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

(2020/C 185/08)

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

‘TERNERA DE EXTREMADURA’

EU No: PGI-ES-0220-AM02 – 26.11.2019

PDO ( ) PGI (X)

1. Name

‘Ternera de Extremadura’

2. Member State or Third Country

Spain

3. Description of the agricultural product or foodstuff

3.1. Type of product

Class 1.1. Fresh meat (and offal)

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

‘Ternera de Extremadura’ means carcasses exclusively from livestock from the native breeds ‘Retinta’, ‘Avileña Negra-Ibérica’, ‘Morucha’, ‘Blanca Cacereña’, ‘Berrendas’ and crosses among them or with the breeds ‘Charolais’ and ‘Limousin’, which are perfectly adapted to the environment, as well as crosses among the aforementioned native breeds when reared as part of an extensive production system.

Meat covered by the ‘Ternera de Extremadura’ protected geographical indication has the following characteristics:

(I) Ternera [from young cattle]: Meat from animals intended for slaughter at an age of between 7 and 12 months less one day. It is bright red in colour, with white fat, a firm consistency, slightly moist and with a fine texture.

(II) Añojo [from yearling cattle]: Meat from animals intended for slaughter at an age of between 12 and 16 months less one day. It is between light red and purple-red in colour, with white fat, a consistency which is firm to the touch, slightly moist and with a fine texture.

(III) Novillo [from bulls/heifers]: Meat from animals intended for slaughter at an age of between 16 and 36 months. It is cherry red in colour, with creamy-coloured fat, a consistency which is firm to the touch and slightly moist, a fine texture, and moderate amounts of intramuscular fat.

The defined carcass types are adjusted in line with the following standards:

1. Carcasses of Categories A and E referred to in Council Regulation (EEC) No 1208/81

2. Conformation: E.U.R.O.

3. Fat cover: 2, 3, and 4

4. Hygiene: application of European and national standards

5. At 24 to 48 hours after slaughter, the pH must be below 6 in the longissimus dorsi muscle at the level of the 5th-6th rib, and/or the muscular bundles of the shoulder and/or rib and/or flank, for carcasses intended for cutting.

3.3. Feed (for products of animal origin only) and raw materials (for processed products only)

The rearing practices for dams must be in line with the techniques and practices for exploiting natural resources in an extensive farming system. The dams are fed on the pastures of the ‘dehesa’ and other native pasture of the Extremadura eco-system, where they graze throughout the year. Where necessary, their feed is supplemented with straw, hay, cereals, protein crops and other raw materials provided they are of vegetable origin, as well as with the necessary minerals and vitamins.

The calves are not weaned until they are at least five months old.

In any case, it remains expressly prohibited to use products which could interfere with the normal rhythm of growth and development of the animal, in accordance with the legislation in force.

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

Specific steps in the production: birth, rearing, slaughter and cutting must be carried out in the area.

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

—

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

In order to provide consumers with more precise information on the final product in regard to cross-breeding, the label indicates whether the meat comes from cross-breeding at any generation.

4. Concise definition of the geographical area

The geographical area for the production of the animals whose meat will be chosen for the ‘Ternera de Extremadura’ protected geographical indication comprises the districts listed below and their corresponding municipalities:

Alburquerque, Almendralejo, Azuaga, Badajoz, Brozas, Cáceres, Castuera, Coria, Don Benito, Herrera del Duque, Hervás, Jaraíz de la Vera, Jerez de los Caballeros, Logrosán, Llerena, Mérida, Navalmoral de la Mata, Olivenza, Plasencia, Puebla de Alcocer, Trujillo and Valencia de Alcántara.

Processing is carried out in the geographical production area.

5. Link with the geographical area

5.1. Specificity of the geographical area

Of the area in question, 35 % is covered by bushes (such as rockrose, gorse and heather) and scrubland (oak, cork oak, gall-oak and Pyrenean oak, etc.). The rest is made up of surfaces with a herbaceous layer suitable for livestock.

The fauna of domestic animal species found in Extremadura largely comprises native breeds, which are connected and closely linked to the most typical environment of the region (the ‘dehesa’). All of them, due to their sturdiness and high capacity for adaptation to difficult environments contribute to maintaining and improving the eco-system, fertilising the soil, improving the quality of pastures and slowing the advance of scrubland. However, it should be pointed out that in most herds these breeds are reared by crossing them with Spanish meat breeds, in order to adapt production to current market requirements.

The extreme temperature and rain conditions mean that the breeds which make up the ‘Ternera de Extremadura’ have adjusted in the best possible manner since they are capable of resisting both the cold and the heat, and the scarcity of water in periods of drought.

The eco-system of the ‘dehesa’ is the result of human activity in Mediterranean woodland throughout the centuries. The system covers vast areas of Extremadura. Traditionally livestock production there has centred on extensive production, where animal species (both domestic and wild), the environment and human intervention have always been in balance. This concept of ‘extensification’ is closely linked to using large surface areas for pastures for livestock which, on account of its sturdiness, has adapted perfectly to the environment. The harshness of the climate and low quality of the soils have favoured the establishment of livestock farming.

The systems of the ‘dehesa’ are characterised by the use of the environment as pasture for livestock, with its herbaceous production covering a large part of the energetic needs of the animals which it sustains. The grassland contributes to a greater supply of energy resources for the system and is made up of a diverse flora rich in self-seeding annuals.

The significance of the trees on the holdings in the ‘dehesa’ lies in the diversity of uses and production alternatives which the environment offers for the human management of the system.

The tree-covered part of the ‘dehesa’ is made up of two main species: the holm oak (Quercus ilex) and the cork-oak (Quercus suber), plus a few less prevalent species such as gall oak (Quercus lusitanica), the Spanish chestnut (Castanea sativa) and the common oak (Quercus robur). The tree-covered area offers various forms of production such as acorns, browse and forest litter, which sustain the livestock when the herbaceous element is scarce.

The most representative species amongst the bushes are common rockrose (Cistus ladaniferus), common broom (Sarothamnus scoparius), Montpelier cistus (Cistus monspeliense), and gorse (Genista spp.).

The grassland areas may be classified according to the soil on which they grow, as:

— pasture on granite soils

— pasture on shale soils

— pasture on soils with tertiary and quaternary sedimentation

— pasture for folds

— other pasture located in special enclaves, i.e. pastures in the mountains.

It should also be remembered that, in addition to pastures, the eco-system of the ‘dehesa’ produces acorns, cereal-feed (wheat, barley, oats, rye and triticale), pulses (chick peas, beans, etc.), cork, fuel wood, charcoal and other resources. Therefore, there is no doubt that within the context of a largely agricultural community such as Extremadura, the ‘dehesa’ is a phenomenon of primary economic importance, which generates 45 % of the final agricultural production.

Various studies (Espejo Díaz, M. and García Torres, S., Características específicas y diferenciadoras de las carnes de ganado bovino de las dehesas españolas (‘Specific and distinguishing characteristics of meat of cattle raised on Spanish dehesas’) have shown that qualities prized by consumers are significantly greater in ‘dehesa’ breeds.

5.2. Specificity of the product

The study ‘Specific and distinguishing characteristics of meat of cattle raised on Spanish dehesas’ was presented at the International symposium for characterising livestock products from the ‘dehesa’, held in Mérida (Badajoz, Spain), EAAP publication No 90 of 1998. The study demonstrates that there is a particular quality to meat from breeds known as ‘dehesa breeds’ covered by the ‘Ternera de Extremadura’ PGI. Sensory testing by panels of trained testers and consumers clearly shows that such meat has distinctive characteristics that are much appreciated.

Therefore, meat covered by the designation ‘Ternera de Extremadura’ is considered a high-quality product on account of its sensory characteristics of tenderness, juiciness and flavour.

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 co-existence of the different breeds meant that both ancient and current breeds, and their crosses, have been recognised as the ‘Extremadura’ breed in the Iberian Peninsula.

The cross of the ‘Blanca Cacereña’ with the ‘Tronco de capa negra’ gave rise to the ‘Ganado barroso cacereño’ and the ‘Colorada extremeña’ breed evident today in the ‘Retinta’ breed. These crosses were very well represented at the National Livestock Competitions of 1913. The breed was presented as ‘Cacereña’ in 1922, 1926 and 1930, in the last two years under the guise of ‘paradas de Cabestros’, and again in the years 1953, 1956 and 1959. It then disappeared before returning in 1975 at an exhibition with a consignment from a State herd. (Sánchez Belda A., Publicaciones de Extensión Agraria, 1984).

We also find references to it in gastronomy linking the veal to Extremadura cooking in numerous recipes: Ternera asada al estilo de la Vera (Vera-style roast veal) (in ‘Cocina Tradicional de la Vera’, José V. Serradilla Muñoz, 1992, 3rd edition 1999, Gráficas Romero de Jaraíz de la Vera (Cáceres)); Envueltillos de Ternera (Veal parcels) (in ‘La cocina día a día, Cocina extremeña’, Ana María Calera, 1987, Plaza y Janes S.A,); Chuletas de vaca a la extremeña (Extremadura beef chops) (in ‘Gran Enciclopedia de la Cocina’, ABC, 1994, Ediciones Nobel S.A., Madrid), or Entrecot al modo de Cáceres (Caceres-style entrecôte) (in ‘Cocina Extremeña’, Teclo Villalón y Pedro Plasencia, 1999, Everest).

In the twentieth century we also find references to our livestock, such as on 10 January 1927 when the ‘Sociedad Productos de la Ganadería Extremeña’ was formed in order to operate the future Mérida slaughterhouse. There is another reference slightly later, around 1930, amongst the various surplus products sold beyond Extramadura. At that time, the meat cattle appeared at markets outside the region, where 62 % of its total live weight was sold (‘Extremadura: la historia’, Archivo Ediciones Extremeñas, S.L.1997).

Reference to publication of the specification

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

http://www.juntaex.es/filescms/con03/uploaded_files/SectoresTematicos/Agroalimentario/Denominacionesdeorigen/PliegoCondiciones_IGP_TerneraDeExtremadura.pdf

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