EN Official Journal of the European Union C 187/13

Publication of an amendment 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

(2018/C 187/08)

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

APPLICATION FOR APPROVAL OF AN AMENDMENT TO THE PRODUCT SPECIFICATION OF PROTECTED DESIGNATIONS OF ORIGIN/PROTECTED GEOGRAPHICAL INDICATIONS WHICH IS NOT MINOR

Application for approval of an amendment in accordance with the first subparagraph of Article 53(2) of Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012

‘MAHÓN-MENORCA’

EU No: PDO-ES-0083-AM02 – 15.6.2017

PDO ( X ) PGI ( )

1. Applicant group and legitimate interest

Consejo Regulador de la Denominación de Origen Protegida ‘Mahón-Menorca’ (Regulatory Council for the ‘Mahón-Menorca’ Protected Designation of Origin) Ctra. Des Grau, km. 0,5 07700-Mahón (Menorca) Baleares ESPAÑA Tel. +34 971362295 Email: quesomahon@infotelecom.es

Body representing the producers and processors in matters of defending, guaranteeing and promoting the Protected Designation of Origin

2. Member State or Third Country

Spain

3. Heading in the product specification affected by the amendment

— ☐ Name of product — ☒ Product Description — ☐ Geographical area — ☐ Proof of origin — ☐ Method of production — ☐ Link — ☒ Labelling — ☐ Others (please specify)

4. Type of amendment(s)

— ☐ Amendment to product specification of a registered PDO or PGI not qualified as minor in accordance with the third subparagraph of Article 53(2) of Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012. — ☒ Amendment to product specification of registered PDO or PGI for which a Single Document (or equivalent) has not been published, not qualified as minor in accordance with the third subparagraph of Article 53(2) of Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012.

5. Amendment(s)

5.1. Amendment:

Section B. of the specification — Description of product — is amended as follows:

— Amendment to the weight range from between 1 kg and 4 kg to between 0,6 kg and 4 kg.

The weight of the cheeses covered has been amended, keeping the upper limit at 4 kg but changing the lower limit from 1 kg to 0,6 kg.

Previous text: ‘Weight: between 1 kg and 4 kg.’

Replacement text: ‘Weight: between 0,6 kg and 4 kg.’

Grounds:

The weight of the product has been amended as, in recent years, there has been a growing demand for smaller cheeses from a significant sector of the market.

Cheeses weighing between 1 kg and 0,6 kg must comply with all the other characteristics laid down in the specification for the ‘Mahón-Menorca’ PDO.

For this reason, in order to check that the organoleptic characteristics (aroma, texture and flavour) remain unchanged, a study was conducted by the Department of Chemistry at the University of the Balearic Islands on samples of cheese weighing more than 0,6 kg and less than 1 kg and made by businesses registered under the ‘Mahón-Menorca’ PDO in accordance with the specification, checking the raw materials, production conditions and maturation.

The objectives of the study were on the one hand to analyse whether the cheeses weighing less than 1 kg and made by businesses registered under the ‘Mahón-Menorca’ PDO have different organoleptic characteristics to those cheeses covered by the PDO, and on the other hand to analyse the degree of maturity of the cheeses on the basis of average moisture content, distribution of moisture (moisture profiles) and texture. An evaluation was also carried out on the time required to achieve the same degree of maturity in cheeses weighing less than 1 kg as in cheeses covered by the ‘Mahón-Menorca’ PDO.

The study concluded that the cheeses weighing between 0,6 kg and 1 kg did not present different organoleptic characteristics to cheeses covered by the PDO. It also found that, like the average moisture content, the degree of maturity of the cheeses weighing between 0,6 kg and 1 kg is similar to that of cheeses covered by the ‘Mahón-Menorca’ PDO.

It has therefore been confirmed that decreasing the minimum weight of the cheeses to 0,6 kg will not affect compliance with the characteristics laid down in the specification.

5.2. Amendment:

Section H. of the specification — Labelling — is amended as follows:

— Change to the logo of the ‘Mahón-Menorca’ PDO and to the type of labelling

Previous text: Cheese intended for consumption must bear a numbered secondary label issued by the Regulatory Board. Two different types of secondary label have been laid down, for ‘Mahón’ and ‘Mahón Artesano’ cheese.

Replacement text: The labelling of cheese intended for consumption must include the logo of the PDO and a control number:

Grounds:

The logo of the Protected Designation of Origin has been updated in order to make it easier to identify the product; a clearer design has been introduced which makes it more recognisable for consumers.

On the other hand, the requirement to include the logo on a secondary label issued by the Regulatory Board has been replaced with the option to include the logo on the product label itself.

SINGLE DOCUMENT

‘MAHÓN-MENORCA’

EU No: PDO-ES-0083-AM02 – 15.6.2017

PDO ( X ) PGI ( )

1. Name

‘MAHÓN-MENORCA’

2. Member State or Third Country

Spain

3. Description of the agricultural product or foodstuff

3.1. Type of product

Class 1.3. Cheeses

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

Pressed cheese made from whole milk from Friesian, Mahonesa/Menorquina and/or Brown Alpine breeds of cow, possibly involving the addition of milk from the Menorquina breed of sheep in a maximum ratio of 5 parts per 100.

Two types of cheese are covered: ‘Mahón-Menorca Artesano’ is made in artisanal cheese dairies using raw milk, while ‘Mahón-Menorca’ is made in industrial cheese dairies using milk which has been subjected to some form of process and/or method of preservation.

For both types, two designations have been set out: ‘semicurado’ (semi-cured) if it has been matured for less than 150 days, and ‘curado’ (cured) if it has been matured for longer, bearing in mind that for ‘Mahón-Menorca Artesano’, the minimum maturing period is 60 days.

When matured, the cheese has the following average characteristics:

Shape: a square-based parallelepiped with rounded corners and edges.

Height: between 5 cm and 9 cm.

Weight: between 0,6 kg and 4 kg.

The rind has a compact, greasy consistency and varies in colour between yellow and yellowish-brown, with marks from the folds of the cloth (‘fogasser’) on the upper surface of the artisanal cheeses.

The body of the cheese is firm, remains intact when cut and is ivory yellow in colour.

The flavour contains light hints of acidity, delicate milky notes and a prevailing pungency in the ‘curado’ cheeses which becomes more acute as maturity increases. It contains eyes which are more or less round, are distributed irregularly and in small numbers, and are of varying size no larger than a pea.

Fat content no less than 38 % in dry matter; total dry matter no less than 50 %.

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

Livestock are fed according to traditional practices, using the best pastures in the area.

The natural grasslands are generally situated on land formerly dedicated to labour and on which agriculture has been replaced by livestock farming. These are spontaneous formations of dense tall grass, in which grasses and legumes with high grazing value predominate.

The main types of fodder grown are sulla, barley, oats, maize, clover and ryegrass.

The pastures are usually grazed from November to May. Surplus fodder is turned into silage or hay in spring (April-May) in order to support the livestock during the months when pasture is scarce. This fodder is supplemented by concentrates and by-products.

The variation in the amount and, above all, the distribution of precipitation throughout the year, combined with the strength of the wind, known as the ‘tramontana’, makes it difficult to guarantee for every agricultural season that all fodder consumed is produced on the island. In any case, 70 % of the fodder used to feed the livestock is grown on the island of Menorca.

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

The production of the milk and the production and maturing of the cheese must take place in the geographical area comprising the entire island of Menorca.

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

Labels must bear the following wording: Queso ‘Mahón-Menorca’ (‘Mahón-Menorca’ cheese).

The labelling of cheese intended for consumption must include the logo of the PDO and a control number:

4. Concise definition of the geographical area

The area in which the milk must be produced and the cheese must be made and matured is the island of Menorca. It is located 18 nautical miles from Mallorca and 130 nautical miles from Barcelona, with the following coordinates: from 39°48′N to 40°05′N and from 3°47′E to 4°20′E.

5. Link with the geographical area

5.1. Specific nature of the geographical area

Due to the soil and climate conditions, in particular the influence of the wind, livestock farming has always been of greater importance than agriculture in Menorca.

The island of Menorca has an area of approximately 689 km2 and can be divided into two distinct areas: the ‘Tramontana’ in the north, which is more abrupt, and the ‘Migjorn’ in the south, which has a smoother and more homogeneous relief, though with deeper gullies. The highest point of the island is Monte Toro at 358 m in altitude.

The climate is mild and temperatures do not exceed 34 °C in summer or fall below 5 °C in winter. The average temperature is 23 °C in summer and 10 °C in winter.

Average annual rainfall is a little over 600 mm. This, combined with the abundant dew caused by the relatively high humidity due to the proximity to the sea, provides enough grazing resources on the island to feed almost 20 000 cattle, of which approximately 15 000 are dairy cows.

The pastures are grazed from November to May. Surplus fodder is turned into silage or hay in spring (April-May) in order to support the livestock during the months when pasture is scarce.

The flora consists mainly of sulla, ryegrass, agropyron, barley, oats, clover and ray grass.

Rural property is divided into ‘llocs’, agricultural holdings normally run by one family who live in the farmhouse, cultivating the land and rearing the livestock in accordance with traditional practices.

The characteristic image of Menorca’s landscape for a good part of the year is a combination of different shades of green, depending on the crops, pastures and wooded areas, broken up by a dense network of stone walls which relate to the island’s specialisation in livestock farming and are a consequence of its shallows soil and abundance of rocky outcrops. There are an estimated 15 000 km of stone walls which create walled enclosures or ‘tanques’, making it easier to ration grazing and cutting down on the labour required to tend to the livestock.

5.2. Specificity of the product

‘Mahón-Menorca’ cheese comes in the form of a square-based parallelepiped with rounded corners and edges. The rind varies in colour between yellow and yellowish-brown. The flavour contains light hints of acidity, delicate milky notes and a prevailing pungency in the ‘curado’ cheeses which becomes more acute as maturity increases.

5.3. Causal link between the geographical area and the quality or characteristics of the product (for PDOs)

The physical environment is essentially shaped by the Mediterranean climate, with average annual rainfall a little over 600 mm. This, combined with the abundant dew caused by the relatively high humidity due to the proximity to the sea, allows for the production of high-quality fodder, which results in the milk and cheese obtained from the animals principally fed on this fodder acquiring different physico-chemical and organoleptic characteristics which are typical of this type of cheese.

The particular shape of the cheese is due to the traditional method of moulding the curds, which is to place them in a square cotton cloth called a ‘fogasser’ and suspend it from its four corners.

Another particular practice in making ‘Mahón-Menorca Artesano’ cheese is the act of treating the surface of the rind during the maturing stage by rubbing it with butter, olive oil or a mixture of olive oil and paprika. This operation, which is carried out several times during the maturing process, prevents the cheese’s rind from abruptly drying out and gives it a characteristic colour and external appearance.

Reference to publication of the specification

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

http://www.caib.es/sites/qualitatagroalimentaria/es/formatge_mahon-menorca-46241

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