Publication of an application for approval of an amendment, which is not minor, 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

(2021/C 514/05)

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 from the date of this publication.

APPLICATION FOR APPROVAL OF AN AMENDMENT TO THE PRODUCT SPECIFICATION OF PROTECTED DESIGNATIONS OF ORIGIN/PROTECTED GEOGRAPHICAL INDICATIONS WHICH IS NOT MINOR

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

‘Carne de Ávila’

EU No: PGI-ES-0093-AM02 – 12 December 2019

PDO ( ) PGI (X)

1. Applicant group and legitimate interest

Consejo Regulador de la Indicación Geográfica Protegida ‘Carne de Ávila’ ( ‘Carne de Ávila’ PGI Regulatory Board) Padre Tenaguillo 8 05004 Ávila Spain

Tel. +34 920352228

Email address: consejoregulador@carnedeavila.org

The Regulatory Board is officially recognised as the management body for ‘Carne de Ávila’ PGI in accordance with the first additional provision of the Act on Trans-Regional Protected Designations of Origin and Protected Geographical Indications (Act 6/2015 of 12 May 2015), and one of its specific duties is to propose amendments to the product specification.

2. Member State or Third Country

Spain

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

☐ Name of product

☒ Description of product

☒ Geographical area

☒ Proof of origin

☒ Method of production

☐ Link

☒ Labelling

☒ Other [inspection body, national requirements]

4. Type of amendment(s)

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

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

5. Amendment(s)

5.1. Description of product

Section B of the product specification (Description of product) and section 3.2 of the single document (Description of the product to which the name in (1) applies) have been amended to correct the reference to the SEUROP grid.

The passage previously read:

A carcase may only use the PGI if, based on the European carcase classification system, its conformation is between O and U+ and its fat cover is between 2 and 4.

It now reads:

A carcase may only use the PGI if, based on the European carcase classification system, its conformation is between U+ and O and its fat cover is between 2 and 4.

An ‘S’ row has also been added to the table under point 3.2 of the single document (Description of the product to which the name in (1) applies).

This was the previous table:

Fat cover class 1 1+ 2- 2 2+ 3- 3 3+ 4- 4 4+ 5- 5 Conformation E U+ X X X X X X X U X X X X X X X U- X X X X X X X R+ X X X X X X X R X X X X X X X R- X X X X X X X O+ X X X X X X X O X X X X X X X O- P+ P P-

This is the amended table:

Fat cover class 1 1+ 2- 2 2+ 3- 3 3+ 4- 4 4+ 5- 5 Conformation S E U+ X X X X X X X U X X X X X X X U- X X X X X X X R+ X X X X X X X R X X X X X X X R- X X X X X X X O+ X X X X X X X O X X X X X X X O- P+ P P-

Justification for this amendment to the‘description of product’heading:

The aim behind this amendment to the ‘description of product’ heading is to ensure consistency with the nomenclature used in the SEUROP classification system for beef from adult cattle.

5.2. Geographical area

Section C of the product specification (Geographical area) and section 4 of the single document (Concise definition of the geographical area) have been amended by expanding the production area to include the following territories:

The ‘Autonomous Community of Andalusia’ heading previously read:

Autonomous Community of Andalusia:

Huelva: Sierra

Jaén: Sierra Morena

Sevilla: Sierra Norte

Following the addition of the districts of Pedroches, La Sierra and Campiña Baja, all in the province of Córdoba, this heading now reads:

Autonomous Community of Andalusia:

Córdoba: Pedroches, La Sierra and Campiña Baja

Huelva: Sierra

Jaén: Sierra Morena

Sevilla: Sierra Norte

The ‘Autonomous Community of Castile-La Mancha’ heading previously read:

Autonomous Community of Castile-La Mancha:

Ciudad Real: Montes Norte, Campo de Calatrava, Montes Sur and Pastos

Toledo: Talavera, Torrijos, Sagra-Toledo, La Jara, Montes de Navahermosa and Monte de los Yébenes

Following the addition of all the districts in the province of Guadalajara, this heading now reads:

Autonomous Community of Castile-La Mancha:

Ciudad Real: Montes Norte, Campo de Calatrava, Montes Sur and Pastos

Guadalajara: all districts

Toledo: Talavera, Torrijos, Sagra-Toledo, La Jara, Montes de Navahermosa and Monte de los Yébenes

The ‘Autonomous Community of Castile-León’ heading previously read:

Autonomous Community of Castile-León:

Avila: all districts

Burgos: Demanda

León: La Montaña de Riaño

Palencia: Guardo and Cervera

Salamanca: all districts

Segovia: all districts

Soria: Pinares

Valladolid: Centro, Sur and Sureste

Zamora: Sayago

Following the addition of the district of Sahagún in the province of León and the district of Duero Bajo in the province of Zamora, this heading now reads:

Autonomous Community of Castile-León:

Avila: all districts

Burgos: Demanda

León: La Montaña de Riaño and Sahagún

Palencia: Guardo and Cervera

Salamanca: all districts

Segovia: all districts

Soria: Pinares

Valladolid: Centro, Sur and Sureste

Zamora: Sayago and Duero Bajo

The ‘Autonomous Community of Extremadura’ heading previously read:

Autonomous Community of Extremadura:

Cáceres: all districts

Badajoz: Alburquerque, Mérida, Don Benito, Puebla Alcocer, Herrera Duque, Badajoz, Almendralejo, Olivenza, Jerez de los Caballeros and Llerena

Following the addition of the districts of Castuera and Azuaga in the province of Badajoz – meaning that all of that province’s districts are now included – this heading now reads:

Autonomous Community of Extremadura:

Cáceres: all districts

Badajoz: all districts

Justification for this amendment to the production area:

The production area has been expanded to include all the farming districts in the province of Guadalajara, the districts of Pedroches, La Sierra and Campiña Baja in the province of Córdoba, the district of Sahagún in the province of León, the district of Duero Bajo in the province of Zamora and the districts of Castuera and Azuaga in the province of Badajoz.

This amendment is justified because the new districts have the same characteristics as those that were already part of the production area laid down in the product specification. To this end, a study by the Catholic University of Ávila (Study supporting the amendment of the product specification for the Protected Geographical Indication ‘Carne de Ávila’) has been made available to the competent authority.

There are a great many similarities between the physical environment and climate of the farming districts added in this amendment and the topography, soil characteristics and climate of the districts already in the production area.

The soil uses and vegetation are similarly consistent. The holdings within the new districts on which the Avileña-Black Iberian breed is reared meet all the requirements of the product specification in terms of genetics, feed, stocking rate and breeding practices.

Moreover, since the new districts are located near the existing districts and are very similar in terms of physical environment, climate and vegetation, approving this amendment to the PGI production area would merely consist of expanding its current geographical boundary to include districts that are adjacent to – or in some cases even surrounded by – territory already belonging to the ‘Carne de Ávila’ PGI production area.

The province of Guadalajara (all of its farming districts are to be added) borders the provinces of Segovia, Madrid and Teruel, which already form part of the production area established in the product specification. Guadalajara shares its geography with those provinces, occupying the high plateaus of the central Iberian Peninsula. It is also linked to Segovia, Madrid and Teruel by the Iberian mountain system, meaning that it has the same climate profile, typical of the central plateau, and the same varied plant life (holm oak, savin, pine, oak and some beech groves).

The province of Córdoba is bordered by provinces already included in the geographical area laid down in the product specification: Seville and Badajoz to the west and Badajoz and Ciudad Real to the north. Córdoba is divided into three geographical areas: the Sierra Morena to the north, the Guadalquivir valley in the centre and the Subbaetic system to the south. The area to be included comprises the districts of Pedroches, La Sierra and Campiña Baja, which are bordered by the provinces of Seville, Badajoz and Ciudad Real, already part of the production area laid down in the product specification.

The Study supporting the amendment of the product specification for the Protected Geographical Indication ‘Carne de Ávila’ demonstrates that the new territories added in this amendment have the same natural features as the geographical area initially defined in the product specification, so the post-amendment area has an equivalent degree of uniformity to that of the pre-amendment area, without altering its continuity. These common characteristics are largely the result of the close geographical proximity between the districts included in this amendment and those that already made up the production area.

The provinces included in the proposed amendment feature varied terrain: plateau-topping plains, vast valleys and highland areas. As the landscape of the current production area is uneven – with high valleys, narrow ravines, jagged peaks, steep slopes and broad plateaus, as well as areas of dehesa (a traditional agro-sylvo-pastoral system in which livestock is reared extensively on poor or non-agricultural land) where the terrain is more even – there is a great similarity between them.

Xerochrept soils dominate in the district of Duero Bajo, with a sandy loam texture and a notable presence of sandstone, conglomerates and detritus. In the districts making up the province of Guadalajara, the predominant soils are xerochrepts and xerumbrepts. The soil texture of the xerumbrepts is clay loam, with limestone overlying the basement rock and folded chalk structures. The predominant soils in the province of Córdoba are xerochrepts and palexeralfs, as well as chromoxererts in some areas.

Given the preponderance of xerochrepts and xerumbrepts – and, to a lesser extent, haploxeralfs and palexeralfs – in the geographical area already established in the product specification, there are strong similarities in terms of both soil characteristics and geological substratum.

The new territories also feature the same kinds of vegetation found in the existing PGI production area: scrubland with oak thickets, gum cistus, broom, thyme and Genista florida; dehesas with oak, savin, holm oak and juniper groves; and upland areas dominated by pine groves.

‘Temperate Mediterranean’ and ‘cold temperate Mediterranean’ are the prevailing climate profiles in these areas. The districts of Guadalajara have the typical climate of the central plateau (long, hot, dry summers; long, harsh winters; and short, mild springs and autumns), annual rainfall of 700-900 millimetres and varied vegetation (oak, savin, holm oak, pine and some beech groves). Córdoba and its districts have a continental Mediterranean climate, with mild winters, very hot summers, and annual rainfall of 600-750 millimetres, concentrated between October and April.

These conditions reflect the terms already established in the product specification and have an impact on the husbandry practices, which include transhumance and extensive rearing. We therefore find sizeable variations, given the wide distribution of the breed, the areas in which it has settled, and how the cattle are moved around in the practice of transhumance. The cattle graze in dehesas, valleys and mountains. In the highlands the summers are cool and the winters very cold, with severe frosts. The dehesas, in contrast, generally have very hot, dry summers and mild winters.

In terms of breed, the product specification requires the cattle to be either Avileña-Black Iberian stock or first-cross stock bred between Avileña-Black Iberian cows and Charolais or Limousin sires (Charolais and Limousin have ‘settled breed’ status in Spain).

In this regard, the new geographical area included in this amendment matches the original area in both historical and farming terms: as the Study supporting the amendment of the product specification for the ’Carne de Ávila’ Protected Geographical Indication points out, the Avileña-Black Iberian breed is traditionally found in those provinces and has been reared there continuously for centuries.

Moreover, Avileña-Black Iberian stock, assigned to that breed at birth on the holding, are also identified in the herd-book for that breed. In the districts proposed for inclusion, breeding cows have been classified according to their appearance and listed in the Avileña-Black Iberian herd-book. The same applies to the Avileña-Black Iberian sires used to replenish the stock of dams.

The Avileña-Black Iberian breeding cows are reared using the same techniques, similarly exploiting the available natural resources through extensive rearing or the practice of transhumance, making use of what nature provides, protecting the environment and safeguarding animal welfare.

The product specification refers to extensive systems with low stocking rates, averaging between 0,2 and 0,4 livestock units per hectare in the areas in which the breed traditionally grazes. Studies show that extensive livestock-rearing is practised in the area to be included in the product specification, where holdings make use of natural resources and have a stocking rate below the limit of 0,4 livestock units per hectare.

Holdings in the new districts use the same breeding practices – natural mating – described in the product specification.

Lastly, the geographical area identified in the current version of the product specification spans 12 172 491 hectares. The requested amendment would increase this by 20 %, adding a further 2 543 196 hectares.

This extension of the geographical area will be reflected in production figures. Based on the holdings operating in the new areas to be included in the product specification, the increase in production is estimated at 19 %, or approximately 900 cattle per year, based on the 4 700 carcases produced in 2018.

This calculation was performed by the authors of the Study supporting the amendment of the product specification for the ’Carne de Ávila’ Protected Geographical Indication using geographical and cartographic databases made available to the public by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food.

The reason why the geographical area needs to be expanded now is so that it covers the entire area where the Avileña-Black Iberian breed is traditionally present in Spain; after all, the breed is the foundation of the product ‘Carne de Ávila’. It establishes the link and the relationship between the geographical area and product quality, characteristics and reputation or other aspects. The area to be added has features that are equivalent to the features of the geographical area that form the link, and the breed is reared there using the same system.

5.3. Proof of origin

1. The following, which constitutes point 2 of Section D of the product specification (Proof that the product originates in the area), has been amended: All cattle on livestock holdings listed in the PGI registers are individually identified as required by the legislation in force. The identification of Avileña-Black Iberian cattle also includes their listing in the breed’s herd-book with the identification code assigned to the animal at birth – consisting of an acronym identifying its holding of origin followed by last two digits of its year of birth and the number it represents in the sequence of births on the holding that year – and the PGI logo. This passage has been amended by adding a reference to the need to keep a record of the correlation between official and herd-book identifiers, and now reads as follows: All cattle on livestock holdings listed in the PGI registers are individually identified as required by the legislation in force. Avileña-Black Iberian cattle are also recorded in the breed’s herd-book with the identification code assigned to the animal at birth, consisting of an acronym identifying its holding of origin followed by last two digits of its year of birth and the number it represents in the sequence of births on the holding that year. A record of the correlation between official and herd-book identifiers must be kept. Justification for this amendment to the‘proof of origin’heading: This amendment is made for clarification purposes: ensuring that records of the correlation between official identifiers and herd-book identifiers are kept matched up is useful for control purposes, as it makes it easier to carry out checks and facilitates inspections.

2. The following has been added at the end of point 3 of Section D of the product specification ( Proof that the product originates in the area ): Carcases that meet the requirements of the product specification must be marked and labelled in such a way that they can be identified at any time during dressing. After carcases have been checked to verify the assigned classification and their compliance with the conformation, fat cover and colour requirements set out in this product specification, all those that the operator considers eligible to use the Protected Geographical Indication must be marked at the abattoir. Justification for this amendment to the‘proof of origin’heading: This amendment is made for clarification purposes. The new text aids control and the specific verifications to be carried out at the abattoir, making it easier to perform compliance checks by stating the aspects to be examined when the carcase is marked.

5.4. Method of production

1. Section E of the product specification (Method of production) has been amended with the deletion of point 7, which concerned partnership agreements and read as follows: Partnership agreements. Partnership arrangements will be established between the PGI and points of sale in order to guarantee the origin and quality of the beef marketed as ‘Carne de Ávila’. Justification for this amendment to the‘method of production’heading: This amendment is made for clarification purposes. The deleted passage was not a rule concerning technical details of how the product is obtained, labelled or packaged, so it should not form part of this section of the product specification. The conclusion of partnership agreements is more closely related to the duties of promoting and defending the protected product entrusted to the ‘Carne de Ávila’ PGI Regulatory Board under Article 16(1) of the Act on Trans-Regional Protected Designations of Origin and Protected Geographical Indications (Act 6/2015 of 12 May 2015) than to the method of production. The deleted paragraph was also liable to be interpreted as being compulsory, representing an unnecessary restriction. The deletion of this paragraph therefore constitutes the removal of information considered irrelevant to the production, labelling and/or packaging of the product as defined in the product specification – all of which remain unchanged.

2. The following has been added to point 6 of section E of the product specification (Method of production) Operators that fillet, package and label the product for end consumers will be subject to checks to ensure the origin and quality of the protected beef and the proper use of conformity markings. Justification for this amendment to the‘method of production’heading: This amendment is for clarification: the new passage is a rule on the labelling and packaging of the product, adding clarity in relation to the operators that label or package the product and facilitating checks on those operations.

5.5. Inspection body

The following from Section G of the product specification (Inspection body) has been amended:

Directorate-General for the Food Industry Ministry of Agriculture, Food and the Environment Paseo Infanta Isabel, 1 28014 Madrid

Tel. +34 91 3475361/8477; Fax +34 91 3475700

Email: dgia@magrama.es

The Directorate-General for the Food Industry, through its Subdirectorate-General for Quality Schemes and Organic Farming, checks compliance with this product specification in application of the ‘Quality scheme compliance check system for non-wine agri-food products linked to geographical origins and traditional specialities guaranteed’, forming part of the 2011-2015 National Food Chain Monitoring Plan, which falls within the remit of the central government authorities, applying the system of penalties laid down in Title III of the Vine and Wine Act (Act 24/2003 of 10 July 2003).

The information on the inspection body has been amended to reflect the current set-up of the competent authority, including the website of the body responsible for compliance checks and its contact details. This passage now reads as follows:

‘Carne de Ávila’ PGI falls within the remit of the Directorate-General for the Food Industry via the Sub-directorate General for Quality Schemes and Organic Farming. Product specification compliance checks are carried out by:

Agencia de Información y Control Alimentarios (Food Reporting and Control Agency) Paseo Infanta Mercedes, 31 5a planta 28020 Madrid

Justification for this amendment to the‘heading: inspection body’

The reason for this amendment is that the description of the national legislation included in the previous version of the product specification had become obsolete and inappropriate for the purposes of the section in question. The old text has been replaced with information on the body that checks compliance with the product specification in accordance with Article 37(1)(b) of Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 21 November 2012 on quality schemes for agricultural products and foodstuffs.

5.6. Labelling

1. Point 3 of section H of the product specification (Labelling) and section 3.6 of the single document (Specific rules concerning labelling of the product the registered name refers to) has been replaced. It previously read: When cuts are dispatched in portions, they are labelled with secondary labels issued by the Regulatory Board that contain the same information as the carcase labels. The new text reads as follows: When cuts are dispatched in portions, they are labelled with numbered secondary labels issued by the Regulatory Board, allowing traceability to be checked. Justification for this amendment to the‘labelling’heading: This amendment has been made in order to adapt point 3 to the specific legislation on the subject and current practice. The product specification and single document previously stated that the same information was to be used as on the [carcase] label, and this is problematic for some of the ways in which portions are now being sold. The new wording facilitates the application of the section and compliance with the specific national legislation, allowing the product to be traced back to its batch of origin and, in any case, facilitating traceability checks. This section therefore needed to be amended, using simpler wording that makes it easier to implement and, in any case, enables and facilitates product traceability checks.

2. The labelling instructions included in point 4 of section H of the product specification (Labelling) have been added to point 3.6 of the single document (Specific rules concerning labelling of the product the registered name refers to). Before this amendment, the passage read as follows: As well as the compulsory information, ‘Carne de Ávila’ labels must contain at least the following: Regulatory Board identifier, official identifier, slaughter date, carcase number, Regulatory Board logo, EU PGI logo and barcode. The wording of this passage following the proposed amendment is as follows: As well as the compulsory information, ‘Carne de Ávila’ labels must contain at least the following: reference number, Regulatory Board identifier, official identifier, description of the cut, slaughter date, origin, authorisation number, dressing location, carcase number, ‘Carne de Ávila’ Regulatory Board logo, EU PGI logo, barcode and the name under which the beef is marketed (‘ternera’ [veal], ‘añojo’ [yearling beef] or ‘novillo’ [young beef]). Justification for this amendment to the‘labelling’heading: This amendment has been made to improve consistency between the product specification and the single document on this point: they now contain the same list of points that labels are required to contain.

5.7. National requirements

The following list of legislation has been deleted from section I of the product specification (National requirements):

Vine, Wine and Alcohol Statute (Act 25/1970 of 2 December 1970)

Order of 20 April 1988 granting provisional recognition to the Specific Designation ‘Carne de Ávila’

Order of 4 December 1990 approving the Regulations of the ‘Carne de Ávila’ Specific Designation and its Regulatory Board

Order of 10 November 1993 amending the Order of 4 December 1990 approving the Regulations of the Specific Designation ‘Carne de Ávila’

Decision of the Directorate-General for Food Industry and Markets of 27 April 2011 amending the product specification for the ’Carne de Ávila’ Protected Geographical Indication

Act on Trans-Regional Protected Designations of Origin and Protected Geographical Indications (Act 6/2015 of 12 May 2015)

Justification for this amendment to the‘national requirements’heading:

These references to legislation have been deleted as most of them are obsolete following amendment and/or repeal. They can also be deleted because they refer to general legislation and because Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012, of the European Parliament and of the Council of 21 November 2012 on quality schemes for agricultural products and foodstuffs does not require the product specification to contain this section on ‘national requirements’.

SINGLE DOCUMENT

‘Carne de Ávila’

EU No: PGI-ES-0093-AM02 – 12 December 2019

PDO ( ) PGI (X)

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

‘Carne de Ávila’

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 the product to which the name in (1) applies

Cattle suitable for supplying the meat covered by this PGI must be either Avileña-Black Iberian stock or first-cross stock bred between Avileña-Black Iberian cows and Charolais or Limousin sires (Charolais and Limousin have ‘settled breed’ status in Spain).

The cattle are categorised by age:

Ternera (veal): to be slaughtered at a maximum age of 12 months, having spent at least five months with the dam;

Añojo (yearling beef): weaned at a minimum age of five months, to be slaughtered at between 12 and 24 months;

Novillo (young beef): to be slaughtered at between 24 and 48 months.

A carcase may only use the PGI if, based on the European carcase classification system, its conformation is between U+ and O and its fat cover is between 2 and 4.

Fat cover class 1 1+ 2- 2 2+ 3- 3 3+ 4- 4 4+ 5- 5 Conformation S E U+ X X X X X X X U X X X X X X X U- X X X X X X X R+ X X X X X X X R X X X X X X X R- X X X X X X X O+ X X X X X X X O X X X X X X X O- P+ P P-

The beef from these animals is firm to the touch and slightly moist, with a tender consistency. It has a vivid colour, ranging from light red to purplish-red, with white to cream-coloured fat.

‘Carne de Ávila’ must be aged for at least four days.

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

The cattle are reared extensively and/or using the practice of transhumance, availing of the local grazing and forestry resources (browse plants and acorns). Transhumance is an ancestral rearing system in which herd-keepers take advantage of the resources offered by nature by moving their livestock between different, complementary locations at different times of the year: mountain pastures in the summer and autumn, and dehesas (a traditional agro-sylvo-pastoral system in which livestock is reared extensively on poor or non-agricultural land) populated by oak (holm and cork) in the winter and spring. The cattle are reared extensively, with a low stocking rate – between 0,2 and 0,4 livestock units per hectare on average – in this breed’s traditional grazing areas: areas of land that would probably otherwise go to waste. At times of scarcity, the cattle are fed supplements comprising cereals, protein sources and other raw materials, always of plant origin, together with the necessary minerals and vitamins.

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

The geographical area described in section 4 is where the animals intended for slaughter are born, reared and fattened, on the same extensive holdings on which their dams are reared.

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

—

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

Each carcase covered by this name has a set of labels so that the carcase, cuts and portions can be identified and traced. The labelling system is as follows:

1) carcase labels bearing the information below, except for the type of cut;

2) cut labels bearing the specified information and the type of cut (shin, topside/silverside, etc.).

3) when cuts are dispatched in portions, they are labelled with numbered secondary labels issued by the Regulatory Board, allowing traceability to be checked;

4) as well as the compulsory information, ‘Carne de Ávila’ labels must contain at least the following: reference number, Regulatory Board identifier, official identifier, description of the cut, slaughter date, origin, authorisation number, dressing location, carcase number, ‘Carne de Ávila’ Regulatory Board logo, EU PGI logo, barcode and the name under which the beef is marketed (‘ternera’ [veal], ‘añojo’ [yearling beef] or ‘novillo’ [young beef]).

4. Concise definition of the geographical area

The Avileña-Black Iberian cattle are reared in the production area spanning the following farming districts (grouped by province and Autonomous Community):

Autonomous Community of Andalusia:

Córdoba: districts of Pedroches, La Sierra and Campiña Baja

Huelva: Sierra

Jaén: Sierra Morena

Sevilla: Sierra Norte

Autonomous Community of Aragon:

Teruel: Serranía de Albarracín and Maestrazgo.

Autonomous Community of Castile-La Mancha:

Ciudad Real: Montes Norte, Campo de Calatrava, Montes Sur and Pastos

Guadalajara: all districts

Toledo: Talavera, Torrijos, Sagra-Toledo, La Jara, Montes de Navahermosa and Monte de los Yébenes

Autonomous Community of Castile-León:

Avila: all districts

Burgos: Demanda

León: La Montaña de Riaño and Sahagún

Palencia: Guardo and Cervera

Salamanca: all districts

Segovia: all districts

Soria: Pinares

Valladolid: Centro, Sur and Sureste

Zamora: Sayago and Duero Bajo

Autonomous Community of Extremadura:

Cáceres: all districts

Badajoz: all districts

Autonomous Community of La Rioja: all districts

Autonomous Community of Madrid:

Lozoya Somosierra, Guadarrama, Area Metropolitana and Sur Occidental

Processing is carried out in the following farming districts (grouped by province and Autonomous Community):

Autonomous Community of Castile-León:

Avila: all districts

Salamanca: all districts

Segovia: all districts

Valladolid: Centro, Sur and Sureste

Autonomous Community of Castile-La Mancha:

Toledo: Talavera and Sagra-Toledo

Autonomous Community of Extremadura:

Cáceres: Cáceres, Trujillo, Brozas, Valencia de Alcántara, Plasencia and Hervás

Badajoz: Mérida, Badajoz and Olivenza

Autonomous Community of Madrid:

Lozoya Somosierra, Guadarrama, Area Metropolitana and Sur Occidental

5. Link with the geographical area

5.1. Specific features of the geographical area

(a) Landscape

The mountain areas have a rugged terrain and complex topography, with high valleys, narrow ravines, steep slopes and wide plateaus that can sometimes be exposed to gales and blizzards. The areas of dehesa are expansive, gently rolling plains at altitudes of between 300 and 1 200 metres above sea level.

(b) Climate

There are sizeable variations in climate, given the wide distribution of the breed, the areas in which it has settled, and how the cattle are moved around in the practice of transhumance. The cattle graze in dehesas, valleys and mountains. In the highlands the summers are cool and the winters very cold, with severe frosts. The dehesas, in contrast, generally have very hot, dry summers and mild winters.

(c) Flora

Avileña-Black Iberian breeding practices are linked to the dehesa system, with a preponderance of pastureland, crop areas, thicket and woodland.

There are pasture-only dehesas, mixed dehesas (i.e. crop and pasture), and areas of scrub. Oak, savin, holm oak and juniper groves are a notable presence on pasture-only dehesas, featuring few trees but extensive pastureland. Mixed crop and pasture dehesas are populated by oak, holm oak and pasture, and the cattle can feed on the nourishment provided by the trees (acorns and browse) and stubble fields.

The highland grasslands are dominated by pine groves, which are covered in snow for part of the year, necessitating the practice of transhumance.

5.2. Specific features of the product

‘Carne de Ávila’ PGI beef has the following characteristics:

The beef from these animals is firm to the touch and slightly moist, with a tender consistency. It has a vivid colour, ranging from light red to purplish-red, with white to cream-coloured fat, and is held in general high esteem for its tenderness and the intensity and quality of its flavour.

5.3. Correlation 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 breeding cows belong to the native Avileña-Black Iberian breed, which has been present since ancient times and has become perfectly adapted to rearing in the geographical area in question. The presence of this breed within the overall livestock population is increasing.

Initially used as draught animals, cattle from this breed began to be reared for beef when crop farming became mechanised. As a result, other beef breeds were introduced as sires, Charolais and Limousin being the most widely used.

Rearing this native breed of cattle, which has adapted so well to the local environment, is the main way in which natural resources – such as flora, pasture, forage, browse plants and acorns – can be exploited. The dams’ varied diets and the particular characteristics of Avileña-Black Iberians and first-cross stock bred with better-conformed breeds produce a highly unique beef. It is amongst the most highly regarded meats because of its tenderness, the intensity and quality of its flavour and its vivid colour, ranging from light red to purplish-red. The characteristics of this beef are essentially the result of the geographical environment, the nourishment available to the cattle – made possible because the breed has adapted perfectly to the rearing system used in the geographical area – and the breed factor.

Reference to publication of the product specification

(the second subparagraph of Article 6(1) of this Regulation)

The revised version of the product specification with the changes covered by this application for approval of an amendment can be accessed online at:

https://www.mapa.gob.es/es/alimentacion/temas/calidad-diferenciada/pliegodecondicionesavila10062020_tcm30-511997.pdf

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