Publication of the amended product specification following the approval of a minor amendment pursuant to the second subparagraph of Article 53(2) of Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012 of the European Parliament and of the Council

(2021/C 136/09)

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

‘MEJILLÓN DE GALICIA’/‘MEXILLÓN DE GALICIA’

EU No: PDO-ES-0165-AM02 – 18.9.2020

PDO (x) PGI ( )

1. Name

‘Mejillón de Galicia’/‘Mexillón de Galicia’

2. Member State or Third Country

Spain

3. Description of the agricultural product or foodstuff

3.1. Type of product [listed in Annex XI]

Class 1.7. Fresh fish, molluscs, crustaceans and fish based products

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

Fresh mussels of the Mytilus galloprovincialis species grown in the ‘batea’ system of floating platforms or rafts.

This bivalve mollusc’s shell is formed by two equal valves (equivalves) of calcium carbonate and enclosed by a cover called the ‘periostracum’. Since the main production region is the Galician rias [flooded river valleys], which generates a huge wealth of marine flora and fauna, the periostracum often has adhesions featuring barnacles, polychaetes, bryozoa and seaweed.

The meat is on the inside. Usually a creamy orange in colour, it is formed by two fleshy lobes with a wavy dark violet band running along its edge.

In order for the mussels to be covered by the Protected Designation of Origin ‘Mejillón de Galicia’ when they reach the fresh-consumption market, they must pass through a purification/dispatch centre in accordance with Regulation (EC) No 853/2004. They must also be purified using seawater from the Galician rias in the provinces of A Coruña and Pontevedra to ensure that the quality and characteristics deriving from geographical factors linked to cultivation remain unchanged.

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 defined geographical area

All operations - from obtaining the seed to processing the final product before it is prepared for sale and placed on the market - must be carried out inside the defined geographical area.

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

—

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

The Council will apply its own label, which must identify all packaging containing mussels covered by the Protected Designation of Origin. The words ‘Denominación de Origen Protegida Mexillón de Galicia’ [Protected Designation of Origin, Mexillón de Galicia] must be displayed prominently on the label, beneath the logo. The control codes uniquely identifying the mussels in accordance with the parameters set must also be featured on the label.

Products manufactured using ‘Mejillón de Galicia DOP’ [Mejillón de Galicia PDO] as the primary material (including where a technological treatment or conservation process has been followed) may be sent to the consumer in packages featuring the discretionary use of the EU logo beside the wording ‘elaborado con Denominación de Origen Protegido Mejillón de Galicia’ [Made with Protected Designation of Origin Mejillón de Galicia] and in a font that is the same size or smaller than the latter, provided that:

— ‘Mejillón de Galicia DOP’, certified as such, is the exclusive component of the product category concerned, and

— that parties using the words ‘Elaborado con Denominación de Origen Protegida Mejillón de Galicia’ have been authorised.

In that regard, as the holder of the intellectual property rights granted by the registration of the ‘Mejillón de Galicia DOP’ designation of origin, the Regulatory Council will authorise the use of the wording and logos on the labels of all products that have undergone technological processing and conservation.

The Regulatory Council will enter those authorised to use the words ‘elaborado con Denominación de Origen Mejillón de Galicia’ in the relevant registers, ensure the conformity of the products and that the wording and logos are used correctly.

4. Concise definition of the geographical area

Geographical area. The cultivation area will be the internal maritime area of the Galician rias in the provinces of A Coruña and Pontevedra, which are authorised to cultivate mussels using rafts. It will comprise the following areas: Ría de Ares-Sada, Ría de Muros-Noia, Ría de Arousa, Ría de Pontevedra and Ría de Vigo.

The purification/dispatch area is limited to the coastal provinces of: A Coruña and Pontevedra

5. Link with the geographical area

As far as the historical link is concerned, mussels have from earliest times been a source of food for the first inhabitants of the Galician coast. There is ample evidence of this in the ‘castros’ [fortified villages] and in historical documents (Navaz, 1942, Vázquez Varela and García Quintela, 1998, VVAA 1988 and 1998, Senén-López Gómez, 1999). Following on from these beginnings, it should be highlighted that mussels have featured in the most outstanding gastronomic events from the past (e.g. at the Spanish Hapsburg court, with the ‘escabeche real’ royal brine). There is no doubt that the history of Galicia and its coast is closely linked to mussels. This relationship dates back to the sixth century BC and continues to the present day, as evidenced by the multitude of place-names, personal names and gastronomic festivals (mejillonadas), etc. Galicia's very landscape would be inconceivable today without the rafts in its rias, reflecting the development of the mussel sector. A specific vocabulary with words deriving from mussel cultivation has even been coined: mexilla (breeding of mussels), thinning (part of the production process), etc. Such is the historical tradition that it has engendered a specific system of cultivation which is recognised internationally as the ‘Galician system’, with specially-designed equipment and materials and traditional working methods which result in a distinctive product (López Capont, 1973; López Capont and Fidalgo Fernández, 1977; Otero Pedrayo, 1980; Lorenzo, 1982; Calo-Lourido, 1985 a, b and c).

As far as the link with the natural environment is concerned, the Galician rias are considered to be ecosystems and have significant primary production, involving the cultivation of bivalve molluscs and mussels in particular. These species are low down the food chain, which is essential in order to obtain large yields. Differences in production (growth and meat yield) observed in mussels in the Galician rias are due to physiological adaptive processes connected with nutrient absorption (Fernández Reiriz and Labarta). The unique quality of mussels cultivated in the Galician rias is due to their adaptation to the characteristics of the ecosystem where they are cultivated, and is directly linked to food availability and quality.

Reference to publication of the specification

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

https://mar.xunta.gal/sites/default/files/fileadmin/arquivos/mar/prego_condicions_dop_mexillon_de_galicia_2020.pdf

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