Publication of the amended single document following the approval of a minor amendment pursuant to the second subparagraph of Article 53(2) of Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012
Date: 2019-03-25
Institutions: Directorate-General for Agriculture and Rural Development, European Commission
Subjects: France, Rhône-Alpes, consumer information, cows’ milk cheese, designation of origin, labelling, product designation, quality control of agricultural products








C_2019111EN.01005601.xml










25.3.2019   


EN


Official Journal of the European Union


C 111/56






Publication of the amended single document following the approval of a minor amendment pursuant to the second subparagraph of Article 53(2) of Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012
(2019/C 111/15)
The European Commission has approved this minor amendment application in accordance with the third subparagraph of Article 6(2) of Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) No 664/2014 (1).
The application for approval of this minor amendment can be consulted on the Commission’s DOOR database.
SINGLE DOCUMENT
‘ABONDANCE’

EU No: PDO-FR-00105-AM02 – 26.9.2018


PDO ( X ) PGI ( )

1.   Name(s)

‘Abondance’
2.   Member State or Third Country

France
3.   Description of the agricultural product or foodstuff

3.1.   Type of product

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

‘Abondance’ is a pressed, semi-cooked and renneted cheese made from raw whole milk. It is ripened for at least 100 days.
Its shape is that of a flat cylindrical millstone 7 to 8 cm high, with a concave heel and weighing between 6 and 12 kg.
It has a smear-ripened rind with a rough-textured appearance and a colour ranging from golden yellow to brown. The cheese itself is soft, with a melt-in-the-mouth texture and no springiness, and ranges from ivory to pale yellow in colour. It generally has a light scattering of small holes. It may have a number of fine horizontal slit eyes.
It contains a minimum of 48 g of fat per 100 g of cheese after total desiccation and its dry matter must not be less than 58 g per 100 g of cheese.
3.3.   Feed (for products of animal origin only) and raw materials (for processed products only)

To ensure the link with the area, the herd’s feed must essentially consist of fodder from the geographical area of origin. At least 50 % (gross weight) of the basic ration is made up of grass collected in the summer and of hay, which may be distributed without restriction throughout the winter.
The share of the feed sourced from outside the geographical area may not account for more than 35 % (dry weight) of the dry matter consumed by the herd annually.
During the winter period, the minimum grazing period for dairy cows is 150 consecutive or non-consecutive days.
Bringing in dried fodder from outside the geographical area is permitted only as a supplement to the locally sourced feed and may not exceed 30 % of the herd’s annual dry fodder requirement, expressed in terms of gross weight of the herd on the holding.
The basic feed ration may be supplemented with supplementary feedingstuffs, but these are restricted to 1 800 kg (gross weight) per dairy cow per year and 500 kg/livestock unit of heifers per year. Authorised straight or compound feedingstuffs are set out in a positive list.
The herd’s feed may not include silage products, fermented fodder, tied bales or feed that could have an adverse influence on the odour or taste of the milk or cheese or which present a risk of bacteriological contamination.
Transgenic crops are prohibited in all areas of farms producing milk intended for processing into ‘Abondance’. This prohibition applies to all types of plant likely to be given as feed to animals on the farm and to all crops liable to contaminate such plants.
The milk used for making the cheese comes exclusively from cows of the Abondance, Tarentaise or Montbéliarde breeds.
At least 45 % of the animals in herds covered by an identification statement for the ‘Abondance’ designation of origin must be of the Abondance breed.
As for milk producers having signed an identification statement for the ‘Abondance’ designation of origin after 7 December 2012, at least 45 % of the animals in their herds must be of the Abondance breed.
3.4.   Specific steps in production that must take place in the defined geographical area

The milk must be produced and the cheese manufactured and ripened within the geographical area.
3.5.   Specific rules concerning slicing, grating, packaging, etc. of the product the registered name refers to

The cheeses must be wrapped individually to protect the cheese smear. However, this requirement may be waived for cheeses that are to be transferred to a cheese-cutting plant, packaging plant or another ripening plant, provided that the means of transport used prevents any changes to the rind.
When on sale in pre-packaged form, three sides of each portion of the cheese must have a rind. However, the rind may be free of cheese smear.
Pieces of the cheese intended for processing may be packaged without rind.
3.6.   Specific rules concerning labelling of the product the registered name refers to

The labelling of cheeses with the designation of origin ‘Abondance’ must include the designation of origin in characters at least two-thirds the size of the largest characters used on the label and display the European Union’s PDO symbol.
Any cheese offered for sale at a cheese counter must bear a label or bandaging on one of its faces.
Each whole ‘Abondance’ cheese intended for marketing has its own individual plate, thus ensuring that it can be identified. The plate is affixed to the heel of each whole cheese during pressing.
The identification plate is square-shaped and red in the case of dairy-made cheeses and oval-shaped and green in the case of farm cheeses. It must bear at least the following inscriptions:






—


the identification code of the production workshop;










—


in the case of farm cheeses, the word ‘fermier’ (‘farm-made’).




The month and day of production are given on the heel near the identification plate in numbers or letters made of casein or food-grade ink.
4.   Concise definition of the geographical area

Abondance, Alex, Allèves, Allonzier-la-Caille, Amancy, Andilly, Annecy (only the part corresponding to the former municipality of d’Annecy-le-Vieux), Arâches-la-Frasse, Arbusigny, Arenthon, Armoy, Ayse, (La) Balme-de-Thuy, (La) Baume, Beaumont, Bellevaux, Bernex, (Le) Biot, Bluffy, Boëge, Bogève, Bonnevaux, Bonneville, (Le) Bouchet-Mont-Charvin, Brenthonne, Brizon, Burdignin, Cercier, Cernex, Cervens, Chainaz-les-Frasses, Chamonix-Mont-Blanc, Champanges, (La) Chapelle-d’Abondance, (La) Chapelle-Rambaud, (La) Chapelle-Saint-Maurice, Charvonnex, Châtel, Châtillon-sur-Cluses, Chevaline, Chevenoz, Choisy, (Les) Clefs, (La) Clusaz, Cluses, Collonges-sous-Salève, Combloux, Contamine-sur-Arve, (Les) Contamines-Montjoie, Copponex, Cordon, Cornier, (La) Côte-d’Arbroz, Cruseilles, Cusy, Cuvat, Demi-Quartier, Dingy-Saint-Clair, Domancy, Doussard, Duingt, Entremont, Entrevernes, Essert-Romand, Etaux, Faucigny, Faverges-Seythenex, Fessy, Féternes, Fillière, Fillinges, (La) Forclaz, (Les) Gets, Giez, (Le) Grand-Bornand, Groisy, Gruffy, Habère-Lullin, Habère-Poche, Héry-sur-Alby, (Les) Houches, Larringes, Lathuile, Leschaux, Lucinges, Lugrin, Lullin, Lyaud, Magland, Manigod, Marcellaz, Marignier, Marnaz, Megève, Mégevette, Meillerie, Menthon-Saint-Bernard, Menthonnex-en-Bornes, Mieussy, Mont-Saxonnex, Montmin-Talloires, Montriond, Morillon, Morzine, (La) Muraz, Mûres, Nancy-sur-Cluses, Nâves-Parmelan, Novel, Onnion, Orcier, Passy, Peillonnex, Pers-Jussy, (Le) Petit-Bornand-les-Glières, Praz-sur-Arly, Présilly, Quintal, (Le) Reposoir, Reyvroz, (La) Rivière-Enverse, (La) Roche-sur-Foron, Saint-André-de-Boëge, Saint-Blaise, Saint-Eustache, Saint-Ferréol, Saint-Gervais-les-Bains, Saint-Gingolph, Saint-Jean-d’Aulps, Saint-Jean-de-Sixt, Saint-Jean-de-Tholome, Saint-Jeoire, Saint-Jorioz, Saint-Laurent, Saint-Paul-en-Chablais, Saint-Pierre-en-Faucigny, Saint-Sigismond, Saint-Sixt, Sallanches, Samoëns, (Le) Sappey, Saxel, Scionzier, Serraval, Servoz, Sévrier, Seytroux, Sixt-Fer-à-Cheval, Taninges, Thollon-les-Mémises, Thônes, Thyez, (La) Tour, Vacheresse, Vailly, Val de Chaise, Vallorcine, Verchaix, (La) Vernaz, Vers, Veyrier-du-Lac, Villard, (Les) Villards-sur-Thônes, Villaz, Ville-en-Sallaz, Villy-le-Bouveret, Villy-le-Pelloux, Vinzier, Viuz-en-Sallaz, Viuz-la-Chiésaz, Vougy, Vovray-en-Bornes.
5.   Link with the geographical area

In terms of natural factors, the geographical area of ‘Abondance’ is based on the area where production of the cheese originated, i.e. the Pays d’Abondance (including the Abondance Valley) in the Chablais region, in the northern part of the Department of Haute-Savoie between Lake Genera and the Giffre Valley. The geographical area has specific climatic conditions owing to its geographical location and topography, its proximity to Lake Geneva and its extensive woodlands.
The geological characteristics of its soils (essentially calcareous pre-Alpine and sub-Alpine massifs and the calcareous massifs of the northern Alps, where the alpine level is poorly developed), along with its particular climate (high rainfall in summer) and marked temperature differences have resulted in rolling landscapes and enabled clearing of mountain pastures with a very rich flora.
In terms of human factors, raising dairy cattle was the most obvious way to use the land due to the difficult living conditions. Dairy farming, which has been practised in the area for centuries, is characterised by the use of specific breeds and a particular way of organising the use of mountain pastures.
The breeds reared by the dairy farmers (Abondance, Tarentaise and Montbéliarde) are particularly well adapted to the natural environment. The ‘Abondance’ breed (its name comes from the ‘Abondance Valley’), which is accustomed to the difficult climatic and topographical conditions, produces particularly hardy and resilient dual-purpose cattle which are predominantly used for milk production. Its milk has characteristics which make it particularly suitable for cheese-making. The breed, which is historically associated with this cheese, has been a particular focus of attention for dairy farmers in their desire to preserve and strengthen its presence in the geographical area and its contribution to the production of the cheese.
‘Abondance’ has been produced in this region for several centuries. Starting in the 13th century, the monks of Abondance Abbey encouraged the making of this cheese, in particular by promoting the clearing of pastures. Even today, the feed given to the dairy cows is essentially derived from the local pastures and alpine meadows. The alpine meadows are exploited using a system known in French as ‘montagne individuelle’ (‘private mountain’). Under this system, herds are not grouped together. Rather, each family grazes their own herd separately. This grazing management method is characteristically employed in the alpine meadows of the region and historically associated with farm-based cheese production.
Nowadays, a considerable amount of ‘Abondance’ is still produced on farms but the production method has also been transferred to production in dairies. Nevertheless, the traditional know-how has been maintained, e.g. regarding the use of raw milk and the technology associated with semi-cooked cheese.
‘Abondance’ is a pressed, semi-cooked cheese made exclusively from raw and whole cow’s milk and with a long ripening period.
‘Abondance’ distinguishes itself from other pressed cooked cheeses in particular by having a smaller size, a concave heel, a soft texture and a diverse range of aromas, generally accompanied by a slightly bitter taste.
The dairy cows, which are well adapted to the local environmental conditions, make good use of the rich flora of the geographical area. The flora of the meadows is the source of the aromatic precursors in ‘Abondance’. The cheese-makers promote the presence of these precursors in the cheese by using raw whole milk which is not treated in any way liable to affect the flora.
‘Abondance’ is a pressed, semi-cooked cheese. The use of technology for making pressed semi-cooked cheeses gives it a softer texture than pressed cooked cheeses. This softness of texture has led to the use of a type of mould enabling the characteristic shape of ‘Abondance’ to be obtained. This shape makes the cheese easier to handle, especially when bringing it down from alpine pastures.
The cheese is relatively small compared to others, especially pressed cooked cheeses. This is directly linked to the way the family herd is managed on alpine pastures and the processing of the milk into cheese, which historically took place on the farm.
Production of this cheese is an integral part of the local economy and recognition of the designation has enabled traditional farming activities in the region to be maintained.

Reference to publication of the specification

(the second subparagraph of Article 6(1) of this Regulation)
https://info.agriculture.gouv.fr/gedei/site/bo-agri/document_administratif-63b62c15-490c-417a-bde8-c73f4f4c4711


(1)  OJ L 179, 19.6.2014, p. 17.