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

(2022/C 203/06)

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

‘Patatas de Prades’ / ‘Patates de Prades’

EU No: PGI-ES-0232-AM01 – 11.5.2021

PDO ( ) PGI (X)

1. Name(s) [of PDO or PGI]

‘Patatas de Prades’ / ‘Patates de Prades’

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 1.6. Fruit, vegetables and cereals fresh or processed.

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

The product to be protected is the tuber of the species Solanum tuberosum L, of the Kennebec cultivar, intended for human consumption and of a size of 40 to 80 mm but reaching 100 mm in exceptional cases.

The potato has a very smooth, hard and firm skin. The flesh is whitish, with a firm, floury texture, a sweet and lingering taste and a slight smell of chestnuts.

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

All stages of production, from cultivation (which begins with the procurement of seed) to the preparation and packaging, take place in the identified geographical area.

Establishing the crop:

the process begins with the procurement of a seed of the ‘Kennebec’ variety. The variety has a low yield but is of high quality.

Sowing begins in April, the seeds being distributed in furrows. The latter are then covered up by ploughing, thus forming the ridge in which the plant develops.

Harvesting the crop:

harvesting is done by hand and does not take place until late August or September, as the plant usually dies naturally in August. It is done with the greatest care and begins two weeks after the natural death of the plant. This allows the skin to mature adequately, maintaining its quality, gives increased protection against possible impact during packing and enhances the product’s natural keeping capacity.

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

The potatoes covered by the PGI are sold packed in breathable paper bags of a capacity of 1 to 5 kg.

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

When sent to market, the protected potatoes must bear a label showing clearly and compulsorily the PGI name, the PGI’s own logo and EU’s PGI logo. The packaging in which potatoes covered by the PGI ‘Patatas de Prades’ are dispatched must also bear a numbering approved by the PGI Regulatory Board.

4. Concise definition of the geographical area

The area of production of potatoes covered by the PGI ‘Patatas de Prades’ consists of land situated in the municipalities of Prades, Capafonts, La Febró and Arbolí, all of which are in the district of Baix Camp, Tarragona Province, in the Autonomous Community of Catalonia.

The preparation and packaging area is the same as the area of production.

5. Link with the geographical area

Historical:

Emili Morera Llauradó who, towards the end of the 19th century, wrote about the long tradition of potato-growing in the protected area, ascribed the quality of the tubers to the local climate and the altitude of the fields where they are grown.

Referring to the Villa de Prades, José Ruy Fernández (1920) wrote that ‘potatoes are its principal asset, being the best and therefore the most sought-after not only in Catalonia, but also in Spain as a whole, because as well as the excellence of the product as a foodstuff, it has an exquisite flavour and floury quality, meaning that it commands a higher price than its competitors on every market’.

Natural:

The privileged location of the Prades mountains, with distinctive geographical characteristics (1 000 metres above sea level, highly fertile, sandy siliceous soils with a slightly acidic pH, little rainfall, fairly low temperatures and moist winds blowing in from the sea) has a beneficial impact on the quality of the tubers. All these factors mean that:

The plant has a longer growing cycle. It allows only one harvest per year, thus producing firmer tubers with a higher percentage of dry matter.

Potatoes grown in the Prades area have a skin that is very smooth and free of malformations, thus distinguishing them from potatoes of the same variety grown in other areas.

The tubers are stored naturally, in approved stores, without the use of anti-sprouting agents or products which affect the potato’s natural conservation process.

Accordingly, one concludes in light of the above that the orographic conditions (more specifically the altitude), the characteristics of the soil (a major factor when dealing with this type of crop) and the climate, together with the tradition of potato-growing and the experience of the farmers concerned, give ‘Patatas de Prades’ characteristics typical of high-quality tubers.

Reference to publication of the product specification

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

The updated product specification can be found at http://agricultura.gencat.cat/web/.content/al_alimentacio/al02_qualitat_alimentaria/normativa-dop-igp/plecs-tramit/pliego-condiciones-patates-de-prades-modificacion-menor-es.pdf while the amendment process is underway

and will be published on

http://agricultura.gencat.cat/ca/ambits/alimentacio/segells-qualitat-diferenciada/distintius-origen/dop-igp/normativa-dop-igp/plecs-condicions/ once it has been approved.

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