Publication of an amendment application pursuant to Article 6(2) of Council Regulation (EC) No 510/2006 on the protection of geographical indications and designations of origin for agricultural products and foodstuffs
Date: 2006-11-25
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: Cantabria, Spain, cheese, designation of origin, product designation

C 288/8

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Official Journal of the European Union

25.11.2006

Publication of an amendment application pursuant to Article 6(2) of Council Regulation (EC) No
510/2006 on the protection of geographical indications and designations of origin for agricultural
products and foodstuffs

(2006/C 288/04)

This publication confers the right to object the amendment application pursuant to Article 7 of Council
Regulation (EC) No 510/2006. Statements of objections must reach the Commission within six months
from the date of this publication.

COUNCIL REGULATION (EC) No 510/2006

Amendment application according to Article 9 and Article 17(2)

‘QUESO NATA DE CANTABRIA’

EC No: ES/PDO/117/085/24.01.1994

PDO ( X ) PGI ( )

Amendment(s) requested

Heading(s) in the specification:

Name of product

Description of product

Geographical area

Proof of origin

Method of production

Link

Labelling

National requirements

Amendment(s):

Name of product

Replace ‘Queso de Cantabria’ with ‘Queso Nata de Cantabria’.

We hereby request that the name ‘Queso de Cantabria’, currently registered under Commission Regulation
(EC) No 1107/96 of 12 June 1996, be replaced with ‘Queso Nata de Cantabria’.

The application to register the PDO ‘Queso de Cantabria’ was made under Article 17, since it was one of the
designations of origin protected under legislation in Spain when Regulation (EEC) No 2081/92 entered
into force.

Legal protection had been granted in accordance with the national legislation in force, which excluded the
possibility of protecting non-geographical names such as ‘Queso de nata’. For this reason, another of the
names by which the cheese was known, ‘Queso de Cantabria’, was filed for.

Over a decade has passed since Community registration was sought and we have found that the designa-
tion ‘Queso de Nata’ continues to be used by many consumers, who think it involves a different cheese to
the one protected by the PDO ‘Queso de Cantabria’. We therefore consider it appropriate to request that the
name be amended by combining both designations. Their use is very extensive, as can be seen from the
recent bibliography on Spanish cheeses:

— Arroyo González, M: ‘Fabricación de Quesos de Nata’, 1974;

— Arroyo González, M: ‘Los quesos de Cantabria’, 1981;

— Ministry of Agriculture: ‘Catálogo de Quesos de España’, 1990;

— Casado Cimiano, P: ‘La industria Láctea en Cantabria’, 1998

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Official Journal of the European Union

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UPDATED SUMMARY

COUNCIL REGULATION (EC) No 510/2006

Application for registration according to Article 5 and Article 17(2)

‘QUESO NATA DE CANTABRIA’

EC No: ES/PDO/117/0085

PDO ( X ) PGI ( )

This summary has been drawn up for information only. For full details, interested parties are invited to
consult the full version of the product specification obtainable from the national authorities indicated in
section 1 or from the European Commission (1).

1.

Responsible department in the Member State:

Name:

Subdirección General de Sistemas de Calidad Diferenciada Dirección General de Alimenta-
ción Secretaría General de Agricultura y Alimentación del Ministerio de Agricultura, Pesca
y Alimentación de España

Address:

Infanta Isabel, 1
E-28071 Madrid

Tel.:

Fax:

(34) 913 47 53 94

(34) 913 47 54 10

e-mail:

sgcaproagro@mapya.es

2.

Group:

Name:

Address:

Tel.:

Fax:

Consejo Regulador de la D.O. ‘QUESO DE CANTABRIA’

Héroes 2 de Mayo, 27
E-39600 Muriedas (Cantabria)

(34) 942 26 98 55

(34) 942 26 98 56

e-mail:

—

Composition: Producers/processors ( X ) Other ( )

3.

Type of product:

Class 1.3 — Cheese

4.

Specification (summary of requirements under Article 4(2))

4.1 N a me :

‘Queso Nata de Cantabria’

4.2 D e s c r i p t i o n : Matured high-fat cheese, young or semi-cured; cylindrical or six-sided in shape; with

smooth, even faces, soft crust and paste, off-white in colour; weight from 400 g to 2 800 g.

4.3 G e o g r a p h i c a l a r e a : The entire production and manufacturing area covers the whole of the
Autonomous Community of Cantabria, except for the catchment areas of the Urdón and Cervera
rivers (Articles 4 and 8 of the Regulation on the Designation of Origin).

4.4 P r o o f o f o r i g i n : Milk as provided for in Articles 5 and 6 of the Regulation on the Designation of
Origin, obtained from farms registered by the Regulatory Board, situated in the production area; the
raw material and the production and ripening method are under the control of the Regulatory Board
in registered establishments, marketed with a guarantee certified by the Regulatory Board.

(1) European Commission, Directorate-General for Agriculture and Rural Development, Agricultural Product Quality

Policy, B-1049 Brussels.

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4.5 M e t h o d o f p r o d u c t i o n : Milk from Friesian cows; coagulated using animal rennet at a tempera-

ture of 30 °C for 40 minutes; salting in brine; matured for at least seven days.

4.6 L i n k : Mountainous area, very humid climate, highly specialised in dairy farming using mainly Frie-
sian cows; in the XIXth century a new type of pressed ‘pasiego’ cheese was developed, which was to
become Cantabrian cheese.

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

Name:

Oficina de Calidad Alimentaria (ODECA)

Address: Héroes 2 de Mayo, 27

E-39600 Muriedas (Cantabria)

Tel.:

Fax:

(34) 942 26 98 55

(34) 942 26 98 56

e-mail:

odeca@odeca.es

4.8 L a b e l l i n g :

‘Queso Nata de Cantabria’ must be indicated. Label authorised by the Regulatory Board;

back-labels numbered and issued by the Regulatory Board (Article 22 of the Regulation).

4.9 N a ti ona l r e q u i r e me nt s: Law 25/1970 of 2 December, Ministerial Order of 29 October 1985

ratifying the Regulation on the ‘Queso de Cantabria’ Designation of Origin.