Publication of an approved standard amendment to a product specification of a protected designation of origin or protected geographical indications in the sector of the agricultural products and foodstuffs, as referred to in Article 6b(2) and (3) of Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) No 664/2014

(2022/C 386/12)

This communication is published in accordance with Article 6b(5) of Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) No 664/2014 (1).

Communicating the approval of a standard amendment to the product specification of a protected designation of origin or protected geographical indication originating in a Member State (Regulation (EU) 1151/2012)

‘Arroz de Valencia / Arròs de València’

EU No: PDO-ES-0151-AM01 – 21.7.2022

PGI ( ) PDO ( X )

1. Name of product

‘Arroz de Valencia / Arròs de València’

2. Member State to which the geographical area belongs

Spain

3. Member State authority communicating the standard amendment

Directorate-General for Rural Development, Regional Ministry of Agriculture, Rural Development, Climate Emergency and Transition to a Green Economy

4. Description of the approved amendment(s)

The purpose of the amendment is to include new varieties (Bombón, Copsemar 7 and Argila) directly related to varieties already included in the specification; they have characteristics similar to those already included, but with agronomic benefits such as greater salinity resistance, reduced use of pesticides and nutrients, and lower water requirements. The amendment is considered ‘standard’ pursuant to Article 53(2) of Delegated Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012, since:

1. The inclusion of these new varieties does not affect the essential characteristics of the product, as stated in the plant-breeders’ reports, attached.

2. The link between the quality or characteristics of the product and the geographical environment remains unchanged.

3. The amendment does not seek to change the product’s name or any part thereof.

4. It does not request any changes that may affect the defined geographical area.

5. It does not increase the restrictions on trade in the product or its raw materials.

This amendment involves a change to the single document.

SINGLE DOCUMENT

‘Arroz de Valencia / Arròs de València’

EU No: PDO-ES-0151-AM01 – 21.7.2022

PGI ( ) PDO ( X )

1. Name

‘Arroz de Valencia / Arròs de València’

2. Member State or Third Country

Spain

3. Description of the agricultural product or foodstuff

3.1. Type of product

Class 1.6. Fruit and vegetables (fresh or processed)

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

Rice (Oryza sativa) of the following varieties: Senia, Bahía, Bomba, J. Sendra, Montsianell, Gleva, Sarçet and Albufera, Bombón, Argila and Copsemar 7. To be sold as white or wholegrain rice, based on the following parameters (average values):

Medium 4 % Yellow and copper-coloured grains 0,20 % Red and mottled-red grains 0,50 % Chalky and immature kernels 2 % Stained and insect-damaged kernels 0,50 % Extraneous matter 0,10 % Minimum quantity without defects 92,70 %

Characteristics of the raw grain produced (average values)

Variety Length (mm) Length/width Pearl (%) Bahía 5,6 1,8 99 Senia 5,6 1,8 99 Bomba 5,2 1,8 99 J. Sendra 5,7 1,8 99 Montsianell 5,7 1,8 99 Gleva 5,7 1,8 99 Sarçet 6 1,8 99 Albufera 5,2 1,7 99 Bombon 5,3 1,8 99 Argila 5,8 1,7 99 Copsemar 7 5,5 1,7 99

PDO arroz de Valencia will have the following composition characteristics (average values):

Variety Amylose (%) Bahía 19,1 % Senia 16,3 % Bomba 24,9 % J. Sendra 17,5 % Montsianell 18,1 % Gleva 17,7 % Sarçet 16,3 % Albufera 25,6 % Bombón 24 % Argila 20,9 % Copsemar 7 24,4 %

3.3. Raw materials (for processed products only) and feed (for products of animal origin only)

—

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

All stages, from sowing to harvesting, drying and preparation for packaging.

3.5. Specific rules concerning slicing, grating, packaging, etc.

The product must be packaged in the production area in order to guarantee its organoleptic characteristics and to ensure traceability under a single control system.

3.6. Specific rules concerning the registered name on the labelling

The PDO rice must be sold only in packaging bearing a numbered secondary label. Both the label and the secondary label must bear the words Denominación de Origen ‘Arroz de Valencia’, accompanied, where appropriate, by the Valencian equivalent Denominació d’Orige ‘Arròs de València’.

4. Concise definition of the geographical area

The rice is grown in natural wetlands in the provinces of Alicante, Castellón and Valencia, in the Autonomous Community of Valencia, and mainly in municipalities located within the area of influence of the Parque Natural de la Albufera, the Parque Natural del Marjal de Pego-Oliva and the Marjal de Almenara. These are all areas of outstanding environmental value, where rice is extremely important to the sustainability of the ecosystem.

The area comprises the following municipalities:

Area of influence of the Parque Natural de la Albufera (province of Valencia): Albal, Albalat de la Ribera, Alfafar, Algemesí, Beniparrell, Catarroja, Cullera, Massanassa, Sedaví, Silla, Sollana, Sueca and Valencia.

Other municipalities in the province of Valencia: Alginet, Almacera, Almusafes, Alquería de la Condesa, La Alcudia, Alcira, Benifayó, Corbera, Favareta, Fortaleny, Llaurí, Masamagrell, Oliva, La Pobla de Farnals, Polinya del Xuquer, Puzol, Rafelbuñol, Riola, Sagunto and Tavernes de Valldigna.

Municipalities in the Province of Alicante: Pego.

Municipalities in the Province of Castellón: Almenara, Castellón, Chilches y La Llosa.

5. Link with the geographical area

5.1. Specificity of the geographical area

Natural factors

PDO ‘Arroz de Valencia’ is grown in marshy areas, with particular conditions that allow flooding. The soils are limey (30-50 % carbonates), clayey, and low in organic matter and alkaline (pH 8–8,3). The earth is hard and not very permeable.

Regarding the climate, as the area is on the shores of the Mediterranean sea, temperatures are mild throughout the year and rainfall is low, occurring mainly in spring and autumn.

This proximity to the sea means there are breezes, which keep cold daytime winds away. In summer a very dry, hot westerly wind blows down from the Meseta.

A substantial part of the defined area is located within the Parque Natural de la Albufera, an area of outstanding natural beauty. Because of the area’s specific characteristics, rice is the only crop that can be grown there and it is essential for maintaining the park’s ecological balance.

The Parque Natural de la Albufera de Valencia has an area of 21 120 hectares, 65 % of which is covered by rice fields.

Human factors

Rice has been grown in the defined geographical area for centuries. There are documents showing that rice was grown in the old Kingdom of Valencia before it was conquered by James I of Aragon as long ago as 1238: rice fields were described in the Llibre dels repartiments, which distributed the land of the recently acquired Kingdom.

King Ferdinand VI’s regulation of 1753 demarcated the areas where rice should be planted.

Other works that recount the history of rice growing in the Autonomous Community of Valencia are El arroz (1939) by Rafael Font de Mora y Llorens and Compendio arrocero (1952) by José Ma Carrasco García.

Over the centuries specific practices have developed in the area, such as the eixugons (enjuagados in Castilian Spanish), which involve leaving the crop without water for several days to inhibit the growth of algae. The eixugons take place around the end of June, once the rice seedlings have germinated.

Another practice specific to the area is flooding when the fields lie fallow in winter. This interrupts the biological cycles of certain soil organisms and serves to disinfect the land. It also produces an increase in aquatic biodiversity — fungi, algae and small arthropods, which promote the decomposition of harvest remains and regenerate the soil with their own remains and macro- and micro-nutrients.

5.2. Specificity of the product

PDO Arroz de Valencia has a high flavour-absorption capacity, because of the high percentage of amylose in the varieties grown in the area. In addition to the high percentage of pearly grains, the uniformity of grain size is a very important factor, as this ensures that the rice cooks very evenly and consistently.

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 defined geographical area is located between the shoreline and the coastal mountains. This unique location means that at night the fields benefit from a sea breeze, which ensures slow, gradual ripening of the grains, preventing the formation of cracks and minimising the number of grains that split, both during milling and during cooking.

The defined geographical area, which consists largely of the Parque Natural de la Albufera, is made up of ancient natural wetlands, where the soils are limey, clayey, and low in organic matter and alkaline. This means they are heavy and the earth is hard and impermeable, so the crop can be flooded with a small amount of water and can make excellent use of the soil nutrients, which promotes grain-filling at the base of each panicle, minimising the number of misshapen or shapeless grains.

In the defined geographical area, there are no cold winds during the day and the water is warm, which promotes the formation of pearly grains and allows long-cycle rice varieties to be sown without the risk of failure, making it possible to grow the varieties covered by the PDO, which derive their distinctive characteristic, namely their amylose content, from the geographical area. This gives the rice its highly esteemed cooking qualities, as it is the amylose content that determines whether it has the right balance between flavour absorption and firmness.

The Valencian rice-growing tradition is closely linked to its cuisine. Valencia has a wide range of rice-based dishes including paella, rice in broth and baked rice. A cause-and-effect relationship has thus been established with the varieties typical of the area, as they have a high absorption capacity and can thus absorb a great deal of flavour from the broth. This has led to the development of a cuisine that, in terms of rice-based food, is found nowhere elsewhere in the world.

The Poniente (westerly wind) removes spores of fungi such as Pyricularia and Helminthosporium, which helps reduce the number of defective grains.

Reference to publication of the product specification

http://www.agricultura.gva.es/pc_arrozdevalencia

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