EN Official Journal of the European Union C 387/8

Publication of an amendment application 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

(2014/C 387/08)

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).

AMENDMENT APPLICATION

COUNCIL REGULATION (EC) No 510/2006

on the protection of geographical indications and designations of origin for agricultural products and foodstuffs (2)

AMENDMENT APPLICATION IN ACCORDANCE WITH ARTICLE 9

‘CEREZA DEL JERTE’

EC No: ES-PDO-0105-01121-27.6.2013

PGI ( ) PDO ( X )

1. Headings in the Product Specification affected by the amendment

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2. Type of amendment(s)

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3. Amendment(s)

3.1. Amendments to Section B ‘Description of product’

Paragraph B.3 Characteristics of the product:

The following table shows the new sugar contents (measured in degrees Brix) and acidity levels. These replace the values given for each of the protected varieties in the Specification currently registered and the corresponding Single Document.

Table 1: Sugar content, form, minimum size and pH value of the cherries protected by the PDO, by variety

Variety Sugar content (measured in °Bx) Form Minimum Size pH Minimum Maximum Average Minimum Maximum Average Navalinda 12 21,60 14 Flat-ended 21 mm 3,80 4,70 4,25 Ambrunés 14 25,80 20 Flat-ended 21 mm 3,65 4,85 4,25 Pico Colorado 13,90 26,40 21 Elongated 21 mm 3,80 4,70 4,25 Pico Negro 11,80 25,60 19 Elongated 21 mm 3,80 4,90 4,35 Pico Limón Negro 15,40 26,80 20 Elongated 21 mm 3,80 4,70 4,25

The following table is that contained in the Specification currently registered.

Table 2: Sugar content, acidity and form of the protected cherries, by variety

Variety Sugar content (measured in °Bx) Form Minimum size (*) Acidity (measured in meq/100 ml) Minimum Maximum Average Minimum Maximum Average Navalinda 12 16 14 Flat-ended 21 mm 9,55 10,45 10,00 Ambrunés 18 21 20 Flat-ended 21 mm 7,46 16,42 11,94 Pico Colorado 17 23 21 Elongated 21 mm 7,46 16,42 11,94 Pico Negro 17 24 19 Elongated 21 mm 7,46 16,42 11,94 Pico Limón Negro 17 24 20 Elongated 21 mm 7,46 16,42 11,94

Reasons

Technological advances over recent years and the improved rigour with which tests are now carried out have led to improvements in analysis techniques that make them more reliable and accurate.

This makes it necessary to amend the parameters given in the initial Specification for the following reasons:

1. Degrees Brix. The average sugar content is higher than that usually found, with a refractive index that at optimum ripeness varies between 12 g and 20 g per 100 g fresh weight, depending on the variety. In analyses of PDO ‘Cereza del Jerte’ in accredited laboratories as part of checks on the product carried out by Regulatory Council (‘Consejo Regulador’) inspectors over a number of years, the values found for sugar content in degrees Brix differ from those given in the current Specification. In addition, using the results of studies based on analyses of various samples of the product at different stages of ripeness (the sugar content in degrees Brix varies as the cherry ripens), the values given in the above table were obtained. Since all the products with these values were suitable for marketing as PDO products, we request the replacement of the values previously given by these new values.

2. pH. One of the parameters laid down for the protected product is acidity in milliequivalents per 100 ml of malic acid. The protected product is a highly perishable fruit with a short shelf-life, and so rapidly obtaining the results for the parameters that indicate the quality of the fruit is extremely important. The acidity parameter currently used (in meq/100 ml of malic acid) must be determined in laboratories, and these must, as far as possible, be accredited. This involves a considerable amount of time, which is of prime importance if the fruit is to be made available to consumers in the best possible condition. The use of the pH value of fruit is becoming increasingly common and is recognised by both the market and producers for the following reasons: — the speed with which the result is obtained. With the equipment now used to measure pH values, acidity readings can be taken quickly on site with a high degree of accuracy, thus allowing inspectors to take a decision rapidly on the basis of reliable information, — the frequent use of the pH value in the sector. The pH value is accepted as a taste indicator for all foods, especially fruit and vegetables, — it provides much better information on the development and shelf-life of the product compared with other parameters. It is therefore proposed to replace the acidity values given in the current Specification with the pH values given in Table 1. As with the sugar content, the values given in the above table are those obtained as part of checks on the product carried out by Regulatory Council inspectors over a number of years and by various bodies (‘Instituto Tecnológico Agroalimentario’ — Agri-Food Technological Institute) and accredited laboratories.

3.2. Amendments to Section D ‘Evidence that the product originates in the defined geographical area’

A number of paragraphs are amended to take account of the new certification system (standard UNE-EN 45.011/ISO-IEC 17065) used by the Regulatory Council (the accredited certification body under that standard) and to summarise, simplify and update the original text of the Specification, which reflected the situation in the sector at the time the application for registration was submitted.

This section describes the control and certification procedure, necessary to ensure the origin and quality of the product, and the rules that apply.

The amendments made in this section affect solely the form of the document, and neither the content nor the new wording in any way affect the elements that prove that the product originates in the area. The most significant changes are:

— In paragraph 1 (point (1), the text which reads ‘The “Picotas” (bigarreau cherries) and/or other cherries are exclusively from registered plantations located within the production area. These plantations are clearly identified in a database, which lists the holdings, producer by producer, describing the trees by rootstock, age, variety, planting pattern, cultivation system and other variables.’, is replaced by the following: ‘The “Picotas” (bigarreau cherries) and/or other cherries are exclusively from registered plantations located within the production area. These plantations are clearly identified in the different registers for the Protected Designation of Origin.’

— In point 2, the text which reads ‘Each year the inspection services of the Regulatory Council must visit, on a random basis, approximately 10 % of the registered holdings (around 400 each year) to verify, on the ground, that the information provided by producers is accurate and truthful. In addition, each year a deadline is to be laid down for amending the data contained in the register to take account of any changes that have occurred and to update the existing information.’, is replaced by the following: ‘Each year the Protected Designation of Origin must carry out the checks on holdings, authorised despatch warehouses and products necessary to ensure that all the requirements laid down to ensure that the product originates in the area have been met. A deadline is to be laid down on a regular basis for amending the data contained in the register to take account of any changes that have occurred and to update the existing information.’

— Similarly, point 5 describing the quality-assurance procedure is deleted to take account of current checks, which are described in point 4 and other points of Section D and have the same objective: Point 5: ‘The quality-assurance procedure must be based on daily sampling of different lots at different warehouses, with the volume of fruit sampled being in proportion to the volume of fruit delivered to each warehouse. The sampled product must be carefully examined to verify, among other things, that it does actually come from registered plantations, the label correctly identifies the contents, the product is at the optimum stage of ripeness, it is totally homogeneous in terms of colour and size, it has no defects, the rules on packaging and labelling have been complied with, the weight is correct, etc.’,

— Point 8, which states that ‘The control of identification codes based on numbering series must be strictly recorded, thus preventing any possibility of fraud. The recording of identification codes and their comparison with the annual volumes at each of the registered warehouses allows very rapid detection of any irregularities and the identification of problems at any point in the despatch and sales chain.’, is replaced by the following text: ‘The control of identification codes based on numbering series must be strictly recorded, thus preventing any possibility of fraud.’

— Paragraph 9, which states that ‘All checks, sampling and testing to verify compliance with all the requirements are to be carried out in accordance with the Quality Manual and the Manual of Procedures. The Regulatory Council must have the tests carried out by bodies complying with the requirements of standard ISO-EN 17.025.’, is replaced by the following: ‘If, after making the appropriate assessments, it finds that the marketing company complies with the certification requirements, the Regulatory Council of the Protected Designation of Origin “Cereza del Jerte” is to issue a document attesting that the corresponding certificate has been issued to its products.’

— Paragraph 10, which states that ‘On completion of all the checks referred to above, the Advisory Committee of the Regulatory Council, on which all the parties concerned are represented, is to evaluate the results in order to reach an impartial and objective decision. Where the Assessment Committee decides in favour of certification, the Regulatory Council is to issue the corresponding certificate. The product is placed on the market with a guarantee of origin in the form of the numbered label or secondary label of the Regulatory Council.’, is replaced by the following: ‘The product is placed on the market with a guarantee of origin in the form of the numbered label or secondary label of the Regulatory Council.’

As stated above, all these amendments are to ensure that the PDO ‘Cereza del Jerte’ Specification reflects the current situation following changes in the inspection body responsible for verifying compliance with the Specification, without having any impact on the elements that prove that the product originates in the defined area.

3.3. Amendment to Section G ‘Inspection Body’

The postal address is amended to read:

Address: Polígono Industrial. Centro de Empresas. Carretera Nacional 110, Km. 381,400. 10613 Navaconcejo (Cáceres), España.

It is specified that the Regulatory Council is accredited under standard UNE-EN 45011.

3.4. Amendments to Section H ‘Labelling’

This section is amended, with the deletion of the second paragraph on the approval of labels and the inclusion of two logos, for ‘Cereza del Jerte’ and ‘Cereza del Jerte+Picota’, so the consumer is not misled when choosing the product.

3.5. Amendments to Annex I ‘National Requirements’

In accordance with Article 7 of Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012 and in the interests of simplification and clarity, this section of the Specification is deleted since it is not essential and is now not referred to in that Article.

SINGLE DOCUMENT

COUNCIL REGULATION (EC) No 510/2006

on the protection of geographical indications and designations of origin for agricultural products and foodstuffs (3)

‘CEREZA DEL JERTE’

EC No: ES-PDO-0105-01121-27.6.2013

PGI ( ) PDO ( X )

1. Name

‘Cereza del Jerte’

2. Member State or Third Country

Spain

3. Description of the agricultural product or foodstuff

3.1. Type of product

Class 1.6. Fruit, vegetables and cereals, fresh or processed

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

The Protected Designation of Origin ‘Cereza del Jerte’ applies exclusively to table cherries, to be consumed fresh, of the following local varieties of the species Prunus avium L.: ‘Navalinda’, ‘Ambrunés’, ‘Pico Limón Negro’, ‘Pico Negro’ and ‘Pico Colorado’.

The cherry varieties covered by the Protected Designation of Origin are of the following types:

— bigarreau cherries (‘Picotas’): the ‘Ambrunés’, ‘Pico Negro’, ‘Pico Colorado’ and ‘Pico Limón Negro’ varieties. Most of the production belongs to the group of ‘bigarreau’ cherry varieties; these are cherries whose basic difference is that they separate naturally from the stem when they are picked,

— stemmed cherries: ‘Navalinda’.

As regards the product's characteristics, the fruit is reddish in colour, the cherries being predominantly wine-red or purple. Depending on the variety, their flesh, which is firm and crunchy, varies from red to yellowish or cream-coloured, and their juice from red to colourless. The fruit may be kidney-shaped, flat-ended, rounded or elongated in form. Depending on the variety, the stone may be medium-sized, large or very large, and spherical or elongated in shape.

The following table summarises the main requirements as regards sugar content (measured in degrees Brix), form, minimum size and pH.

Sugar content, form, minimum size and pH value of the cherries protected by the PDO, by variety

Variety Sugar content (measured in °Bx) Form Minimum Size pH Minimum Maximum Average Minimum Maximum Average Navalinda 12 21,60 14 Flat-ended 21 mm 3,80 4,70 4,25 Ambrunés 14 25,80 20 Flat-ended 21 mm 3,65 4,85 4,25 Pico Colorado 13,90 26,40 21 Elongated 21 mm 3,80 4,70 4,25 Pico Negro 11,80 25,60 19 Elongated 21 mm 3,80 4,90 4,35 Pico Limón Negro 15,40 26,80 20 Elongated 21 mm 3,80 4,70 4,25

Cherries protected by the PDO ‘Cereza del Jerte’ will be of the ‘Extra’ class only, as defined in the marketing standard for cherries adopted in Commission Regulation (EC) No 214/2004 (4).

3.3. Raw materials (for processed products only)

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3.4. Feed (for products of animal origin only)

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

All steps in production must take place in the defined geographical area:

planting and cultivation, predominantly on small terraced holdings with steep slopes on which mechanisation is difficult, field work (ploughing, fertilising, pruning) and harvesting by hand.

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

Packaging and preparation for sale must be such as to ensure that the product is fully protected. Packaging materials must be carefully selected to prevent any deterioration of the product. The contents of each package must be uniform as regards their origin, variety, quality and size and the visible part must be representative of the contents.

The cherries protected by the PDO ‘Cereza del Jerte’ must be packaged in the defined geographical area, since this is considered necessary to safeguard the quality and ensure traceability and control throughout the certification process.

3.7. Specific rules concerning labelling

The name of the Protected Designation of Origin ‘Cereza del Jerte’ must be prominently displayed on the packaging, as well as the proprietary markings and the information generally required by the applicable legislation.

The Regulatory Council has two versions of the logo. They are used as described below:

the ‘Cereza del Jerte’ logo. This logo, shown below, may be used for both stemmed cherries and bigarreau cherries:

the ‘Cereza del Jerte’ + ‘Picota’ logo. This logo, shown below, may be used only for bigarreau cherries, so as not to confuse the consumer:

The packaging in which the cherries are placed on the market must bear the numbered secondary label or identification code issued by the Regulatory Council.

4. Concise definition of the geographical area

The production zone is located in the northern districts of the Province of Cáceres. This area comprises the territory of the following municipalities, grouped by district:

— DISTRICT OF THE VALLE DEL JERTE: Barrado, Cabezuela del Valle, Cabrero, Casas del Castañar, El Torno, Jerte, Navaconcejo, Piornal, Rebollar, Tornavacas and Valdastillas.

— DISTRICT OF LA VERA: Aldeanueva de la Vera, Arroyomolinos de la Vera, Cuacos de Yuste, Garganta la Olla, Gargüera, Guijo de Santa Bárbara, Jaraíz de la Vera, Pasarón de la Vera and Torremenga.

— DISTRICT OF EL AMBROZ: Cabezabellosa, Casas del Monte, Gargantilla, Hervás, Jarilla and Segura de Toro.

The strong link between quality, the mountain location of the holdings and the type of production means that the following land and holdings not located in the mountain farming area are excluded from the defined geographical area:

— agricultural holdings in the district of La Vera less than 500 m above sea level,

— agricultural holdings in the district of the Valle del Ambroz less than 600 m above sea level.

The product is packed and prepared for the market within the production area.

5. Link with the geographical area

5.1. Specificity of the geographical area

Historical link

The name ‘Jerte’ or ‘Valle del Jerte’ has a close link with cherries, a large number of consumers in Spain almost automatically associating the place with cherries as a product, or vice versa. The area is therefore well-known for the excellence of its cherries and in particular of its ‘Picotas’ (bigarreau cherries).

Legend has it that the cherry tree was introduced by the Arabs and that, after the Reconquest, the new settlers found that it was well-suited to the land. Not until the 14th century, however, is there reliable evidence of its existence.

On 2 June 1352 a party of the king's emissaries stopped to spend the night in one of the villages in the area. The knights ate trout and cherries there, which shows that already at that time the cherry was a choice product of sufficient quality to offer to such distinguished travellers.

In the following centuries, cherry-growing survived and prospered. The famous Spanish doctor, Luis de Toro, refers to the cherries of the Jerte in the 16th century and singles them out for their size, colour and flavour.

It was in the 18th century, when the chestnut groves were ravaged by ink disease, that the cherry started to become a genuine economic alternative. At the end of that century and throughout the 19th, cherry orchards spread in the Valle del Jerte and the two neighbouring valleys.

In the early 1800s, writers were already maintaining that the best thing about the area ‘… is its cherries, which accordingly are very much appreciated at Court…’. Throughout the century, cherry trees spread to all villages, so that at the dawn of the 20th century the area was well-known for ‘its delicious cherries’.

Natural link

The five protected varieties are indigenous, coming either from the Valle del Jerte or from the neighbouring valleys of the Ambroz and La Vera. They are virtually exclusive to this region, since attempts to introduce them elsewhere have so far had little success.

Various authors state that the presence of stemless cherry varieties in the Valle del Jerte is the result of a long process of acclimatisation and semi-induced selection from different stocks of Prunus avium L., an indigenous forest species present in these mountain valleys since ancient times.

Combined with the improvements and clonal selection carried out by the inhabitants of the Jerte, environmental factors such as high humidity (even in summer), the breezes in the valley, its orientation, average annual sunshine, altitude, the microclimate and the acidity of the soil have done the rest.

The property structure and the conditions resulting from the difficult topography form a landscaped area of small, sometimes tiny, terraces supported by stone walls, which has to be worked largely without recourse to mechanisation.

The product's characteristics are therefore determined by the use of specific plant material, adapted and acclimatised to the environmental conditions typical of the Jerte basin and the neighbouring valleys, but also by the special features of a system of production where cherry growing is tied to farming traditions based on smallholding and the family organisation of labour. The farms, generally situated on terraced plots on steeply sloping hillsides where mechanisation is difficult, make it possible to balance the low yields obtained with better quality.

5.2. Specificity of the product

The protected designation of origin ‘Cereza del Jerte’ applies exclusively to table cherries, to be consumed fresh, of the following local varieties of the species Prunus avium L.: ‘Navalinda’, ‘Ambrunés’, ‘Pico Limón Negro’, ‘Pico Negro’ and ‘Pico Colorado’.

The fruit has a reddish external colouring, its intensity varying according to the variety. The cherries are predominantly wine-red or purple because of the preponderance of bigarreau cherries in the local harvest, and particularly of the Ambrunés variety (‘the queen of cherries’).

The basic difference of bigarreau cherries is that they separate naturally from the stem when they are picked, without this reducing their quality, making them less resistant to handling or reducing their shelf-life. The following varieties belong to this group: ‘Ambrunés’, ‘Pico Negro’, ‘Pico Limón Negro’ and ‘Pico Colorado’.

The fruit may be kidney-shaped, flat-ended, rounded or elongated in form.

The flesh is firm and crunchy and, depending on the variety, varies from red to yellowish or cream-coloured, and their juice from red to colourless. The colour of the flesh and juice is generally stable, especially the colour of the juice.

The stone is one of the most stable of the cherries' characteristics, the size ranging from medium-sized to large or very large (‘Navalinda’ and ‘Ambrunés’ varieties), while the form is spherical (‘Ambrunés’), intermediate (‘Pico Colorado’) or elongated (‘Pico Limón Negro’).

The stone/fruit ratio ranges from medium (‘Pico Colorado’) to large and very large (‘Pico Limón Negro’, ‘Navalinda’ and ‘Ambrunés’).

The stem shows significant variations in length and thickness:

— length: medium (Ambrunés and Navalinda) and long (Pico Negro and Pico Colorado),

— thickness: fine (Pico Negro and Pico Colorado), medium (Ambrunés and Navalinda).

As regards the organoleptic characteristics, the average sugar content is higher than that usually found, with a refractive index that at optimum ripeness varies between 12 g and 24 g per 100 g fresh weight, depending on the variety.

Cherries protected by the PDO ‘Cereza del Jerte’ are of the ‘Extra’ class only, as defined in the marketing standard for cherries adopted in Regulation (EC) No 214/2004.

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 protected varieties are virtually exclusive to this region, since attempts to introduce them elsewhere have so far had little success, as they do not flourish when the soil conditions, altitude, hours of sunshine, humidity and wind regime are not right.

The presence of stemless cherry varieties in the Jerte is the result of a long process of acclimatisation and semi-induced selection from Prunus avium L., an indigenous forest species present in these mountain valleys since ancient times.

Combined with the improvements and clonal selection carried out by the inhabitants of the Jerte, environmental factors such as:

— the high humidity, even in the summer months,

— the breezes in the valley, its orientation, average annual sunshine, altitude, the microclimate and the healthy acidity of the soil have done the rest,

— orography: the crop is grown from the bottoms of the three valleys up to altitudes above 1 200 m. The land between 600 m and 1 200 m is the most suitable for growing the bigarreau varieties, which, together with the other varieties grown, attain ripeness over a period running from the end of April until the beginning of August,

— the area's soils tend to have a loose, coarse texture, usually being sandy loam. External drainage is generally good. The soil is always acidic because of the material from which it originates, with a pH value normally between 5 and 5,5. These general characteristics of the soil are ideal for growing the main rootstock (Prunus avium or wild cherry) and the local cherry varieties,

— climate: the characteristics of the three valleys included within the defined area are the result of their narrowness and depth, their orientation and their opening to the south. Variations in altitude and a fragmented terrain produce an uneven distribution of sunshine and differences in temperature between the summits and the alluvial valley bottoms, temperature differences sometimes being extreme. These differences in the climate cause differences in the length of the growing season and the flowering/ripening periods which, as already stated, are spread out over time, leading to very significant differences in the date of the harvest. Cherries of the same variety can ripen more than 20 days apart.

As regards humidity, the monthly and annual values and the distribution of rainfall show the area to have a humid Mediterranean climate with a short and significant dry summer period caused by the scarcity of rain in the hot months of July and August.

Despite the annual average temperature pointing to a generally hot climate, there are large differences in temperature from season to season. The variation in temperature is proof of the harshness of the climate.

To conclude, all the area's specific orographical, soil, climate and hydrological characteristics described above are essential for producing such an exclusive, genuine product as ‘Cereza del Jerte’. If one of these factors should cease to exist, it would be impossible to produce this product.

Publication reference of the specification

(Article 5(7) of Regulation (EC) No 510/2006 (5))

http://aym.juntaex.es/NR/rdonlyres/DEAAADC4-16EB-4424-985B-4A40BE02ECF4/0/PliegoCerezaJertemodificado.pdf

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

(2) OJ L 93, 31.3.2006, p. 12. Replaced by Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012.

(3) Replaced by Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012.

(4) OJ L 36, 7.2.2004, p. 6.

(5) See footnote 3.