EN Official Journal of the European Union C 329/10

Publication of an application for registration pursuant to Article 6(2) of Regulation (EEC) No 2081/92 on the protection of geographical indications and designations of origin

(2005/C 329/08)

This publication confers the right to object to the application pursuant to Articles 7 and 12d of the abovementioned Regulation. Any objection to this application must be submitted via the competent authority in a Member State, in a WTO member country or in a third country recognized in accordance with Article 12(3) within a time limit of six months from the date of this publication. The arguments for publication are set out below, in particular under 4.6, and are considered to justify the application within the meaning of Regulation (EEC) No 2081/92.

SUMMARY

COUNCIL REGULATION (EEC) No 2081/92

‘CHOURIÇO DE ABÓBORA DE BARROSO — MONTALEGRE’

EC No: PT/00240/16.05.2005

PDO ( ) PGI ( X )

This summary has been drawn up for information purposes only. For full details, in particular the producers of the PDO or PGI concerned, please consult the complete version of the product specification obtainable at national level or from the European Commission (1).

1. Responsible department in the Member State:

Name: Instituto de Desenvolvimento Rural e Hidráulica Address: Av. Afonso Costa, n.o 1949 P-002 Lisboa Tel.: (351-21) 844 22 00 Fax: (351-21) 844 22 02 E-mail: idrha@idrha.min-agricultura.pt

2. Group:

2.1 Name: Cooperativa Agrícola dos Produtores de Batata para Semente de Montalegre, CRL

2.2 Address:

Rua General Humberto Delgado 5470 — 247 Montalegre, Portugal. Tel.: (351) 276 512 253 Fax: (351) 276 512 528 Email quadrimonte@iol.pt

2.3 Composition: producers/processors (X) other ( )

3. Type of product:

Type 1.2 — Meat-based products

4. Specification

(summary of requirements under Article 4(2)):

4.1 Name: ‘Chouriço de Abóbora de Barroso — Montalegre’

4.2 Description: A smoked sausage, made from the pig meat and pig fat of the Bisaro breed or of cross-breeds that must be 50 % Bisaro, and drained squash, made into a soft and dry paste in which small pieces of meat shreds are visible, stuffed into a hog casing (large intestine). The pig meat and fat are seasoned with salt, garlic, red or white wine, powdered chilli pepper (regionally known as ‘pimento’) and powdered red bell pepper (or ‘pimentão’). The sausage varies in colour from orange to dark brown. It has a cylindrical section approximately 6 cm in diameter and a rough exterior. The hog casing is tied shut with two simple knots at each end, using a single piece of cotton twine, giving the sausage a horseshoe shape.

4.3 Geographical area: Due to the special production requirements of these sausages, their flavours, the expertise available and the climatic conditions of the region, the geographical area for processing and packing is limited to the municipality of Montalegre in the Vila Real district. Taking into account the traditional animal feed and existing agricultural production, the geographical area for processing and packing is naturally limited to the municipalities of Boticas, Chaves and Montalegre, in the Vila Real district. The territory consisting of these three municipalities is known and identified as ‘Barroso’.

4.4 Proof of origin: The farms, slaughterhouses and meat-cutting and preparation plants must be licensed, authorised by the group of producers after the private control body has given its approval, and located in the specified production or processing areas respectively. The entire production process, from the farm that produces the raw materials to the place where the product is sold, is subject to a rigorous control system ensuring the product is fully traceable. The pigs are reared in livestock farms possessing an area compatible with traditional, semi-extensive farming systems, where it is possible to produce traditional animal feed. The certification mark on each sausage is numbered, ensuring full traceability to the farm where the product originated. It is possible to prove the origin of the product at any point in the production chain by means of the serial number, which must be indicated on the certification mark.

4.5 Method of production: Fatty cuts of meat (flank, topside trimmings and cured ham, and occasionally lung), cut into small pieces, are used. The squash are cut in half, cleaned and the flesh scraped out with a spoon, after which it is wrapped in a cloth for two days to drain off the excess liquid. The pig meat is seasoned with salt, red or white wine from the Trás-os-Montes region, and garlic. It is marinated for up to 5 days at a temperature below 10 °C in a room with low humidity, after which chilli pepper powder and red bell pepper powder are added. Enough squash is then added to make up approximately 20 % of the mixture. This mixture is then stuffed into a hog casing (large intestine). After filling has been stuffed into the hog casing and the ends have been knotted with cotton twine, the casing is cut to the desired size. The two ends are then tied together with simple knots, bending the sausage into a horseshoe shape. The sausage is smoked over a low fire in a smoking room or a traditional smokehouse for approximately 30 days. The smoke is obtained through the direct combustion of wood, primarily oak, from the region. The sausage is placed on the market as a whole sausage and is always pre-packed at the place of origin. Due to the product's characteristics and composition, it cannot be cut or sliced. Special material, which is innocuous and inert when it comes into contact with the product, is used for its packaging. The product may be packed in a normal or controlled atmosphere or in a vacuum. Packing can only be carried out in the geographical processing area so as to ensure traceability and control and to prevent any change to the product's taste and microbiological characteristics.

4.6 Link: Due to climatic, geographic and socio–economic conditions, and the diffículty of communicating with the rest of the country, the diet of the Barroso region was limited to local products, mainly bread, potatoes and pork. References made to taxes on pigs and pork products in various municipal registers, including that of Montalegre, prove that pig-breeding has been important in this area for a very long time. For pork to remain edible throughout the year, ways were discovered to preserve it, and these quickly became ancestral skills passed down from one generation to the next. The preparation of these products is the result of, and is very dependent on, the region's cold and dry climate, which forces every household to keep a fire burning at all times, thus providing unique conditions for smoking, characterised by a light and gradual smoke supply. It was thus that the need to take advantage of and preserve the pig meat provided by the traditional slaughter gave rise to sausages of various shapes, different ingredients and different colours and flavours, but which were always an expression of the local characteristics: the land and its people. In short, the relationship between this product and the geographical area stems from the breed of (indigenous) animal, the local produce fed to these animals, the knowledge to choose the correct pieces of pig meat, the smoking process using regional firewood and the curing process conducted in a very cold and dry environment suitable for preserving the product.

4.7 Inspection body:

Name: Tradição e Qualidade — Associação Interprofissional para Produtos Agro-Alimentares de Trás-os-Montes Address: Av. 25 de Abril, 273 S/L P-5370 Mirandela Tel.: (351-278) 261 410 Fax: (351-278) 261 410 Email: tradicao-qualidade@clix.pt

Tradição e Qualidade has been recognised as complying with the requirements of Standard 45011:2001.

4.8 Labelling: It is compulsory for the labelling to include the following: the wording ‘Chouriça de abóbora de Barroso — Montalegre — Indicação Geográfica Protegida’ (Protected Geographical Indication), the Community's own logo, the logo for Barroso-Montalegre, reproduced below, together with the words ‘Montalegre’ and ‘Chouriça de abóbora’. It must also include the certification mark, which must state the name of the product, the control body and the serial number (numeric or alphanumeric code ensuring the product's traceability).

4.9 National requirements: —

(1) European Commission, Directorate-General for Agriculture, Agricultural product quality policy, B-1049 Brussels.