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

(2021/C 89/09)

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

‘MIEL DE GALICIA’/‘MEL DE GALICIA’

EU No: PGI-ES-0278-AM01 – 16.9.2020

PDO ( ) PGI (X)

1. Name(s)

‘Miel de Galicia’/‘Mel de Galicia’

2. Member State or Third Country

Spain

3. Description of the agricultural product or foodstuff

3.1. Type of product

Class 1.4: Other products of animal origin

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

The protected geographical indication (PGI) ‘Miel de Galicia’/‘Mel de Galicia’ denotes honey that has the characteristics listed in the product specification and has been produced, processed and packaged in accordance with all the requirements established in the product specification, the quality manual and current legislation. This honey is made in movable-frame hives and extracted by draining or centrifuging. It is presented in liquid, crystallised or creamed form, or as comb honey (whole combs or comb sections).

‘Miel de Galicia’ can be categorised by botanical origin as follows:

— Polyfloral honey:

— Eucalyptus monofloral honey,

— Chestnut monofloral honey,

— Blackberry monofloral honey,

— Heath monofloral honey,

— Honeydew honey.

Physical and chemical characteristics:

— moisture content: maximum 18,5 %,

— diastase activity: minimum 9 Schade units; honeys with a low enzyme content have to reach a minimum of 4 Schade units, provided that the hydroxymethylfurfural content does not exceed 10 mg/kg,

— Hydroxymethylfurfural: maximum 28 mg/kg.

Melissopalynological characteristics:

In general, the pollen spectrum, considered as a whole, should match the typical profile of Galician honeys.

In any case, the Helianthus annuus-Olea europaea-Cistus ladanifer pollen combination must not exceed 5 % of the overall pollen spectrum.

The following pollen spectrum requirements also apply to the different honeys according to their floral origins:

(a) Polyfloral honey: Castanea sativa, Eucalyptus sp., Ericaceae, Rubus sp., Rosaceae, Cytisus sp., Ulex sp., Trifolium sp., Lotus sp., Campanula, Centaurea, Quercus sp., Echium sp., Taraxacum sp. and Brassica sp. must make up the majority of the pollen spectrum;

(b) Monofloral honeys: — Eucalyptus honey: minimum 70 % eucalyptus (Eucalyptus sp.) pollen, — Chestnut honey: minimum 70 % chestnut (Castanea sp.) pollen, — Blackberry honey: minimum 45 % blackberry (Rubus sp.) pollen, — Heath honey: minimum 30 % heath (Erica sp.) pollen;

(c) Honeydew honey: pollen spectrum composed of the plants that are characteristic of the Galician vegetation, particularly Castanea sativa, Rubus, Cytisus/Genista and Erica.

Organoleptic characteristics:

As a general rule, the honeys must have organoleptic properties – colour, odour and taste – that are characteristic of their specific floral origin. The most distinctive organoleptic characteristics for each origin are as follows:

— Polyfloral: colour ranging from amber (light or dark) to dark colour; floral or vegetal odour; sweet taste that may contain hints of the predominant flora; possibly also some astringency,

— Eucalyptus monofloral: light amber or amber colour; floral odour, generally with a hint of wax; predominantly sweet taste, possibly complemented by some sharpness and perhaps also savoury flavours,

— Chestnut monofloral: amber to dark colour, sometimes with reddish tones; preferably vegetal odour; predominantly sweet taste, possibly complemented by savoury flavours, perhaps some detectable bitterness and sharpness; astringency also possible,

— Blackberry monofloral: light to dark amber colour; floral and/or fruity odour; fundamentally sweet taste, though some sharpness and/or savoury flavour and/or bitterness may also be detectable,

— Heath monofloral: amber, dark amber or dark in colour with reddish tones; vegetal odour – floral also possible; predominantly sweet taste, usually complemented by some bitterness, possibly also savoury flavour and/or sharpness,

— Honeydew honey: dark amber to dark in colour; often with a vegetal odour; sweet-tasting, with detectable savoury flavour and/or bitterness.

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

—

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

Both production and post-production activities (extraction, storage and packaging) must take place in the defined geographical area.

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

The honey is to be packaged at facilities listed in the regulatory board’s register of packaging facilities. Honey for direct consumption is generally packaged in containers of 500 g-1 000 g.

The containers must be sealed in a way that prevents the loss of natural aromas and the entry of foreign odours or atmospheric humidity, which can affect the product. Clear, colourless glass is to be used for packaging. Other materials may be authorised provided that they are approved food-grade materials. Comb sections are to be packaged in authorised packaging materials.

Moreover, packaging must take place at facilities that only receive honey from apiaries listed on the PGI registers. Labelling (main and secondary labels) must be performed at the same premises as packaging under the supervision of the control body. All of this is to preserve quality and ensure product traceability.

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

After certification, ‘Miel de Galicia’ PGI honey must be labelled with the packager’s specific trademark, used solely for honeys covered by the PGI, and with a secondary label displaying a sequential alphanumeric code. These secondary labels, approved and issued by the control body, also contain the official ‘Miel de Galicia’ PGI logo.

Both the commercial label and the secondary label must contain the words indicación geográfica protegida [protected geographical indication] and the registered name in either of its two forms: ‘Miel de Galicia’ or ‘Mel de Galicia’.

Honeydew honey may be labelled with the term miel de bosque [forest honey].

4. Concise definition of the geographical area

The production, processing and packaging area for ‘Miel de Galicia’ PGI honey covers the whole of the Autonomous Community of Galicia.

5. Link with the geographical area

The registration of this geographical indication is based on both its reputation and the existence of certain specific characteristics linked to the natural environment in which it is made.

Reputation

Beekeeping reached the peak of its success in Galicia before the introduction of sugar, honey being highly prized as a sweetener and for its medicinal properties. According to the 1752-53 census known as the Catastro de Ensenada, Galicia had 366 339 traditional beehives (known locally as trobos or cortizos), which can still be found in a number of places. This clearly illustrates the importance of beekeeping in Galicia since ancient times, and is reflected in Galician placenames.

Traditional structures known as cortín, albar, abellariza, albiza or albariza – a high wall in an oval, circular or sometimes rectangular shape, without a roof, designed to contain and protect beehives and prevent animals (particularly bears) from getting in – can still be found in mountainous parts of Galicia today, particularly in the eastern Ancares and Caurel hills and the Sierra del Suído. Some of these structures are still in working condition.

In 1880 the parish priest of Argozón (Chantada, Lugo), Benigno Ledo, set up the first movable-frame hive. A few years later he built the first hive designed for breeding by colony division and for breeding queens, calling it a ‘nursery hive’. Roma Fábrega’s book on beekeeping states that the first Spaniard to have had movable-frame hives was this Galician ‘priest of the bees’, Benigno Ledo, reflecting his importance for beekeeping not just in Galicia but also for Spain as a whole.

The first work published in Galicia on beekeeping was probably the Manual de Apicultura [‘Beekeeping Manual’] by Ramón Pimentel Méndez (1893), written specifically for Galician beekeepers.

‘Miel de Galicia’ is included in the Inventario Español de Productos Tradicionales [‘Spanish Inventory of Traditional Products’], published by the Spanish Ministry for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food in 1996 (pages 174 and 175). The product is among the major commercial attractions at traditional autumn festivities.

In 1998, the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries carried out a study on the honey trade in Spain, which revealed that more honey was consumed in the north-west of the country (Galicia) than in the rest of Spain and that the price of honey was also higher there. Since ancient times, consumers have valued the honey made in Galicia, which gives it a higher market value than honey from other parts of Spain.

Specific characteristics linked to the natural environment

Located in the north-western corner of the Iberian Peninsula, Galicia is one of the oldest territorial entities in Spain. Its name has remained practically unchanged since Roman times (the Romans called it Gallaecia) and it has had virtually the same borders for more than eight centuries. The region’s administrative borders coincide with geographical elements running from north to south and east to west, which have traditionally isolated it from its neighbouring regions, explaining how the region has kept its own language.

These geographical boundaries shape Galicia’s climate. Estuaries and river valleys provide inland areas with a marine influence which is a consequence of the south-west/north-east orientation (a phenomenon not found on any other Spanish coast) and mountain ranges which limit the passage of various weather fronts, giving the climate of this region specific characteristics in terms of temperature and rainfall.

In addition, most of Galicia has different geological and soil conditions than the Mediterranean regions where bees are traditionally kept. Acidic soils predominate, shaping the local vegetation and consequently the production of nectar and the characteristics of the local honeys.

This is therefore a natural region that is totally different to the rest of the Iberian Peninsula. This difference is due to geomorphological, climactic, biological and soil-related factors. These influence the local flora, which has adapted to the natural conditions formed by all of these variables.

Galicia is fairly homogenous in terms of the plants that provide nectar for honey production. The most significant distinguishing features of the local honey are due to the abundance of certain key pollen-providing plants. Five main pollen types are present in the majority of Galician honeys: Castanea sativa, Rubus, Cytisus, Erica and Eucalyptus. Eucalyptus is very prevalent in coastal areas. Inland honey production is characterised by an abundance of three species: Castanea Sativa, Erica and Rubus.

In short, Galicia’s geographical location and specific characteristics give honeys with a unique set of characteristics, setting them apart from honeys made in other regions.

One of the most useful analytical tools for identifying the geographical specificity of honey is pollen analysis. This analysis has shown that Galician honeys have the following specific characteristics that distinguish them from other honeys:

— their pollen profile is unique and characteristic, setting them apart from those made in neighbouring regions,

— they contain very little or no pollen from the Lamiaceae family, such as Lavandula, Rosmarinus, Thymus, Mentha, etc. (less than 1 %),

— they contain very little or no Helianthus annuus, Citrus or Olea europaea pollen (less than 1 %),

— they contain very little or no Cistus ladanifer pollen (less than 1 %),

— they contain no Hedysarum coronarium, Hypecoum procumbens or Diplotaxis erucoides pollen.

‘Miel de Galicia’ therefore has several specific characteristics that can be attributed to its natural surroundings.

Reference to publication of the product specification

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

https://mediorural.xunta.gal/sites/default/files/produtos/en-tramitacion/Pliego_de_condiciones_Miel_de_Galicia_julio_2020_final.pdf

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