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 341/05)

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) within three months from the date of this publication.

SINGLE DOCUMENT

‘Dalmatinska janjetina’

EU No: PDO-HR-02799 – 17.8.2021

PDO (X) PGI ( )

1. Name(s) [of PDO or PGI]

‘Dalmatinska janjetina’

2. Member State or third country

Croatia

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

‘Dalmatinska janjetina’ is the meat of the lambs of a native Croatian breed of sheep — the Dalmatian Pramenka — which are born, reared and slaughtered exclusively in the geographical area referred to in point 4.

In order to produce ‘Dalmatinska janjetina’, the lambs are slaughtered when they are 70 to 130 days old, with a body weight of between 15 kg and 28 kg.

The distinguishing features of Dalmatian Pramenka lamb carcasses are their average to very good conformation and their slight to moderate coverage with fatty tissue (grade 2 or 3). The carcasses, with the head, weigh 8–14 kg, are up to 80 cm long and have a warm carcass yield of at least 45 %. The muscle tissue is pale pink to pink in colour, and the meat of the longissimus dorsi muscle has less than 4 % fat and contains at least five different volatile, organic chemical compounds from the terpene group.

‘Dalmatinska janjetina’ is marketed throughout the year, only fresh and chilled, in the form of a whole carcass with the head, kidneys and kidney suet (which remain connected to the carcass), and either with or without the offal (liver, lungs with trachea and heart) and the testes, which, if present, are considered to form part of the carcass, or as a half-carcass produced by cutting the carcass lengthwise symmetrically along the dividing line that runs through the middle of the head, the cervical, dorsal, lumbar and sacral vertebrae, the sternum and the ischiopubic symphysis.

‘Dalmatinska janjetina’ is always eaten cooked. The meat is succulent and tender, melts in the mouth and has no pronounced aroma or taste of mutton.

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

The lambs used to produce ‘Dalmatinska janjetina’ are fed solely on their mother’s milk and pasture until they are slaughtered.

Pasture is the most important source of feed for sheep, covering up to 80 % of their nutritional needs, with the remaining 20 % being made up of meadow hay and/or, less commonly, lucerne hay (mainly in the winter). At least 80 % of the feed comes from the defined geographical area of production of ‘Dalmatinska janjetina’ set out in point 4. The hay is obtained most often in nearby meadows in the more fertile areas of the Dalmatian Hinterland — the mountainous areas of Dalmatia – and, in cases of great need and drought, also comes from outside the defined area of production of ‘Dalmatinska janjetina’, specifically from the meadows of Lika and Gorski Kotar, but only from the following counties: Zadar County (area of the town of Gračac), Lika-Senj County (the whole county), Karlovac County (only the territory of the town of Ogulin and the municipalities of Josipdol, Plaški and Saborsko) and Primorje-Gorski Kotar County (only the territory of the towns of Vrbovsko, Delnice and Čabar, and the municipalities of Lokve, Fužine, Mrkopalj, Ravna Gora, Skrad and Brod Moravice). Hay from the above areas may be used as complementary feed for sheep (but not lambs) in the winter when ewes are in their dry period (gestating) and therefore has no impact on the quality and chemical composition of the lamb meat.

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

All stages in the production of ‘Dalmatinska janjetina’ must take place in the defined geographical area of production referred to in point 4.

The process of producing ‘Dalmatinska janjetina’ includes the rearing, mating and lambing of Dalmatian Pramenka sheep and the rearing and slaughter of their lambs.

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

Before carcasses and half-carcasses of Dalmatian Pramenka lambs are placed on the market, they must be marked with the stamp of the approved slaughterhouse where slaughter was carried out, and wrapped in a transparent, self-adhesive plastic film.

Packing – i.e. the wrapping of dressed and chilled carcasses of ‘Dalmatinska janjetina’ lamb in plastic film – takes place in slaughterhouses in the area referred to in point 4 before the product is placed on the market, primarily in order to protect the meat’s hygiene (to prevent carcasses from coming into contact with sources of microbial contamination during handling and transport), freshness and quality (to prevent carcasses from coming into contact with the air and thus to retard the chemical processes that break down the fat and protein in the meat).

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

4. Concise definition of the geographical area

‘Dalmatinska janjetina’ is produced within the administrative boundaries of Lika-Senj County (only the area of the town of Novalja and the coastal slopes of the Velebit mountain range on the territory of the municipality of Karlobag) and Zadar County (only the areas of the towns of Benkovac, Biograd, Nin, Obrovac, Pag and Zadar and the municipalities of Bibinje, Galovac, Jasenice, Kali, Kolan, Kukljica, Lišane Ostrovičke, Novigrad, Pakoštane, Pašman, Polača, Poličnik, Posedarje, Povljana, Preko, Privlaka, Ražanac, Sali, Stankovci, Starigrad, Sukošan, Sveti Filip i Jakov, Škabrnja, Tkon, Vir, Vrsi and Zemunik Donji) and in the whole territory of Šibenik-Knin County, Split-Dalmatia County and Dubrovnik-Neretva County.

5. Link with the geographical area

Specificity of the geographical area

Natural factors

The geographical area of Dalmatia comprises three different geomorphological and climate zones (the coastal and island zone with a Mediterranean climate, the Dalmatian hinterland with a sub-Mediterranean climate and the mountainous zone with a continental climate), which, along with the impact of people over the centuries, have directly influenced the plant cover in this area. Places that are strongly affected by the Bora or have the most degraded, rocky soils (e.g. the foothills of the Velebit mountain range) mainly have pastures of medicinal sage and feather grass (Ass. Stipo-Salvietum officinalis), with a large number of Illyrian and Illyrian-Adriatic endemic species, predominantly those that are adapted to drought and the strong Bora wind, especially aromatic and medicinal plants. Dalmatia is one of the regions of Europe with the richest flora, since it has an estimated 3 500 different species of plant, over 7 % of which are endemic, plus a larger number of steno-endemic species (Ozimec et al., 2009, Poljoprivredna bioraznolikost Dalmacije. Tradicijske sorte i pasmine Dalmacije, p. 430). Pastures in the Dalmatian hinterland mainly comprise Illyrian fescue and bulbous koeleria (Ass. Festuco-Koelerietum officinalis), whose floristic composition is dominated by numerous low, mostly ground-hugging herbaceous species, probably as a result of a process of selection that has taken place over thousands of years of grazing by sheep. These pastures are considered to be typical sheep pastures (Rogošić, 2000: Gospodarenje mediteranskim prirodnim resursima, p. 112). This provides clear evidence not only that the native Dalmatian Pramenka breed is adapted to natural conditions where nutrients are scarce but also that it has influenced the botanical composition and characteristics of the pastureland. In addition to the abundance of different plant species, the distinguishing features of Dalmatian pastureland in the coastal and island area and the Dalmatian hinterland are the sparse amount of pasture, especially during dry periods of the year, and the significant proportion of plant species with a low nutritional value but containing a wealth of aromatic and anti-oxidant chemical compounds (dicotyledon plants) (Annex 6.4. Krvavica et al., 2015, ‘Isparljivi sastojci arome dalmatinske janjetine’, Meso 1, p. 58). These features make Dalmatian pastures truly unique and significantly different from those in continental areas, whereas the mountainous zones, where plant growth is not stunted in the summer (and where there is no drought, unlike the lower-lying areas of the Dalmatian hinterland, the coast and the islands), are not only rich in plant species but also have a large quantity of pasture, and are traditionally used as meadows to produce quality hay or for grazing during the dry period of the year.

Human factors

The name ‘Dalmatia’ is closely linked to the tradition of sheep-rearing in this area. As far back as the 4th century BC, the Illyrian tribe of the ‘Dalmatae’ or ‘Delmatae’ settled in the territory of today’s Dalmatia. That tribe takes its name from the Illyrian word for sheep — ‘dalma’ or ‘delma’ — and the Roman province of Dalmatia was named after the tribe (Ozimec et al., 2009, Poljoprivredna bioraznolikost Dalmacije; Tradicijsko poljoprivredno bilje i domaće životinje, pp. 203, 204). The first written records of sheep-farming in Dalmatia date back to the end of the 17th and the beginning of the 19th centuries, while a source from the year 1808 refers to the rearing of almost two million sheep and goats (Defilippis, 2001, Dalmatinska poljoprivreda u prošlosti, p. 83; in: Kraljski Dalmatin, 1808, pp. 218, 222). There are historical accounts of the nomadic lifestyle of Dalmatian sheep-farmers, who would drive their sheep and goats up to the nearby mountains in the summer months (June-August), where they also lived together with them, and this custom still exists today in this region (the Velebit, Dinarides, Svilaja, Kamešnica, Mosor and Biokovo mountain ranges). Sheep-farmers do this mainly because the vegetation stops growing — in other words there is insufficient pasture and water — in lowland areas during the summer.

The traditional way of cooking ‘Dalmatinska janjetina’ by roasting the whole lamb carcass with the head (Brusić, 8000 godina uzgoja ovaca na hrvatskom Jadranu, pp. 416, 427, 428, 431) has had a crucial impact on the characteristics of the carcass of lambs of the Dalmatian Pramenka breed (age and weight of lambs), which are therefore always marketed with the head.

Specificity of the product

‘Dalmatinska janjetina’ is highly appreciated by consumers and, given its exceptional quality, is considered to be a Dalmatian culinary speciality. On the basis of their weight, the carcasses of Dalmatian Pramenka lambs belong to the category of light lamb carcasses. In comparison with lambs reared in continental areas or intensively in barns, the carcasses of lambs of the Dalmatian Pramenka breed produce a higher slaughterhouse yield, and the muscle tissue is somewhat darker in colour and contains less fat. The meat of the longissimus dorsi muscle has less than 4 % fat (Vnučec, 2011, Odlike trupa i kakvoća mesa janjadi iz različitih sustava uzgoja, doctoral thesis, p. 61), contains more different volatile aromatic compounds, especially terpenes (Krvavica et al., 2015, op. cit., p. 62), and has a specific fatty acid composition. The combination of all these characteristics produces specific organoleptic properties which are particularly recognised and appreciated by consumers. The age and body weight of lambs at slaughter, and the way in which the carcasses are dressed at the slaughterhouse, stem mainly from the sheep-breeding tradition, the intended use of the product and the habits of consumers; consequently, carcases of Dalmatian Pramenka lambs — i.e. ‘Dalmatinska janjetina’ — are always placed on the market with the head, kidneys and kidney suet, and either with or without the offal and testes.

The name ‘Dalmatinska janjetina’ has traditionally been used in everyday speech, witness the menus of many restaurants in Dalmatia and of restaurants in continental Croatia, and the same name is also used in the scientific and professional literature.

Causal link between the geographical area and the product

The causal link between the geographical area and the product ‘Dalmatinska janjetina’ is based on the specific quality of the meat of Dalmatian Pramenka lambs and the traditional method of rearing in the specific geographical area.

‘Dalmatinska janjetina’ bears the name of the area in which the Dalmatian Pramenka is reared (Dalmatia), and the name of Dalmatia itself also comes from the Illyrian word for sheep — ‘dalma’ or ‘delma’. It can therefore be said that Dalmatia has been a land of sheep and sheep farmers since time immemorial.

The characteristics of the Dalmatian Pramenka — such as its hardiness and agility, and especially its small, tapered head, the flexibility of its jaw, and its lips — show that this breed has adapted to the harsh conditions of the Dalmatian karstic landscape over thousands of years, allowing it to graze on the hard-to-reach pastures on the rocky Dalmatian land covered in shrubland and bushes, and to survive even on the most inaccessible and wildest terrain found on the very steep slopes of the coastal region. Moreover, the pastureland of the Dalmatian hinterland is considered to be typical sheep pastureland, likely brought about by selection of plant life resulting from thousands years of grazing, mainly of sheep, but the adaptation process has clearly worked both ways. The many plant species in the three different zones of vegetation, including a significant number with a low nutritional value but containing a wealth of aromatic and anti-oxidant chemical compounds, which have a crucial impact on the product’s specific chemical composition, especially its fatty acid composition (Vnučec, 2011, op. cit., p. 67), and on the composition of volatile aromatic compounds, are what mostly accounts for the specific aroma and taste of ‘Dalmatinska janjetina’. As a result, the aromatic profile of ‘Dalmatinska janjetina’ comprises a significantly higher number of different volatile compounds than other types of lamb, especially the number and overall proportion of terpenes in comparison with continental lamb (Krvavica et al., 2016, ‘Isparljivi sastojci mesa janjadi iz različitih zemljopisnih područja’, proceedings, p. 162). Terpenes are metabolites of dicotyledon plants which are considerably represented in the unique and diverse floral composition of the Dalmatian pastures and which are absorbed directly into animal tissue intact (Krvavica et al., 2015, op.cit., p. 58), and which are therefore considered in the literature to be unique plant tracers (Krvavica et al., 2016, op. cit., p. 162). Moreover, as the area in which the Dalmatian Pramenka breed is reared offers scarce pasture for much of the year, sheep and lambs cover great distances every day in the search for food, and ‘Dalmatinska janjetina’ therefore contains less fat and has a somewhat darker colour (light pink to pink) than other types of lamb. The sparse pasture also means that the lambs grow more slowly and, as a result, have a less well-developed digestive system; consequently, the slaughterhouse yield of carcasses is higher than for continental lambs (Mioč et al., 2012, ‘Dalmatinska janjetina’, proceedings, pp. 31, 32, 34). In the light of the above, it can be concluded that the distinctive, specific aroma and taste of ‘Dalmatinska janjetina’ is the result not only of the characteristics of the breed and the traditional method of rearing sheep and lambs, but also — and above all — of the specificity of the geographical area in which the Dalmatinska Pramenka breed is reared.

Reference to publication of the product specification

https://poljoprivreda.gov.hr/UserDocsImages/dokumenti/hrana/zoi-zozp-zts/dokumenti-zoi-zozp-zts/Specifikacija%20DJ%20-%20izmijenjena_02.2022_%C4%8Distopis.pdf

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