Publication of an application for registration of a name 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

(2022/C 428/14)

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) within three months from the date of this publication.

SINGLE DOCUMENT

‘Azeitona Galega da Beira Baixa’

EU No: PGI-PT-02508 – 8.5.2019

PDO ( ) PGI (X)

1. Name(s)

‘Azeitona Galega da Beira Baixa’

2. Member State or Third Country

Portugal

3. Description of the agricultural product or foodstuff

3.1. Type of product

Class 1.6. Fruit, vegetables and cereals, fresh or processed

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

‘Azeitona Galega da Beira Baixa’ is a preserved olive prepared from the Galega variety of the species Olea europaea L.

‘Azeitona Galega da Beira Baixa’ has the following specific physical, chemical and organoleptic characteristics:

— Average weight: between 2 g and 3 g;

— Sodium chloride (NaCl): between 5 % and 10 %;

— Colour: coal black to sepia brown;

— Aroma: slightly winey – higher than 2 (on the scale set out in the International Olive Council’s Standard COI/OT/MO No 1/Rev.2 of November 2011).

‘Azeitona Galega da Beira Baixa’ is placed directly in brine. Other products, such as aromatic herbs (bay leaf, oregano, thyme) lemon and garlic, may also be added.

‘Azeitona Galega da Beira Baixa’ is placed on the market in the following forms:

— Whole olives: olives, with or without their stem, which have their natural shape and from which the stone (pit) has not been removed;

— Split olives: olives that are split lengthwise by cutting into the skin and part of the flesh;

— Stoned (pitted) olives: olives from which the stone (pit) has been removed and which basically retain their natural shape;

— Sliced olives: olives that have been stoned (pitted) or sliced crosswise into segments of fairly uniform thickness;

— Olive paste: prepared from ground olive pulp (at least 95 %); other ingredients may be added: extra virgin olive oil, salt, lemon, garlic and aromatic herbs (such as oregano, thyme, bay leaf or malagueta pepper).

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

‘Azeitona Galega da Beira Baixa’ is prepared solely from the fruit of olive trees (Olea europaea L.) of the Galega variety, water and salt. Other products, such as lemon, garlic and aromatic herbs (bay leaf, oregano and/or thyme), may also be added.

The ingredients listed in point 3.2 may be used to prepare the olive paste.

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

‘Azeitona Galega da Beira Baixa’ is produced and prepared in the defined geographical area.

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

The olives are packed in suitable containers with enough brine to cover them, so as to guarantee their shelf life, which may be up to 2 years.

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

The label must bear the words: ‘Azeitona Galega da Beira Baixa – Indicação Geográfica Protegida’ [‘Azeitona Galega da Beira Baixa – Protected Geographical Indication’] or ‘Azeitona Galega da Beira Baixa IGP’ [‘Azeitona Galega da Beira Baixa PGI’].

4. Concise definition of the geographical area

‘Azeitona Galega da Beira Baixa’ is produced in all the parishes in the municipalities of Covilhã, Belmonte, Fundão, Penamacor, Idanha-a-Nova, Castelo Branco, Vila Velha de Ródão, Proença-a-Nova, Oleiros, Sertã, Vila de Rei and Mação.

5. Link with the geographical area

The characteristics of ‘Azeitona Galega da Beira Baixa’ are due to its geographical origin, notably natural factors and human factors and expertise.

The climate of the region of Beira Baixa is characterised by an average annual temperature of between 10 oC and 20 oC. In the two hottest months, July and August, average temperatures are above 24 oC, but the winters are harsh, and average temperatures fall below 10 oC in December, January and February. With a temperature difference of 16,2 oC between July, the hottest month, and January, the coldest, the large variation in temperatures is a clear indication of the marked continental influence (Cupeto et al., 2005).

Total annual rainfall ranges between 600 mm and 800 mm, with around 70 % of the average annual rainfall occurring in winter (Silva, 1999).

Winter temperatures get low enough to allow the olive trees to become dormant and to promote subsequent fruit-bearing, but do not fall so low as to reach critical levels that could result in serious damage to the crop.

It is the combination of the average rainfall and mild temperatures with the depth and fertility of the region’s soils – which are sandy loam, have a pH that is around neutral, are permeable and are at least a metre deep – that helps the fruit to ripen and gives it the weight and colour characteristics and slightly winey aroma that it acquires in the Beira Baixa region. These are the characteristics that distinguish it from other olives and make it so ideal for the olive industry, so typical of Beira Baixa and so deeply rooted in the region’s socio-economic profile.

Ambient temperature is one of the keys to correct fermentation when preparing preserved olives. The average temperatures in the region at the beginning of the season are around 22 oC. These natural conditions speed up the process, and brine with the ideal chemical characteristics described below can be obtained quite early on.

‘Azeitona Galega da Beira Baixa’ is cured naturally, as the traditional fermentation method that has been passed down from one generation of local producers to the next and is still used today enhances the weight and colour characteristics, salt content and slightly winey aroma that distinguish ‘Azeitona Galega da Beira Baixa’ from other olives and ensures that the product obtained is free from the serious sensory defects that could result from abnormal fermentation.

The traditional fermentation method used for ‘Azeitona Galega da Beira Baixa’ involves adding water and salt over a fermentation period of between 3 and 6 months, the salt concentration varying between 5 % and 10 %.

Olive growing is closely linked to the region of Beira Baixa, as evidenced by various historical records, which show that, as far back as the early 16th century, it was well established, and there were already extensive olive groves in the Castelo Branco area. Already of note was ‘the consumption of cured olives, which in the south-eastern part of the Beira region were always part of the food rations paid in kind to rural labourers’, as recorded by Orlando Ribeiro (1945) in his book Portugal, o Mediterrâneo e o Atlântico – Estudo Geográfico [Portugal, the Mediterranean and the Atlantic – a geographical study].

The author goes on to say that ‘with the spread of agriculture, olive trees were planted throughout the country and adapted to all types of soil and climate, although they clearly prefer chalky soil and warm regions sheltered from sea winds. One of the areas where they are most common is the southern part of Beira Baixa. The slopes of Beira Baixa’s quartzite ridges were cleared only a few years ago, and up until then were covered in scrub. The olive trees adapted well to the steep, scree-covered slopes and loose, stony soil. One of the most typical cultivation practices in Beira Baixa is the harvesting of the olives by hand or by using poles to shake them down from the branches, a time-consuming and methodical process painstakingly performed in the main olive-growing areas.’

‘Azeitona Galega da Beira Baixa’, prepared and preserved using methods that have been passed down from one generation to the next and are still used today, is considered a traditional product in the region and has long been an important part of the local diet and the local economy.

Reference to publication of the specification

https://tradicional.dgadr.gov.pt/images/prod_imagens/azeites/docs/CE_azeitona_galega_0722.pdf

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