Publication of an application for registration pursuant to Article 6(2) of Regulation (EEC) No 2081/92 on the protection of geographical indications and designations of origin
Date: 2004-04-08
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: Spain, designation of origin, labelling, location of production, milk product, product designation, product quality

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Official Journal of the European Union

8.4.2004

4.8. L a b e l l i n g : Once certification has been accorded by the Regulating Board, the oil mill and
in accordance with the provisions of the

packaging plant will be able to package their olive oil
Regulation on the Designation of Origin.

The labels must be approved by the Regulating Board and the words Denominación de Origen ‘Sierra de
Cádiz’ must appear on them.

Back labels must be numbered and issued by the Regulating Board.

4.9. N a t i o n a l r e q u i r e m e n t s

— Law No 25/1970 of 2 December 1970 on rules governing viticulture, wine and spirits,

— Decree No 835/1972 of 23 March 1972 on detailed rules for the implementation of Law No

25/1970,

— Order of 25 January 1994 specifying the correlation between Spanish law and Regulation (EEC)
indications for agricultural

No 2081/92 as regards designations of origin and geographical
products and foodstuffs,

— Royal Decree No 1643/1999 of 22 October 1999 on the procedure governing applications for
entry into the Community register of protected designations of origin and protected geographical
indications.

EC No: ES/00219/28.12.2001.

Date of receipt of the full application: 10 December 2003.

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

(2004/C 88/04)

This publication confers the right to object to the application pursuant to Articles 7 and 12(d) of the
abovementioned Regulation. Any objection to this application must be submitted via the competent
authority in a Member State, in a WTO member country or in a third country recognized in accordance
with Article 12(3) 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 (x)

PGI (

)

National application No: 112/02

1.

Responsible department in the Member State

Name:

Instituto de Desenvolvimento Rural e Hidráulica

Address: Av. Afonso Costa, n.o 3, P-1949-002 Lisboa

Tel.

Fax

(351) 218 44 22 00

(351) 218 44 23 16

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2. Applicant group

2.1. Name:

ESTRELACOOP – Cooperativa de Produtores de Queijo Serra da Estrela, CRL

2.2. Address: Rua Miguel Bombarda, n.o 20, P-6360 Celorico da Beira

Tel.

(351) 271 74 13 21

Fax

(351) 271 74 33 21

2.3. Composition: Producer/processor (x)

Other (

)

3.

Type of product: Class 1.4 — Other products of animal origin (milk products)

4.

Specification

(Summary of requirements under Article 4(2)

4.1. N a m e :

‘Requeijão Serra da Estrela’

4.2. D e s c r i p t i o n : Serra da Estrela curd cheese is the product obtained by precipitation or coagulation
by heat of the proteins contained in the whey resulting from the manufacture of Serra da Estrela
cheese — PDO. Raw milk obtained from sheep of the breeds Bordaleira Serra da Estrela and Churra
Mondegueira, drinking water and occasionally, in very special and duly authorised circumstances,
milk from goats of the Serrana or Jarmelista varieties of the Serrana breed may be added to the whey.
Serra da Estrela curd cheese takes the form of a creamy and slightly lumpy mellow and uniform white
mass. It is moulded by its container (roughly a cylinder with an irregular base) and weighs between
150 and 400 grams per piece. It is consistent, uniformly creamy, easy to cut and white in colour. The
taste and odour are agreeable and it melts in the mouth. In chemical terms, it contains 55 % to 60 %
water, 19 % to 20 % protein, 18 % to 20 % fat and 1 % to 1,5 % ash (minerals). It was traditionally
wrapped in a cabbage leaf and had to be eaten before the leaf wilted. Nowadays, to comply with
health rules and because this is a highly perishable product sensitive to microbiological contami-
nation, it is packed in the region of origin and put up for sale in appropriate wrapping (sheets of
vegetable paper) which are harmless and inert.

4.3. G e o g r a p h i c a l a r e a : Because of the soil and climatic conditions and the know-how required to
produce the raw material and process it into the product using local, correct and consistent methods
and because the product is obtained from Serra da Estrela cheese — PDO, the geographical area of
production of milk and whey and for obtaining and packaging Serra da Estrela cheese is the same as
that for the cheese and so covers the same municipalities: Carregal do Sal, Celorico da Beira, Fornos
de Algodres, Gouveia, Mangualde, Manteigas, Nelas, Oliveira do Hospital, Penalva do Castelo and Seia;
the parishes of Carapito, Cortiçada, Dornelas, Eirado, Forninhos, Pena Verde and Valverde in the
municipality of Aguiar da Beira; the parishes of Anceriz, Barril do Alva, Cerdeira, Coja, Pomares and
Vila Cova do Alva in the municipality of Arganil; the parishes of Aldeia de Carvalho, Cortes do Meio,
Erada, Paul, Sarzedo, Unhais da Serra and Verdelhos in the municipality of Covilhã; the parishes of
Aldeia Viçosa, Corujeira, Cavadoude, Faia, Famalicão, Fernão Joanes, Maçainhas de Baixo, Meios,
Mizarela, Pêro Soares, Porto da Carne, São Vicente, Sé, Seixo Amarelo, Vale Amoreira, Trinta, Vale
de Estrelas, Valhelhas, Videmonte, Vila Cortez do Mondego and Vila Soeiro in the municipality of
Guarda; the parishes of Midões, Póvoa de Midões and Vila Nova de Oliveirinha in the municipality of
Tábua; the parishes of Canas de Santa Maria, Ferreirós do Dão, Lageosa Tonda, Lobão da Beira,
Molelos, Mosteiro de Fráguas, Nadufe, Parada de Gonta, Sabugosa, São Miguel de Outeiro and Tondela
in the municipality of Tondela; the parishes of Aldeia Nova, Carnicães, Feital, Fiães, Freches, Santa
Maria, São Pedro, Tamanhos, Torres, Vila Franca das Naves and Vilares in the municipality of
Trancoso and the parishes of Fragosela, Povolide, São João de Lourosa and Loureiro de Silgueiros
in the municipality of Viseu.

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4.4. P r o o f o f o r i g i n : The sheep and goats' milk may be obtained only from farms within the
geographical area which are subject to inspection. The flocks of local breeds of sheep and goats
are also inspected with particular regard to breed,
feeding, handling, health and milking. The
production premises must also be located in the geographical area for the production, manufacturing
and packaging of Serra da Estrela cheese. The whole production process from the sheep breeds to
their handling and including the transport of the milk, the manufacturing of Serra da Estrela cheese,
the collection of the whey, the addition of the remaining raw materials and production of the curd
cheese, its packaging and labelling are duly registered and subject to checks by the appropriate Private
Inspection and Certification body. Each unit of Serra da Estrela curd cheese marketed may also be traced
back in full to the farm where the milk was obtained.

4.5. M e t h o d o f p r o d u c t i o n : Serra da Estrela curd cheese is manufactured from the whey of Serra da
Estrela cheese — PDO, the main raw material. If the cheese is made with salt in the milk, between
10 % and 20 % of water is added to the curds obtained to soften its taste. These are then placed near
to a heat source and the water driven off slowly with constant one-way stirring until a temperature of
82 °C is reached. In some plants, sheep's milk is added at this point in a proportion of up to 18 % of
the quantity of curd cheese. A few producers also add a small percentage of milk from goats of the
Serrana and Jarmelista varieties of the Serrana breed. This must be expressly authorised by the
Producers' Group and be mentioned on the label. After stirring, the temperature quickly rises to
96 °C, at which point the proteins (lacto-albumin and lacto-globulin) precipitate by coagulation,
forming ‘flakes’. They are then removed by skimming or sieving. Traditionally, these flakes were
collected in small baskets made of thin chestnut branches, also known as ‘açafates’, to be separated
from the ‘sorelho’. The curd cheese is then ready for eating. Nowadays the flakes are collected in a
container which, although it has the same shape,
is made of harmless inert material. After the
‘sorelho’ has been separated,
the curd cheese is immediately wrapped in vegetable paper as
described in 4.2.

Serra da Estrela curd cheese must be prewrapped at its place of origin (in the cheese plant where it is
produced) in order to:

— retain the typical features of the product and guarantee that it is genuine and of a high quality —
Serra da Estrela curd cheese is a fragile product which is perishable for microbiological reasons.
Any handling results in a deterioration in its microbiological features and taste. Left unwrapped, it
dries out easily, becoming a dry, friable, yellowish lump. The packaging of origin avoids Serra da
Estrela curd cheese being mixed or confused with other milk coagulates of inferior quality,

— ensure that it is traceable and allow inspections — the packaging of origin normally allows Serra
da Estrela curd cheese to be sealed with its own certification label attached to both ends so that it
cannot be opened and the contents replaced without the consumer knowing. The numbered label
is also a key feature in making the product fully traceable.

4.6. L i n k : Since time immemorial agriculture and stock-raising have contributed much of the wealth of
the municipalities which make up the Serra da Estrela region. Sheep-rearing using animals suitable for
both meat and milk is particularly important and constitutes an important addition to agricultural
holdings and the local economy. This activity yields products which, although coming from the same
source, differ from each other and complement the economy of the serra: Borrego Serra da Estrela —
PDO, Serra da Estrela cheese — PDO and Serra da Estrela curd cheese — DO. Portugal has proof of
the manufacture and consumption of cheese and curd cheese in the region of the Montes Hermínios
(the present Serra da Estrela) from the time when the Romans occupied the Iberian Peninsula. In a
mountain region with few natural resources the need to make full use of milk has always been a basic
necessity for producers so it is not surprising that the applicant Group is the same as that for Serra da
Estrela cheese. The history of Serra da Estrela curd cheese is fully documented and its traditional
presentation in small straw baskets and wrapped in cabbage or mulberry leaves is well known. The art
of producing Serra da Estrela curd cheese is regarded as a cultural asset of the geographical area of
production since its characteristics are readily apparent and acknowledged by those living there and
its usual consumers.

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Since this is one of the regions with the largest flocks of sheep and goats of specific breeds typical of
this forestry and pastoral region with its particular climate, it is easy to establish the link between the
region and its curd cheese. The specific features of this product arise from natural factors — the
breeds of animals (Bordaleira Serra da Estrela and Churra Mondegueira sheep and, when appropriate,
Serrana goats), specific pastures and climatic conditions not found elsewhere in Portugal — resulting
in sheep's milk with particular characteristics. The development of
the art and know-how of
producing sheep's cheese using as a coagulant thistles (Cynara cardunculus) also found in the region,
results in whey with unique features, which has a considerable influence on the quality of Serra da
Estrela curd cheese.

The manufacture of cheese, butter and curd cheese has provided the region with much of its food
and, because of the combination of environmental conditions and the excellent quality of the raw
materials, the cheese has become internationally famous for its excellent nutritional qualities and its
widely appreciated taste. As far as Serra da Estrela curd cheese is concerned, it is not only the economic
value derived from making use of whey from the manufacture of cheese but also acknowledgement of
its substantial food value. Historically, whey has been used for a wide variety of purposes: as food in
its natural state, or processed into curd cheese and butter, as a medicine in special diets for certain
diseases and as animal feed. (Hippocrates, 460 years before Christ, advised its consumption in large
quantities over long periods). Motta Prego, in his work on butter and cheeses of 1906 noted that
Beira exported mainly cheese and wool and had oil and wine for consumption. Poor people lived off
their flocks, with maize soaked in whey providing their basic food, particularly for children. While, in
the past, whey derived from the production of Serra da Estrela cheese, either on its own or in soups
of corn, rye or mixed cereals served in most cases to stave off the hunger of tribes of children from
the poorest families in the region, today, since it is product with a high protein and low fat content, it
is well appreciated as the final course of a meal or a comforting late-afternoon snack. It may be eaten
alone,
in milk or coffee, mixed with honey or pumpkin jelly with or without pieces of walnut,
hazelnut or almond. Serra da Estrela curd cheese is well known among consumers who, irrespective
of the form in which they consume it, do not hesitate in associating it with its region of origin. In
short, it is easy to establish a vital link between sheep of the breeds local to the region, its pasture
lands, which are typical in terms of soil and climate, they type of milk produced, the know-how of
the shepherds and cheese-makers and the quality features of the final product: Serra da Estrela curd
cheese.

4.7. I n s p e c t i o n b o d y

Name:

Beira Tradição — Certificação de Produtos da Beira, LDA

Address: Urbanização Auto Mecânica, n.o 8, r/c, P-6000 Castelo Branco

Tel.

Fax

(351) 272 32 98 43

(351) 272 32 98 43

4.8. L a b e l l i n g : Compulsory: Requeijão Serra da Estrela — Denominação de Origem,

ingredients, use-by date, quantity of
temperature, serially numbered quality mark and Certification Label showing the name of
product and the name of the certifying body.

liquid, name and address of

list of
the producer, batch, storage
the

4.9. N a t i o n a l r e q u i r e m e n t s : —

EC No: PO/00235/16.5.2002.

Date of receipt of the full application: 22 January 2004.