Publication of an application for registration pursuant to Article 6(2) of Council Regulation (EEC) No 2081/92 on the protection of geographical indications and designations of origin

(2002/C 102/02)

This publication confers the right to object to the application pursuant to Article 7 of the abovementioned Regulation. Any objection to this application must be submitted via the competent authority in the Member State concerned within a time limit of six months from the date of this publication. The arguments for publication are set out below, in particular under 4.6, and are considered to justify the application within the meaning of Regulation (EEC) No 2081/92.

COUNCIL REGULATION (EEC) No 2081/92

APPLICATION FOR REGISTRATION: ARTICLE 5

PDO ( ) PGI (x)

National application No 88/00

1. Responsible department in the Member State Name: Direcção-Geral do Desenvolvimento Rural

Address: Av. Defensores de Chaves, n.o 6, P-1049-063 Lisboa

Tel. (351) 213 18 43 00

Fax (351) 213 52 13 46.

2. Applicant group 2.1. Name: Apetal - Agrupamento de Produtores de Enchidos Tradicionais do Alentejo, Lda

2.2. Address: Rossio Marquês de Pombal, n.o 64-2o D, P-7100-513 Estremoz

Tel. (351) 268 32 30 21

Fax (351) 268 32 30 21

2.3. Composition: producer/processor (x) other ( ).

3. Type of product: Type 1.2 - Meat-based products.

4. Specification (Summary of requirements under Article 4(2)):

4.1. Name: Chouriço de Carne de Estremoz e Borba.

4.2. Description: A smoke-cured sausage, made from the meat (bacon, shoulder and topside) of Alentejano pigs (excluding boars and reproductive sows) cut into pieces of less than 3 cm, with salt, water, ground pepper and dried, ungerminated garlic cloves. It is covered with natural pork tripe from the small intestine, pre-soaked in salty water with vinegar. The sausage is shaped like a horseshoe and is 20 to 30 cm in length and 2 to 3 cm in diameter. It is a reddish-black colour, unshiny and with few wrinkles, with quite a firm consistency and an unbroken outer cover, which is filled completely with the mixture and wrapped tightly around it, then secured with red and white cotton thread and tied at the ends with a single knot. When the sausage is cut obliquely the colour is reddish, and the consistency is quite solid with a random distribution of meat and fat in an irregular, marble-like pattern and some shiny, pale pink, intramuscular fat. Pleasant smell and mild, garlicky flavour, smoked with a balance between sweet and salty. Aromatic fat with a pleasant flavour. Gristle-free and fairly smooth texture.

4.3. Geographical area: Due to the special production requirements of these sausages, their flavours and the expertise available, the geographical processing area is limited to the municipalities of Alandroal, Borba, Estremoz and Vila Viçosa.

4.4. Proof of origin: Chouriço de Carne de Estremoz e Borba can only be produced in fully licensed processing plants situated within the aforementioned processing area. The raw material comes from Alentejano pigs on livestock farms with oak groves compatible with extensive or semi-extensive farming systems, as the animals are usually bred outdoors. Traditional products made from Alentejano pork secured a place in a growing consumer sector, thus restoring interest in high-quality products. These products now comprise the best in every region. Chouriço de Carne de Estremoz e Borba has a unique and refined taste, with unique characteristics.

4.5. Method of production: Chouriço de Carne de Estremoz e Borba is the product of pieces and strips of bacon, shoulder and topside from Alentejano pigs, with the sausage containing no more than 30 % fat. After selecting, washing and cutting the pieces, the remaining ingredients are added to produce the final product. Following preparation and seasoning, the product is left to mature, then moulded, tied, and smoked with wood from the region (holm oak).

4.6. Link: The breeding of Alentejano pigs has always provided alternative nourishment and compensates to some extent for the deficiencies of bad harvests. Many popular fresh meat dishes and succulent sausages can be made from the meat of these animals. These sausages served for a long time to nourish farmers, who stopped work at lunchtime to enjoy them. The fact that they were easily transported and withstood changes in temperature meant that they were used extensively. Now, as ever, we can claim that pork enjoys great socioeconomic importance; from the raw substance that is Alentejano pork, the regional sausages of Estremoz and Borba are made, with their distinct and unbeatable taste.

4.7. Inspection body Name: Certialentejo - Certificação de Produtos Agrícolas, Lda

Address: Av.a General Humberto Delgado, n.o 34 1o esq, P-7000-900 Évora.

4.8. Labelling: Information required: Chouriço de Carne de Estremoz e Borba - geographical indication and the certification mark, numbered appropriately according to the name of the product and the name of the certifying body.

4.9. National requirements: Order No 9080/2000, published in the Diario da República No 102, Series II, 3 May 2000. It establishes the main production rules and features of Chouriço de Carne de Estremoz e Borba and states its geographical processing area.

EC No: PT/00159/2000.09.14.

Date of receipt of full application: 23 July 2001.