EN Official Journal of the European Union C 344/4

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

(2015/C 344/05)

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

‘TERNERA DE LOS PIRINEOS CATALANES’/‘VEDELLA DELS PIRINEUS CATALANS’/‘VEDELL DES PYRÉNÉES CATALANES’

EU No: MULTI-PGI-0005-01042 — 23.04.2010

PDO ( ) PGI ( X )

1. Name

‘Ternera de los Pirineos Catalanes’/‘Vedella dels Pirineus Catalans’/‘Vedell des Pyrénées Catalanes’

2. Member State or Third Country

Spain

France

3. Description of the agricultural product or foodstuff

3.1. Type of product

Class 1.1. Fresh meat (and offal)

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

Veal obtained from the hardy Pyrenean Brown, Aubrac or Gascon breeds or from the cross-breeding of dams of these hardy breeds with males of the Charolais, Limousin or Blonde d'Aquitaine breeds.

The extensively reared calves remain with their dams for the first few months of their life. They are slaughtered when they are between eight and 12 months old with a minimum carcass weight of 160 kg.

The meat can be sold as a whole carcass, half-carcass, quarter-carcass (hindquarter/forequarter) or as cuts of meat (including minced meat).

The eligible carcasses are classified as E, U or R on the EUROP grid, with profiles ranging from ‘super-convex’ to ‘straight’ and with muscle development that ranges from ‘exceptional’ to ‘good’.

The fat cover of the carcasses is graded 2-3-4 on the EUROP grid and intramuscular fat is observable.

The meat colour ranges from pink to bright red. The fat is white to cream in colour.

The pH value of the carcasses, measured at most 24 hours after slaughter, must be less than 6.

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

The calves feed on maternal milk and fresh fodder for at least the first four months of life.

After weaning and during the growth and fattening stages, the livestock is fed on dried fodder and a well-balanced mix of ground cereals and pulses.

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

The meat covered by the PGI comes from animals of the breeds set out in point 3.2, which are born, reared and fattened in the geographical area defined for this protected geographical indication.

The meat-production steps that must take place in the defined geographical area are:

— Birth.

— Rearing: extensive grazing on farm pastures or summer mountain pastures for at least the first four months of life.

— Weaning: from the age of four months.

— Growth and fattening: the facilities must be enclosed or semi-enclosed, provide each animal with at least 3 m2 and a rest area separate from the feeding zone. Lots comprise a maximum of 20 animals.

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

It is not compulsory for slaughtering and butchering to take place in the area.

Transport time prior to slaughter is limited to three hours so that stress to the animals is kept to a minimum, thereby guaranteeing the quality of the finished product.

The carcasses must be left to rest to age for at least six days before sale to the public.

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

The name of the protected geographical indication ‘Ternera de los Pirineos Catalanes’, ‘Vedella dels Pirineus Catalans’ or ‘Vedell des Pyrénées Catalanes’ must feature prominently on labels, along with the EU protected geographical indication symbol and any other information required by the legislation in force.

Given the linguistic specificities of the area, the product may be referred to in any of the three languages used in the geographical area defined for this protected geographical indication (Spanish, Catalan or French).

4. Concise definition of the geographical area

The area of the protected geographical indication, the Catalan Pyrenees, is a culturally and geographically homogeneous area, despite belonging to two different states.

In the Catalan Pyrenees (Spain):

The geographical area includes all the municipalities in the following districts: Alta Ribagorça, Alt Urgell, Berguedà, Cerdanya, Garrotxa, Pallars Jussà, Pallars Sobirà, Solsonès, Ripollès and Val d'Aran, as well as municipalities in the districts of Alt Empordà (Albanyà, Maçanet de Cabrenys and La Vajol), Bages (Aguilar de Segarra, Castellfollit del Boix, L'Estany, Moià, Mura, Sant Feliu Sasserra, Sant Mateu de Bages and Talamanca), Noguera (Àger, Alòs de Balaguer, Les Avellanes i Santa Linya, La Baronia de Rialb, Camarasa, Os de Balaguer and Vilanova de Meià), Osona (Alpens, Balenyà, El Brull, Centelles, Collsuspina, Espinelves, Folgueroles, Lluçà, Montesquiu, Muntanyola, Olost, Orís, Oristà, Perafita, Prats de Lluçanès, Rupit i Pruit, Sant Agustí de Lluçanès, Sant Bartomeu del Grau, Sant Boi de Lluçanès, Sant Julià de Vilatorta, Sant Martí d'Albars, Sant Martí de Centelles, Sant Pere de Torelló, Sant Quirze de Besora, Sant Sadurní d'Osormort, Sant Vicenç de Torelló, Santa Eulàlia de Riuprimer, Santa Maria de Besora, Santa Maria de Corcó, Seva, Sobremunt, Sora, Tavèrnoles, Tavertet, Tona, Vidrà, Viladrau and Vilanova de Sau) and Pla de l'Estany (Sant Miquel de Campmajor).

In the Catalan Pyrenees (France):

In the Pyrénées-Orientales department, the geographical area includes all the municipalities that are part of the cantons of Vinça, Sournia, Arles sur Tech, Prats-de-Mollo, Prades, Olette, Mont Louis and Saillagouse, as well as some of the municipalities in the cantons of Perpignan (Perpignan), Millas (Corbère and Corbère les Cabanes), Thuir (Thuir, Castelnou, Camelas, Caixas, Sainte Colombe de la Commanderie, Fourques, Tordères, Llauro and Passa), Latour-de-France (Belesta and Caramany), Céret (Montauriol, Calmeilles, Oms, Taillet, Reynes, Céret, Vivès, Saint-Jean-Pla-de-Corts, Maureillas las Illas, Les Cluses, Le Perthus and l'Albère), Argelès (Montesquieu des Albères, Villelongue dels Monts, Laroque des Albères, Sorède and Argelès sur Mer) and Saint Paul de Fenouillet (Vira, Fenouillet, Caudiès de Fenouillèdes, Prugnanes, Fosse and Saint Martin).

In the Aude department, the geographical area includes municipalities that border the Pyrénées-Orientales department and are located in the Pyrenean mountain range, namely all the municipalities that are part of the cantons of Axat, Belcaire, Mouthoumet and Quillan, as well as some of the municipalities in the cantons of Couiza (Arques, Bugarach, Camps-sur-l'Agly, Cassaignes, Couiza, Coustaussa, Cubières-sur-Cinoble, Fourtou, Luc-sur-Aude, Missègre, Peyrolles, Rennes-le-Château, Rennes-les-Bains, Serres, Sougraigne, Terroles and Valmigère), Lagrasse (Mayronnes and Saint-Martin-des-Puits), Limoux (Alet-les-Bains, Bouriège, Bourigeole, Castelreng, Festes-et-Saint-André, La Bezole, Saint-Couat-du-Razès and Véraza), Saint Hilaire (Belcastel-et-Buc, Caunette-sur-Lauquet, Clermont-sur-Lauquet, Greffeil, Ladern-sur-Lauquet, Villardebelle and Villefloure), and Tuchan (Cucugnan, Duilhac-sous-Peyrepertuse, Maisons, Montgaillard, Padern and Rouffiac-des-Corbières).

5. Link with the geographical area

The geography of the Catalan Pyrenees is favourable to extensive cattle rearing. It is characterised by paths and mountain pastures at high and low altitude, with extensive natural pasture land for the animals for much of the year, until the weather conditions become difficult. The area is influenced by the Mediterranean (humid, sub-Mediterranean climate), which means that the animals can spend longer in the summer pastures and mountain meadows.

The abundance of water and good exposure to sunlight favour the development of the rich and characteristic flora (particularly Festuca pratensis, Festuca alpina, Poa pratensis, Dactylis glomerata, Sesleria caerulea, Bromus erectus and Arrhenatherum elatius), which creates excellent grazing areas for the cattle. It also allows farmers to sow mixtures of grasses and legumes in the meadows in the mid-mountain zone to feed the cattle during periods when the high-altitude mountain pastures are inaccessible. The most common forage crops are clover, ryegrass, lucerne (alfalfa), sainfoin and fescue.

The specific character of this protected geographical indication comes from the breeds used (Pyrenean Brown, Aubrac and Gascon), which are suited to this environment and reared in the open air. These are all hardy breeds that are typical of the region and possess qualities that are useful given the traditional farming methods used in mountain areas, as the cattle can handle extreme weather conditions, require little food to survive thanks to their ability to use reserves built up when food is plentiful (transhumance) and are well suited to the climate and relief of the land.

The calves' feed, linked to the system of rearing, gives the meat its distinctive colour and tenderness, the carcass conformation and the intramuscular fat. Maternal milk helps calves grow well, as it supplies a significant amount of calcium. This favours good skeletal development, which helps the calves develop a conform carcass. Feeding the cattle dried fodder and a well-balanced mix of ground cereals and pulses during the fattening phase helps to improve carcass development and conformation.

Over the centuries, the inhabitants of the Catalan Pyrenees have made arable and livestock farming their main sources of livelihood. Cattle rearing was already practised in the area in the Middle Ages, but it was not until the mid-19th century that it overtook sheep-breeding as a result of the construction of irrigation canals. These enabled the expansion of forage zones (and concomitantly the size of cattle herds). The history of the Catalan Pyrenees since the beginning of the 20th century has inevitably been marked by gradual depopulation, successive waves of abandonment of the land and livestock farming, or changes in economic activity. Between 1933 and 1947, the number of sheep declined by half (owing to war, rural flight, and sheep farming's labour-intensiveness). A corollary of this, since the Second World War, has been the rise to predominance of beef production.

Historically, the small farms of the Catalan Pyrenees had few livestock (between two and five animals). These were used as beasts of burden or for household consumption. In summer, the animals went up to the summer pastures with their spring-born calves. This made it possible to preserve the fodder reserves at lower altitudes and keep workers free for other seasonal activities on the farm. Currently, despite an increase in farm sizes, they are still small (fewer than 25 calves are born each year on 80 % of farms) and livestock farmers are using traditional breeding techniques which result in high-yield carcasses valued by butchers, of a colour much appreciated by the consumer.

In the Catalan Pyrenees, a number of festivals, fairs and markets are held; these events have a strong agricultural feel and the region's cattle feature prominently. They include the Fira de Sant Ermengol de la Seu d'Urgell (which dates back to the 11th century), the ferias in Olette, Prats-de-Mollo and Vinça, as well as treks through the mountain pastures of the Catalan Pyrenees Regional Nature Park. The large influx of tourists to the region has helped promote the excellent qualities of this meat, meaning that in recent decades the meat has gained a good reputation with consumers and professionals from outside the production area. A survey carried out 15 years ago concluded that veal produced in the area was well known and highly regarded, as 60 % of Catalan consumers knew of it (compared to 16 % of consumers throughout Spain) and 45 % declared the beef from the geographical area to be the best.

All of this has given rise to coverage in various publications, such as Cuina amb denominació d'origen (Coessetània Edicions, 2014), Regió7 (article in the edition of 3 May 2009) and Bondia Andorra (article in the edition of 7 April 2014), for example, and the following online references: http://www.lleidatur.com, http://www.laseu.cat and http://www.gastroteca.cat

This Protected Geographical Indication, linked to tradition and drawing on the know-how of livestock farmers in the area, is not only recognised by the public, but has also been approved by the relevant authorities. The Generalitat de Catalunya (Autonomous Government of Catalonia) approved the Denominación de Calidad (Quality Designation) ‘Vedella dels Pirineus Catalans’/‘Ternera de los Pirineos Catalanes’ in 1994 (Diari Oficial de la Generalitat de Catalunya No 1999 of 18.1.1995) and in 2006 included it in the Inventario de Productos de la Tierra (Inventory of Products of the Land), which codifies the typical and traditional agri-food products of Catalonia.

In summary, the difficult living conditions in these mountainous areas are actually irrefutable advantages thanks to the quality product that is closely linked with the land. Hardy breeds are able to make best use of the upper and lower mountain areas, which helps manage the natural environment. Farmers value their produce (recognition and reputation with consumers and distributors, and higher prices), which enables them to maintain the farming system (also benefiting the rest of the chain), remain in difficult areas and maintain the rural way of life in mountain villages.

Reference to publication of the product specification

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

http://www.gencat.cat/alimentacio/pliego-ternera-pirineos-catalanes

https://www.inao.gouv.fr/fichier/CDC-Vedell-des-Pyreenes-Catalanes-FR-24-03-2015.pdf

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