Publication of an 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
Date: 2016-01-21
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: Alpine Region, Bavaria, Germany, consumer information, cows’ milk cheese, designation of origin, hard cheese, labelling, product designation, quality control of agricultural products








C_2016020EN.01001001.xml










21.1.2016   


EN


Official Journal of the European Union


C 20/10





Publication of an 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
(2016/C 20/04)
This publication confers the right to oppose the application pursuant to Article 51 of Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012 (1).
SINGLE DOCUMENT

‘ALLGÄUER SENNALPKÄSE’


EU No: DE-PDO-0005-0897-11.10.2011


PDO ( X ) PGI ( )

1.   Name(s)


‘Allgäuer Sennalpkäse’

2.   Member State or Third Country

Germany
3.   Description of the agricultural product or foodstuff

3.1.   Type of product

Class 1.3. Cheeses
3.2.   Description of the product to which the name in (1) applies

‘Allgäuer Sennalpkäse’ is a hard cheese with a long shelf life, which is produced using traditional, artisanal methods directly on the ‘Sennalpen’ (Alpine summer dairy farms) in the Allgäu from natural unpasteurised cows’ milk and processed by hand. It is a typical product of Alpine farming in the Allgäu.
‘Allgäuer Sennalpkäse’ is a cylindrical hard cheese, produced in rounds of between 5-35 kg in weight and 30-70 cm in diameter, with a height of up to 15 cm.
The rind is dried and yellowy-orange to brown in colour. The cheese is firm to supple in texture and typically has a modest distribution of pea-sized holes. Its colour is ivory to yellowish.
Rounds weighing 5-15 kg may be cut and sold as young ‘Allgäuer Sennalpkäse’ after they have been matured for three months. The dry matter content of young ‘Allgäuer Sennalpkäse’ is at least 55 %, while the fat content in the dry matter may not be less than 45 %. Young ‘Allgäuer Sennalpkäse’ has a mild nutty taste, a delicate aroma, and a soft texture in the mouth.
Sennalpkäse weighing over 15 kg is matured for at least four months. The dry matter content of aged ‘Allgäuer Sennalpkäse’ must be at least 62 %, while the fat content in the dry matter is at least than 45 %. It has a spicy and nutty taste, and may also be slightly smoky in some cases.
As ‘Allgäuer Sennalpkäse’ ages, it becomes more piquant and robust in flavour and firmer in texture, with a more developed aroma, and more intense taste, smell and colour.
3.3.   Feed (for products of animal origin only) and raw materials (for processed products only)


Feed

During the production period of ‘Allgäuer Sennalpkäse’, at least 60 % of the cows’ feed must come from the production area.
Since ‘Allgäuer Sennalpkäse’ is only produced during the grazing season from May to October (180 days) in the Alps, grazing on the mountain pastures is the main source of feed for the cows. They must graze on the Alps for at least 80 days. They may not be driven back to their farms or down to pastures in the valleys every day. The grass from grazing may be supplemented with hay, which can be vital in times of unforeseen shortages of feed (due to snowfall, for example) or structural adjustments required in the dairy herd’s feed.
The fodder may be enhanced with high-energy or high-protein elements, such as cereals, protein crops (green corn, alfalfa hay), the by-products produced in corn and oil mills, milk yield feedingstuffs suitable for hard cheeses and other feedingstuffs; these dietary supplements may be given individually or mixed together; they may not exceed 30 % of the total daily feed ration per animal.
Feeding dairy cows haylage and silage feed is generally not allowed.

Raw materials

The milk used for the production of ‘Allgäuer Sennalpkäse’ comes from cows of the Braunvieh breed typical in the region and their cross-breeds.
Only raw milk from one or more milkings on the respective Alp may be used, chilled where necessary. The milk from the evening milking is usually skimmed. Only natural rennet and lactic acid bacteria cultures may be used to coagulate the milk. Rennet produced by genetically modified micro-organisms may not be used. No chemical additives or preservatives are added to the cheese, except salt (obligatory) and ‘red smear’ bacteria (optional) to help develop the taste and rind.
3.4.   Specific steps in production that must take place in the identified geographical area

The entire production (production, curdling of the milk, processing of the curd, moulding, salt bath, care and ageing) must take place within the geographical area defined in point 4.
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

The label should bear the name ‘Allgäuer Sennalpkäse’. In addition the term ‘Bergkäse’ may be included on the label, if it complies with the rules laid down in Article 31(1) of Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012 and in Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) No 665/2014 of 11 March 2014 supplementing Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012 of the European Parliament and of the Council with regard to conditions of use of the optional quality term ‘mountain product’.
4.   Concise definition of the geographical area

The production area of ‘Allgäuer Sennalpkäse’ is on the southern edge of the Bavarian administrative region of Swabia in the Alps at an altitude of at least 800 m above sea level. It covers the area of the Allgäu rural districts of Ostallgäu, Oberallgäu and Lindau.
5.   Link with the geographical area

The climate and geography of the production area of ‘Allgäuer Sennalpkäse’ are typical of the Bavarian Alps and Alpine foothills. The average annual temperature varies between 4 °C and 6 °C, depending on altitude. Rainfall is 1 000-2 400 mm a year; there are no long dry periods. The geological substrate consists of molasse, helveticum, flysch and alpine limestone rock (main dolomite); it is predominantly marked by the ice age. The main soil types are predominantly shallow rendzinas, brown earths and pseudo-gley soils, along with luvisols in nutrient-rich moraine sites. At lower levels there are moorland formations.
The climate conditions and the uneven terrain favour grassland farming. The pastures that make up over 70 % of the agricultural land in the Allgäu play a decisive role (in other Bavarian regions they often account for less than 10 %). Steep slopes and pastures rising to above 2 000 m in altitude and a correspondingly short growing season mean that the land is often only suitable for alpine grazing. For centuries Alpine grazing has made it possible to use the mountain pastures as a food source, offering respite to the livestock’s farms of origin in the valleys. Alpine farming contributes significantly to preserving the rural landscape of the Allgäu.
The specific local conditions (climate, terrain and soil) combined with extensive grazing allow the growth of vegetation typical for mountain meadows and pastures, with a significantly higher proportion of herbs in its composition in comparison with valley areas and a special biodiversity conditioned by its location and use.
Grazing on high Alpine pastures makes the cows’ milk rich in substances such as carotinoids, terpenes and polyunsaturated fatty acids, which contribute significantly to the yellowish colour, aromatic scent and intense, multifaceted flavour of ‘Allgäuer Sennalpkäse’. ‘Allgäuer Sennalpkäse’ is made from untreated raw milk, using only natural rennet. This, in conjunction with the above-mentioned specific herb-rich feed, gives it a piquant to robust, spicy, somewhat nutty and (if wood-fired) occasionally slightly smoky taste. As it ages, the cheese becomes spicier and richer in flavour. Other special features are its compact and smooth consistency, fine holes, colour and intense aroma.
The Braunvieh breed is a traditional breed in Bavaria, particularly in the geographical area of the Allgäu region. It is a long-living, high-yield, classic dual-use breed, with good milk and meat yield. The originally rather small to medium-sized animals with their adaptability, considerable grazing capacity, robust constitution and sure-footed manner make them particularly well-suited for extensively farmed holdings in mountain regions. Also worth highlighting is the high protein content in milk from Braunvieh cows, eminently suitable for cheese-making. This makes it an essential element in giving ‘Allgäuer Sennalpkäse’ its highly specific nature. Using a cattle breed typical of the region enhances the cheese’s strong association and close link with the region.
As far back as Roman times, cheese was produced to preserve the milk that could not then or even now be taken down from the Alps every day. Old documents show that the traditional cheese-making methods which form the basis for the production of ‘Allgäuer Sennalpkäse’ were already being used in the time of the Thirty Years’ War. The production of big round hard cheeses, which emerged in the Allgäu following the introduction of cheeses from the Swiss Appenzell around 1820, meant that the cheese could be kept for longer. In addition, sales of the hard cheeses were more lucrative. The region has a long tradition of know-how for producing ‘Allgäuer Sennalpkäse’, which has often been handed down in families for generations. The Allgäu dairy farmers have also had intensive exchanges of information through regular meetings and shared training initiatives, which has contributed significantly to the preservation of knowledge on the production of ‘Allgäuer Sennalpkäse’.
There is no industrial production of ‘Allgäuer Sennalpkäse’, which underlines the importance of the human element and craftsmanship. Each step of the processing is carried out purely by hand and largely using traditional working equipment, such as cheese harps or wooden boards for pressing of the curds. The milk is traditionally warmed in copper kettles, which has a positive effect on how the cheese matures and tastes.
The cheesemaker must monitor every step very closely and recognise the right time for each stage of processing. After renneting, during the boiling process the milk used to produce ‘Allgäuer Sennalpkäse’ is heated carefully to at least 52 °C (i.e. a relatively high temperature). This process is important in giving the cheese its long shelf-life, which is important in the Alps. At the same time, the milk must be handled carefully to ensure that a large part of the aromatic and microbiological characteristics and components and thus the specific qualities of the milk are retained. In addition, the naturally changing feeding conditions on the mountain pastures mean that the milk does not have any standard characteristics, but rather that its quality (in terms of protein content or fatty acid composition, for example) fluctuates. Their vast experience allows the makers of ‘Allgäuer Sennalpkäse’ to amply compensate for these natural fluctuations.
This experience is also essential for slicing the coagulated milk into the right sizes needed to give ‘Allgäuer Sennalpkäse’ its compact, smooth consistency. The curd pressing is also done by hand, usually using a wooden board and the moulds for the cheese rounds. The cheesemaker’s careful handling of these stages in the process is decisive for the rest of the maturing process and thus the quality of the end product. ‘Allgäuer Sennalpkäse’ is immersed in a salt bath for three days before it is aged. This salt bath ensures that the cheese immediately hermetically seals from the outside and matures carefully and evenly on the inside, thus giving ‘Allgäuer Sennalpkäse’ its even, compact consistency.
Particular care must be given to the rounds of cheese during the ageing stage, since this stage also takes place on the Alps in cooler temperatures with higher (often fluctuating) levels of humidity. The cheese often matures over winter in natural cellars, where it needs particularly careful monitoring by the alpine dairy farmers, as the maturing conditions there cannot be standardised technologically. The farmer decides with a practised look when the rounds are ready to be turned, washed or brushed, thereby contributing significantly to the cheese quality. Consideration must be given to the specifics of each Alp, its local conditions and technical facilities.
The close connection of the cheese with its area of production is also evinced by the almost total lack of transport during production. The milk is produced on the Alps and processed directly on site, exclusively by hand. A very significant portion of sales also take place directly on site.
‘Allgäuer Sennalpkäse’ should thus be considered as a product that is strongly marked by the region and central to its identity.

Reference to publication of the product specification

(The second subparagraph of Article 6(1) of this Regulation)
https://register.dpma.de/DPMAregister/geo/detail.pdfdownload/41099


(1)  OJ L 343, 14.12.2012, p. 1.