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: 2012-12-15
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: Andalusia, Spain, designation of origin, foodstuff, product designation, sea fish








C_2012387EN.01002201.xml










15.12.2012   


EN


Official Journal of the European Union


C 387/22





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
2012/C 387/09
This publication confers the right to object to the application pursuant to Article 7 of Council Regulation (EC) No 510/2006 (1). Statements of objection must reach the Commission within six months of the date of this publication.
AMENDMENT APPLICATION

COUNCIL REGULATION (EC) No 510/2006


AMENDMENT APPLICATION IN ACCORDANCE WITH ARTICLE 9


‘CABALLA DE ANDALUCÍA’


EC No: ES-PGI-0105-0935-09.01.2012


PGI ( X ) PDO ( )

1.   Heading in the product specification affected by the amendment:








—





Name of product




—


☒


Description of product




—


☒


Geographical area




—


☒


Proof of origin




—


☒


Method of production




—





Link




—


☒


Labelling




—


☒


National requirements




—


☒


Other. Verification of compliance with Specification.




2.   Type of amendment(s):








—


☒


Amendment to Single Document or Summary Sheet




—





Amendment to Specification of registered PDO or PGI for which neither the Single Document nor the Summary Sheet has been published




—





Amendment to Specification that requires no amendment to the published Single Document (Article 9(3) of Regulation (EC) No 510/2006)




—





Temporary amendment to Specification resulting from imposition of obligatory sanitary or phytosanitary measures by public authorities (Article 9(4) of Regulation (EC) No 510/2006)




3.   Amendment(s):

3.1.   Section B ‘Product description’ of the Specification is amended to include the species ‘Scomber colias’ as a raw material and to permit the use of salted water with less than 1 % salt as a liquid medium:

It is proposed to include the species Scomber colias as a raw material for the product covered by the Protected Geographical Indication ‘Caballa de Andalucía’ in the light of the development of scientific knowledge, since a number of fish taxonomists have recognised this species as being distinct from Scomber japonicus, as stated in the scientific paper ‘Phylogenetic differentiation between Atlantic Scomber colias and Pacific Scomber japonicus based on nuclear DNA sequences’ by Carlos Infante, Enrique Blanco, Eugenia Zausti, Aniela Crespo and Manuel Manchado, published in Genetica (2007), Volume 130, Number 1, pp.1–8 doi:10.1007/s10709-006-0014-5.
3.2.   Classical taxonomy distinguishes three species of the genus Scomber: S. scombrus, S. australasicus and Scomber japonicus. In the light of this new scientific knowledge, it was decided to name the migratory species of the genus Scomber usually found in the Atlantic Ocean Scomber colias, keeping the name Scomber japonicus for the variety typically found in the Pacific and Indian Oceans. Both species are suitable for making this product:

It is proposed to approve the use of salted water with less than 1 % salt as a liquid medium for ‘natural’‘Caballa de Andalucía’.
The raw material for this product is the same, i.e. Scomber japonicus and Scomber colias, and production is the same non-industrial method used for the product in oil. The product’s characteristics are not affected. The only change is in the liquid medium, which is salted water with less than 1 % salt taken from the cooking water.
3.3.   Section C ‘Geographical area’ of the Specification is amended to include the Municipality of Chiclana de la Frontera:

An error in the Summary Sheet and the Specification concerning the Municipality of Chiclana de la Frontera in the Province of Cádiz is corrected. The municipality was included in the documentation submitted to the European Commission on 29 June 2004 but, because of human error, was omitted from the documents subsequently sent for publication.
3.4.   The wording of Section D ‘Proof that the product originates in the area’ is amended:

The wording of this Section is amended, since the body responsible for evaluating the product’s compliance with the Specification has changed, to specify the checks to be carried out but without expressly mentioning the body responsible for carrying them out, as this may change.
3.5.   The wording of Section E ‘Description of the method of production’ is amended to include the use of salted water as a liquid medium in the packaging and the forms of packaging to be used:

The text under ‘Packaging’ is amended as follows:

‘The product is presented as skinned and boned fillets, covered in oil or salted water, in round or rectangular tins or in glass jars.’

3.6.   Amendment of Section G ‘Verification of compliance with the specification’:

In order to bring the text into line with the information submitted to the European Commission under the system of official checks on quality products of Andalusia, which forms part of the Multiannual Inspection Plan, a website of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and the Environment of the Government of Andalusia is given on which details will be provided of the bodies responsible for verifying compliance with the Specification.
3.7.   Section H ‘Labelling’ of the Specification is amended:

The wording of this Section is amended as follows to include the logo of ‘Caballa de Andalucía’:

‘The individual label of each producer marketing the product covered by the Protected Geographical Indication “Caballa de Andalucía” must bear prominently the words: “Indicación Geográfica Protegida” (Protected Geographical Indication), the Community logo and the name “Caballa de Andalucía”, plus any other information required under the current legislation.



All packaging in which the protected mackerel is placed on the market must bear a numbered label issued by the Regulatory Board that is affixed at the packaging stage in such a way that it cannot be reused.’

3.8.   Amendment of Section I ‘Legal requirements’:

The legislation specified in the Specification is updated.
SINGLE DOCUMENT

COUNCIL REGULATION (EC) No 510/2006


‘CABALLA DE ANDALUCÍA’


EC No: ES-PGI-0105-0935-09.01.2012


PGI ( X ) PDO ( )

1.   Name:

‘Caballa de Andalucía’
2.   Member State or Third Country:

Spain
3.   Description of the agricultural product or foodstuff:

3.1.   Type of product:







Class 1.7.


Fresh fish, molluscs, and crustaceans and products derived thereform




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

Preserved mackerel fillets, natural and in olive oil, produced using non-industrial methods.
The fillets are a high-quality product with a greyish white colour, a smooth, compact and juicy texture, a pleasant smell and a very characteristic bluefish taste.
Three varieties of the preserved mackerel fillets are marketed, differing in the liquid medium used: olive oil, sunflower oil or cooking water. They are packed in round or rectangular tins or glass jars.
3.3.   Raw materials (for processed products only):

The raw material used is fish of the species Scomber japonicus and Scomber colias, which have a spindle-shaped and elongate body, a pointed snout and a thin caudal peduncle. They have two clearly separated dorsal fins and their head and body are covered with small scales. They are a greenish blue colour, with narrow wavy black lines and speckles, while their belly and flanks are of a silvery yellow with bluish grey speckles. They normally measure between 20 and 30 cm.
3.4.   Feed (for products of animal origin only):

—
3.5.   Specific steps in production that must take place in the defined geographical area:

Non-industrial production methods traditional in Andalusia since antiquity are used. The mackerel is skinned by hand without the use of chemicals, thus ensuring a high-quality product with a greyish white colour that preserves all its characteristics.
The fish are placed exclusively in salted water (with less than 1 % salt), olive or sunflower oil.
3.6.   Specific rules concerning slicing, grating, packaging, etc.:

—
3.7.   Specific rules concerning labelling:

The individual label of each producer marketing the product covered by the Protected Geographical Indication ‘Caballa de Andalucía’ must bear prominently the words: ‘Indicación Geográfica Protegida’ (Protected Geographical Indication), the name ‘Caballa de Andalucía’ and the European Union logo. In addition, the packaging of all preserved ‘Caballa de Andalucía’ covered by the Protected Geographical Indication must bear the following PGI logo.



All packaging in which the protected mackerel is placed on the market must bear a numbered label issued by the Regulatory Board that is affixed at the packaging stage in such a way that it cannot be reused.
4.   Concise definition of the geographical area:

Production takes place in the municipalities of Almería, Adra, Carboneras, Garrucha and Roquetas de Mar in the Province of Almería; Algeciras, Barbate, Cádiz, Chiclana de la Frontera, Chipiona, Conil, La Línea, Puerto de Santa María, Rota, Sanlúcar de Barrameda and Tarifa in the Province of Cádiz; Almuñécar and Motril in the Province of Granada; Ayamonte, Cartaya, Huelva, Isla Cristina, Lepe, Palos de la Frontera and Punta Umbría in the Province of Huelva; and Estepona, Fuengirola, Málaga, Marbella and Vélez-Málaga in the Province of Málaga.
5.   Link with the geographical area:

5.1.   Specificity of the geographical area:

The mackerel preserves are produced in preserving plants located within the geographical production area in accordance with the requirements of the Specification, particularly as regards non-industrial processing involving methods and procedures used since antiquity that allow the fish’s natural characteristics to be maintained.
Skinning of the fish by hand is a particularly important stage in the production process and is carried out by skilled workers trained in this traditional operation that has been passed down from generation to generation.
5.2.   Specificity of the product:

The non-industrial methods used to produce ‘Caballa de Andalucía’ preserve all the natural characteristics of the product, which is distinguished by a smooth, compact and juicy texture, a pleasant smell and a very characteristic bluefish taste.
The species of mackerel referred to above that provide the raw material for the product, although migratory, are normally found along the coast of the production area.
5.3.   Causal link between the geographical area and the quality or characteristics of the product (for PDO) or a specific quality, the reputation or other characteristic of the product (for PGI):

Migratory species have been fished in the south of Spain for 3 000 years, since the Phoenicians and the Tartessians began catching tuna, frigate tuna and mackerel using small nets, rudimentary purse seines and the familiar hook and line. As well as fishing, mention should also be made of the importance of the processing industry for these migratory species, whose origins go back to the 1st century AD. All types of tuna and mackerel were processed at factories all along the coast of Andalusia. The famous ruins of Baelo Claudia at Bolonia (Tarifa), where tanks are still visible today, are just one example. Preserving fishery products from species caught in the area is a time-honoured tradition in Andalusia that continues to this day, using non-industrial methods to produce a distinctive, high-quality product meeting food safety standards and with organoleptic properties that derive from the particular raw material used.
In addition, the non-industrial preserving sector has been dominated by small and medium-sized family undertakings, managed by either the founders or their descendants, which has made it possible to maintain traditional production methods. The long traditions of the industry in Andalusia and the experience of non-industrial production handed down from generation to generation guarantee a skilled labour force.

Reference to publication of the specification:

(Article 5(7) of Regulation (EC) No 510/2006)
The full text of the Product Specification is available at:
http://www.juntadeandalucia.es/agriculturaypesca/portal/export/sites/default/comun/galerias/galeriaDescargas/cap/industrias-agroalimentarias/denominacion-de-origen/Pliegos/Pliego_modificado_Caballa.pdf
or
via the homepage of the Regional Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and the Environment (http://www.juntadeandalucia.es/agriculturaypesca/portal), by following the following navigation pathway: ‘Industrias Agroalimentarias’/‘Calidad y Promoción’/‘Denominaciones de Calidad’/‘Otros Productos’. The Specification is located under the name of the Quality Designation.


(1)  OJ L 93, 31.3.2006, p. 12.