other characteristic of the product (for PGI)

The Manchego breed is a native ovine species which has adapted to this region since the earliest times and is one of the main sources of wealth in this district. It has managed to remain pure and free from cross-breeding, and it has adapted over time to grazing in arid areas. It exploits the area’s natural resources, flora, pasture, forage, fallow land, stubble and scrubland; this varied diet and the peculiarities of the breed itself give its meat special characteristics in terms of succulence, colour and flavour which are related to its origins.

Lambs from ewes of the Manchego breed have been sold on the market since ancient times. It follows that over the centuries, breeding and fattening practices have been honed to bring out the best qualities in this meat, which is traditional of La Mancha.

Reference to publication of the product specification

https://pagina.jccm.es/agricul/paginas/comercial-industrial/consejos_new/pliegos/Pliego_Condiciones_CM_Modificado_20200619.pdf

(1) OJ L 179, 19.6.2014, p. 17.