EN Official Journal of the European Union C 141/21

Publication of an 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

(2016/C 141/09)

This publication confers the right to oppose the application pursuant to Article 51 of Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012 of the European Parliament and of the Council (1).

SINGLE DOCUMENT

‘ORIEL SEA SALT’

EU No: IE-PDO-0005-01318 – 26.2.2015

PDO ( X ) PGI ( )

1. Name(s)

‘Oriel Sea Salt’

2. Member State or Third Country

Ireland

3. Description of the agricultural product or foodstuff

3.1. Type of product

Class 2.6. Salt

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

‘Oriel Sea Salt’ is the name given to sea salt harvested from the bay of Port Oriel, Clogherhead, Drogheda, County Louth, Ireland. It is a fine-grain sea salt, crystal white, and additive free. Its fine grain is measured as ‘μm’ which is the measurement of a ‘micrometre’. 90 % of the grain is measured between 90-500 μm with the remaining 10 % measuring between 500 μm and 1 000 μm. It is almost powder-like to the touch. This grain (not flake or large crystal) allows the sea salt to penetrate food more rapidly as it dissolves, dissipates and disperses throughout the food without resistance.

The sea salt has a concentrated salty taste. It is smooth, not sharp or sour, due to the fact that it is harvested within a closed pressurised system that ensures the sea salt never comes in contact with air, earth or human interference until it emerges from the system ready for packaging. This ensures ‘Oriel Sea Salt’ is a perfect ingredient virgin sea salt due to its unique grain size, texture and smooth taste profile. Its intense taste profile has been proven in independent blind taste and texture tests to allow the reduction in the amount of sea salt used as an ingredient in food products by up to 30 %.

‘Oriel Sea Salt’ is naturally crystal white so it does not need to be washed or rinsed. This ensures a more consistent presence of natural sea minerals such as magnesium, potassium and up to 65 trace minerals. (Washing of sea salts is common when harvested in open air or on soil flats.)

Certificate of Analysis for ‘Oriel Sea Salt’, is within +/– 10 % of the table below.

Oriel Sea Salt Analysis Testing: ICP MS Oriel Sea Salt mg/kg NaCl Sodium chloride Greater than 88 % by weight H2O Water Less than 5 % Ca Calcium Less than 5mg/kg Mg Magnesium 500 mg – 800 mg/kg K Potassium Less than 3 000 mg/kg Cu Copper Less than 2,0 mg/kg Zn Zinc Less than 2,0 mg/kg Cr Chromium Less than 1,3 mg/kg Ni Nickel Less than 0,5 mg/kg Pb Lead Less than 0,4 mg/kg Mn Manganese Less than 0,1 mg/kg Cd Cadmium Less than 0,04 mg/kg Fe Iron Trace P Phosphorus Trace B Boron Trace Co Cobalt Trace Hg Mercury Trace

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

Sea salt naturally harvested from the Irish Sea.

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

Production and process steps:

All processes of harvesting, evaporation, separation and crystallisation are performed in the designated area, under controlled and monitored conditions to ensure consistency in the end-product. This includes:

— pumping and filtration of sea water through filter system,

— concentration of brine in a closed pressurised system,

— crystallisation of sea salt in a closed pressurised system,

— harvesting of fine-grain sea salt crystals.

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

—

4. Concise definition of the geographical area

Port Oriel, Clogherhead is located on the north-west side of the headland Clogher Head that protrudes out into deep water straits. The specific demarcated area stretches from the southernmost tip of Clogher Head with latitude = 53.79497 (north), longitude = – 6.21778 (west), latitude = 53°47′42″ (north), longitude = 6°13′04″ (west) to the northern tip of Dunany Point, latitude = 53.86144 (north), longitude = – 6.23838 (west), latitude = 53°51′41″ (north), longitude = 6°14′18″ (west). A distance of five nautical miles located within the Dundalk Bay live bivalve mollusc classified production areas 2014, area code LH-DB-DB, as issued by the Sea Fisheries Protection Authority.

5. Link with the geographical area

The sea salt is characteristic of its origin in its taste and appearance. Just as grapes are affected by terroir and weather, Oriel Sea Salt is affected by the deep water currents, cleanliness, mineral content and purity of the water in this location and of the process used to make, preserve and refine these characteristics.

Harvesting of sea salt in this region dates back centuries. The following is from the County Louth Archaeological & Historical Journal: ‘On 28 January 1667 Viscount Dungannon leased a parcel of land lying neere ye towne of Carlingforde for erection of saltworks to Colonel Cooke of Chiswick in Middlesex as a salt manufacturer’. For hundreds of years Port Oriel has been synonymous with abundant fishing waters with locals fishing deep-water fish directly from the rocks and harbour. Salt was a vital ingredient in preserving fish landed at the harbour for consumption, storage and subsequent transport to market (pt mp 16 pm near Newry Street on the 1797 map had a salt works on it, with local documented facts detailing the salt/sluice gates also recorded).

The Gulf Stream flows up the west coast of Ireland and when it meets the cooler waters of the Norwegian Sea it wraps around the north and north-eastern headland to its final destination, five miles beyond the Bay at Port Oriel. At this point the current ends as it meets the massive outflow of the River Boyne (Ireland’s second-largest river).

Port Oriel is situated on the north-west side of the headland Clogher Head that protrudes directly out into deep water straits. In tests, the salinity in these waters is comparable to that normally only found in deep sea water. This high salinity has been linked with the unusual deep sea currents of the Gulf Stream in the area. The water at Port Oriel has been consistently tested at a density 3,5 %-3,6 % which is consistent with deeper waters.

The waters of Port Oriel have consistently been rated as Grade ‘A’ international shellfish quality, the purest of the sea, for many years by the Marine Institute of Ireland. The harvesting of mussels, clams, crab, lobsters and razorfish is a vibrant business in and around the bay of Port Oriel and this vibrancy of shellfish also contributes to the high quality and mineral content of the water. Indeed this region is also within the Dundalk Bay live bivalve mollusc classified production areas 2014, area code LH-DB-DB, as issued by the Sea Fisheries Protection Authority for Clams and Razor Fish.

The qualities of ‘Oriel Sea Salt’ are directly linked to the unusual deep sea currents in the geographical location, the high mineral content not usually found in such shallow waters and due to the Gulf Stream currents and the tidal movements that move around the northern coast of Ireland into the larger Dundalk bay and consequently to the bay of Port Oriel. This high quality and mineral content water is then harvested and refined through the process employed where it is untouched by air, earth or human touch until it emerges crystal white, unwashed and rich in minerals. This produces a fine-grain sea salt.

Summary:

The sea salt produced is characteristic of its origin with a direct relationship to the salinity, quality and density of the minerals in the water. This is reflected in the fine grain, intense taste and higher mineral content of ‘Oriel Sea Salt’.

Reference to publication of the specification

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

http://www.agriculture.gov.ie/gi/pdopgitsg-protectedfoodnames/products/

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