Publication of an 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: 2007-12-12
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: Portugal, designation of origin, labelling, location of production, meat product, pigmeat, product designation, product quality

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OTHER ACTS

COMMISSION

Publication of an 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

(2007/C 300/15)

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

SUMMARY

COUNCIL REGULATION (EC) No 510/2006

‘PRESUNTO DO ALENTEJO’ or ‘PALETA DO ALENTEJO’

EC No: PT/PDO/005/0440/24.11.2004

PDO ( X ) PGI ( )

This summary sets out the main elements of the product specification for information purposes.

1. Responsible department in the Member State:

Name:

Gabinete de Planeamento e Politicas

Address: Rua Padre António Vieira, n.o 1, 8o

P-1099-073 Lisboa

(351) 213 81 93 00

(351) 213 87 66 35

Tel.

Fax

E-mail:

gppaa@gppaa.min-agricultura.pt

2. Group:

Name:

Address:

Tel.

Fax

ACPA — Associação de Criadores de Porco Alentejano

Rua Armação de Pêra, n.o 7
P-7670-259 Ourique

(351) 286 51 80 30

(351) 286 51 80 37

E-mail:

acpaourique@mail.telepac.pt

Composition: Producers/processors ( X ) Other ( )

3.

Type of product:

Class 1.2: Meat-based products (cooked, salted, smoked, etc.)

4.

Specification

(Summary of requirements under Article 4(2) of Regulation (EC) No 510/2006)

4.1. Name:

‘Presunto do Alentejo’ or ‘Paleta do Alentejo’

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4.2. Description: Presuntos and paletas produced from legs and shoulders respectively of pigs (other than
breeding animals) of the Alentejana breed entered in the Portuguese herd book in the Alentejana breed
Section, reared in a specified manner and slaughtered when they are 12 to 24 months old. The salting,
post-salting, drying/curing, ageing, cutting and packing are governed by well-defined rules.

Presuntos consist of hind legs severed at the level of the pig's ischio-pubic symphysis, while paletas are
made from its forelegs. The presunto and paleta are defined anatomically and in terms of muscle since
there is a layer of covering fat around the latter. Shape and appearance: while the cut may be anything
from being lengthwise and elongated to round, the outer skin and hoof are present in both cases.
Weight: in excess of 5 kg in the case of the presunto, and in excess of 3,5 kg in the case of the paleta.
When cut, the meat is rosy to dark red and has an oily, glossy, irregular and marbled appearance, with
streaks of intramuscular fat. The texture is soft and not very fibrous, very tender and succulent. The fat
is oily, fluid, bright, white to pearly and has a pleasant taste. The flavour is smooth, delicate, slightly
salty, lingering, pleasant, occasionally with a slight spiciness and it has a pleasant, smooth, delicate and
‘montanheira’ aroma.

4.3. Geographical area: The boundaries of the geographical area in which the animals are born, reared,
fattened and slaughtered, the carcases are butchered and the legs and feet are obtained and are
processed into leg and shoulder hams, and cutting, slicing and packing take place are set naturally, by
the location of the ‘montado’ (oak plantation and pig pasture), by the presence of holdings able to
practise a montanheira type of farming, and by the existence of rules governing slaughter and cutting
and the production of Alentejo pig's legs and shoulders, together with the know-how of the population,
combined with authentic and unvarying local methods of processing, cutting and packaging.

The area comprises the following municipalities and parishes: Abrantes, Alandroal, Alcácer do Sal
(except the parish of Santa Maria do Castelo), Alcoutim, Aljezur (parishes of Odeceixe, Bordeira, Rogil
and Aljezur), Aljustrel, Almodôvar, Alter do Chão, Alvito, Arraiolos, Arronches, Avis, Barrancos, Beja,
Borba, Campo Maior, Castelo Branco, Castelo de Vide, Castro Marim (parishes of Odeleite and
Azinhal), Castro Verde, Chamusca, Coruche, Crato, Cuba, Elvas (except the parish of Caia e S. Pedro),
Estremoz, Évora, Ferreira do Alentejo, Fronteira, Gavião, Grândola (except the parish of Melides),
Idanha-a-Nova, Lagos (parish of Bensafrim), Loulé (parishes of Ameixial, Salir, Alte, Benafim and
Querença), Marvão, Mértola, Monchique (parishes of Monchique, Marmelete and Alferce), Monforte,
Montemor-o-Novo, Mora, Moura, Mourão, Nisa, Odemira (except the parishes of Vila Nova de Mil
Fontes and S. Teotónio), Ourique, Penamacor, Ponte de Sôr, Portalegre, Portel, Redondo, Reguengos de
Monsaraz, Sabugal, Santiago do Cacém (except the parish of S. André), Sardoal, São Brás de Alportel,
Serpa, Sines, Silves (parishes of S. Marcos, S. Bartolomeu de Messines and Silves), Sousel, Tavira,
(parish of Cachopo), Vendas Novas, Viana do Alentejo, Vidigueira, Vila Velha de Ródão and Vila
Viçosa.

4.4. Proof of origin: Pigs of the Alentejana breed must be born and reared on registered holdings that are
subject to control arrangements. At birth the animals are entered in the appropriate herd book.
Slaughter, butchering, processing, slicing, and packaging must be carried out on premises that are
approved for that purpose by the inspection body, are located in the geographical area and are subject
to control arrangements. Approval shall be dependent on a prior verification of the conditions under
which production and manufacturing take place, in particular as regards the origin of the raw materials
used and the manner in which the latter are processed/cut/sliced/packaged and the characteristics of
the final product. Specifications and control arrangements have been adopted which apply to the
entire chain of production and to all those involved.

A comprehensive traceability system implemented by the producers themselves makes it possible to
monitor the entire production circuit from the raw material to the final product (‘from the montado to
the table’) and, on the basis of the number on the certification mark on whole hams or on the
packages of sliced meat, identify the ear-tag number of the animals.

At the end of the production process only products which fulfil all the specifications and have under-
gone suitable documented checks — including laboratory tests and submission to a tasting panel —
may bear the certification mark, logo and name Presunto do Alentejo (PDO) or Paleta do Alentejo (PDO).

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4.5. Method of production: The pigs, of the Alentejo breed, are reared under extensive and semi-extensive
conditions, mostly in the open air, in areas featuring a minimum of 40 holm oak or cork trees per
hectare and a maximum density of one pig per hectare of montado. The animals tend to be reared
extensively, feeding on cereal waste and by-products, grasses, legumes (e.g. peas and vetches) and even
small mammals and birds, eggs, reptiles, molluscs, worms, etc., as is the wont of omnivorous animals.
It is only when there is a shortage of food in the field that the animals may be given supplements (up
to 30 % of their diet) from outside the region. The animals invariably undergo a finishing phase in
which they spend 60 to 90 days under a montanheira system (i.e. feeding on acorns and other
montado products), and must replace at least three arrobas (45 kg) of body weight in this way. The
pigs are slaughtered at between 12 and 24 months, the minimum weight of each carcase being 90 kg.
The (fresh) legs and shoulders are marked individually by means of a numbered tag. The legs and
shoulders must, after trimming, weigh a minimum of 7,5 kg and 5 kg respectively, and the hoof must
still be attached. Depending on the weight of the legs and shoulders the subcutaneous fat may be
trimmed. The processing of the hind- and forelegs, based on authentic and unvarying local methods
derived from the know-how of the local population and from the highland conditions, comprises the
following: cutting, salting, rinsing, post salting (sweating), drying/curing and ageing. It is in the course
of this process that the presuntos and paletas slowly acquire the appearance, colour, aroma and texture
that make them unique.

Manufacturing: technical parameters

Presunto do Alentejo

Paleta do Alentejo

Salting

Duration

Temperature

> 8 days

< 5 °C

Moisture

80 to 90 %

Washing and rinsing

Duration

1 to 5 days

Temperature

3 to 5°C

4 days or more, up to 12 days

< 5 °C

80 to 90 %

1 to 5 days

3 to 5°C

Post salting

Duration

Temperature

Moisture

Drying/maturation

Up to 60 days

30 to 80 days

3 to 6°C

> 80 %

3 to 6°C

80 to 90 %

Duration

> 2 months

2 months at least

Temperature

8 to 35° C

Around 70 %

8 to 35° C

70 to 85 %

Moisture

Ageing

Duration

Temperature

Moisture

5 months at least

3 to 18 months

Natural conditions in terms of tempera-
ture and moisture

Natural conditions in terms of tempera-
ture and moisture

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Presuntos and Paletas do Alentejo may be marketed whole, in pieces or sliced, with or without bone. The
cutting, slicing and boning may be carried out only on premises situated within the geographical area
of production, in so far as special know-how is associated with these operations, a know-how which
relates to the shape, delicate aromas and complex flavours of each piece. Before a piece is selected for
cutting, specialists from the region determine the optimum curing stage, and knowledgeable and
trained tasters carry out a detailed organoleptic assessment of the product and its suitability for cutting.
In order to maximise the yield from each piece the cutting must be performed by highly trained specia-
lists who, by means of expert cuts, can make use of all the muscle tissue in the piece and produce
extremely thin slices that fully exploit the product's organoleptic potential. The fat on the meat —
which has its own flavour, aroma, colour and brilliance — deteriorates rapidly when in contact with
the air or when the temperature is high. Accordingly, the work described above has to be carried out
on premises that are suitable microbiologically and in terms of temperature and moisture, in order not
to impair the delicate flavour and enable the product to be packaged promptly, thereby avoiding undue
exposure to the air. It should be added that this work is accompanied by organoleptic tests carried out
by specially trained personnel.

The aim of these measures is to ensure that the product is fully traceable and is not impaired, above all
organoleptically, that the consumer, far from being misled, is supplied with a product that is genuine
and was produced in its region of origin and on which checks can be carried out throughout the
production cycle.

4.6. Link: Presuntos and Paletas do Alentejo are produced in a region where soils are poor and the climate
markedly hot and dry in the summer and cold and dry in the winter. The flora that is able to withstand
these conditions and which can be exploited is the holm oak/cork plantation (montado) and the vege-
tation associated with it. The Alentejo pig is the animal that best exploits those natural conditions,
since it can be reared in the open and allowed to feed mainly on the natural products associated with
that environment (grasses, acorns, cereals and pulses and small animals) under a specific system known
as montanheira.

This type of animal husbandry and nutrition gives the meat special characteristics in terms of both
muscle and fat cover.

The climatic conditions described above also gave rise to the development of know-how which enables
the pigmeat to be dried naturally, without resorting to smoke or any external agent other than simply
salt.

Hams and shoulders are thus produced in the typical shape with the hoof on (which, being a ‘black
hoof’, immediately identifies it as belonging to the Alentejo pig) and with specific organoleptic charac-
teristics, foremost of which are the marbled muscle, the colour and glossiness of the fat, the texture,
the aroma and the flavour inherent to and typical of products obtained from the Alentejo pig (because
they are reared under the ‘montanheiro’ system) and dried in the natural conditions of the region
described.

The link between the product and the region is also based on the following factors:

Historical: The first documented references to the existence of pigs in the Alentejo date from several
centuries B.C. and there is also evidence of the production of pigs and pork products during Portugal's
Roman and Arab periods. Cato praised the ham of the Alentejo, made in the western coastal area.
Tales set against the backdrop of the Christian reconquest of the Iberian Peninsula tell of disputes
between farmers, with one side denouncing the damage caused by pigs to planted crops, and the other
drawing attention to the beneficial impact the quality of the meat and other products from such pigs
had on the diet. At the end of the nineteenth century and the beginning of the twentieth century, pig
farming was one of the main economic resources in the Alentejo, providing sustainable conditions for
both the region and its people.

Human: A number of traditions are associated with the consumption of these products, which are
never presented ready-cooked. In earlier times Presuntos or Paletas do Alentejo tended to be served only
on festive occasions or as a gift to honoured guests.

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4.7.

Inspection body:

Name:

Agricert — Certificação de Produtos Alimentares, Lda

Address: Av. de Badajoz, n.o 3

P-7350-903 Elvas

(351) 268 62 50 26

(351) 268 62 65 46

Tel.

Fax

E-mail:

agricert@agricert.pt

Agricert is recognised as complying with Standard 45011:2001.

4.8. Labelling: The following must appear on the labelling: Presunto do Alentejo or Paleta do Alentejo (PDO)
and the relevant Community logo. The labelling must also bear a certification label including the name
of the product and the forms of wording concerned, the name of the inspection body and a serial
number (i.e. a numerical or alphanumeric code used for tracing the product). The following pictogram
is hot-branded on the outer skin of Presunto do Alentejo or Paleta do Alentejo: