Publication of an approved standard amendment to a product specification of a protected designation of origin or protected geographical indication in the agricultural products and foodstuffs sector, as referred to in Article 6b(2) and (3) of Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) No 664/2014 2023/C 128/05
Date: 2023-04-12
Institutions: Directorate-General for Agriculture and Rural Development, European Commission
Subjects: Andalusia, Extremadura, Spain, consumer information, designation of origin, labelling, meat product, product designation, quality control of agricultural products








C_2023128EN.01000501.xml










12.4.2023   


EN


Official Journal of the European Union


C 128/5






Publication of an approved standard amendment to a product specification of a protected designation of origin or protected geographical indication in the agricultural products and foodstuffs sector, as referred to in Article 6b(2) and (3) of Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) No 664/2014
(2023/C 128/05)
This communication is published in accordance with Article 6b(5) of Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) No 664/2014 (1).

Communicating the approval of a standard amendment to the product specification of a protected designation of origin or protected geographical indication originating in a Member State


‘Jabugo’


EU No: PDO-ES-0009-AM03


Date of communication: 18.1.2023


PGI ( ) PDO (X)

1.   Name of product

‘Jabugo’
2.   Member State to which the geographical area belongs

Spain
3.   Member State authority communicating the standard amendment

Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food
4.   Description of the approved amendment(s)

1.   Maturing time

Description
(E)   Production method
The reason for the amendment under ‘Production method’ is that, in the two amendments to the specification registered with the European Commission, the minimum maturing time for hams and shoulder hams was removed by mistake. It is therefore necessary to reinstate it in order to guarantee the link, while also lending more weight to the statement that they ‘naturally acquire the characteristics of the processing area for PDO “Jabugo”’.
The following text has been added:
‘This stage must take at least 360 days for hams and 180 days for shoulder hams’.
The amendment does not affect the single document.
2.   Updating the details of the competent authority

Description
(G)   Inspection body
The details of the competent authority have been updated in the specification.
The amendment does not affect the single document.
3.   Labelling of products sold sliced or boned

Description
A description of the way in which the products are identified when sold sliced, cut into portions, boned, etc. has been added to Section H (Labelling) of the specification and point 3.6 of the single document.
The following text has been added:
When sold sliced, they must bear the numbered certification label of the ‘Jabugo’ PDO, which must prominently display the name of the designation of origin.
When sold boned, they must be hot-branded with the name of the designation of origin and the operator’s identification code and must bear the numbered certification label of the ‘Jabugo’ PDO, which must prominently display the name of the designation of origin.
The amendment affects the single document.
SINGLE DOCUMENT
1.   Name(s)

‘Jabugo’
2.   Member State or Third Country

Spain
3.   Description of the agricultural product or foodstuff

3.1.   Type of product

Class 1.2. Meat products (cooked, salted, smoked, etc.)
3.2.   Description of product to which the name in (1) applies

PDO ‘Jabugo’ hams and shoulder hams have the following basic characteristics:

Physical

External appearance: elongated, stylised, profile typical of the traditional serrano ‘V’ cut. The ‘half-moon’ cut is also permitted for shoulder hams. In both cases, the trotter is left on.
Weight: at least 5,75 kg for hams and 3,7 kg for shoulder hams.

Organoleptic

External appearance: characteristic and clean external appearance, the prominent colouring being the white or dark bluish-grey colour of its mycotic flora. Colour and appearance when cut: characteristic colour ranging from pink to purplish-red, with a shiny appearance when cut, and streaks of fatty tissue and marbling.
Flavour and aroma: the flavour of the meat is delicate, sweet and not very salty. It has a typical, pleasant aroma.
Consistency and texture: the muscle is firm in consistency, while the fatty tissue is slightly greasy and yields to pressure. It is not very fibrous but very crumbly in texture.
Fat: greasy and dense, shiny, yellowish-white in colour, aromatic and with a pleasant flavour. Its consistency varies according to the proportion of acorns in the diet. These are hams and shoulder hams produced from 100 % pure-bred Iberian pigs raised in the traditional way and fed exclusively on acorns and other natural resources of the dehesa (oak savannah) during the mast-feeding period, and cured naturally in the unique microclimate of La Sierra in the province of Huelva.
The process of making the hams must take at least 600 days for hams of less than 7 kg, 730 days for hams of 7 kg or more and 365 days for shoulder hams.
3.3.   Feed (for products of animal origin only) and raw materials (for processed products only)

The fore and hind legs used to make PDO ‘Jabugo’ hams and shoulder hams must come from 100 % pure-bred Iberian pigs whose diet prior to slaughter, in accordance with the local terms used, corresponds to:






(a)


Acorn-fed or mast-finished pigs: these pigs are intended for slaughter immediately after mast-feeding exclusively on acorns and grasses on the holm, cork and gall oak dehesas. The average weight of the consignment at the start of mast-feeding must be between 92 kg and 115 kg. The pigs must gain a minimum of 46 kg during mast-feeding over more than 60 days. Individual carcasses must weigh at least 108 kg. These pigs, raised in the traditional way and fed exclusively on acorns and other natural resources of the dehesa during the mast-feeding period, which takes place between 1 October and 31 March, are slaughtered at an age of at least 14 months.




The production area, where the Iberian pigs that provide the raw material for the protected products are fattened, consists of the extensive dehesas in the vast regions of Extremadura and Andalusia. The key factors which determine the quality of the pigs and thus the subsequent organoleptic quality of the protected hams and shoulder hams and which give PDO ‘Jabugo’ hams and shoulder hams their distinctive quality and characteristics are the pigs’ diet and their management under an extensive system of farming during the final fattening stage, making full use of the resources of the dehesa, i.e. acorns, natural herbage and stubble.
The livestock density must be no more than 1,25 pigs per hectare and is determined for each farm on the basis of an estimate of the quantity of acorns on the holm, cork and gall oak trees available to the pigs on each acorn-rich pasture.
3.4.   Specific steps in production that must take place in the defined geographical area

The pigs must be reared and fattened in the production area. Processing (slaughter, butchery, salting, washing, resting, drying and maturing) must take place in the processing area.
3.5.   Specific rules concerning slicing, grating, packaging, etc. of the product the registered name refers to

Certified hams and shoulder hams may be sold boned, in portions or in pieces, provided that a suitable system of self-monitoring, packaging and labelling is in place and provided that the verification protocol developed by the management body to guarantee the traceability and origin of the finished product has been accepted and is complied with. To this end, the management body must be notified of this practice.
3.6.   Specific rules concerning labelling of the product the registered name refers to

Hams and shoulder hams must bear a seal affixed at the slaughterhouse and a label affixed when they leave the maturing cellar, both of which are specific to the ‘Jabugo’ PDO and must be numbered and prominently display the name of the designation of origin. When sold sliced, they must bear the numbered certification label of the ‘Jabugo’ PDO, which must prominently display the name of the designation of origin. When sold boned, they must be hot-branded with the name of the designation of origin and the operator’s identification code and must bear the numbered certification label of the ‘Jabugo’ PDO, which must prominently display the name of the designation of origin.
4.   Concise definition of the geographical area

The production area comprises the municipalities in the following districts with holm, cork and gall oak dehesas in the provinces of Cáceres and Badajoz in Extremadura and the provinces of Seville, Córdoba, Huelva, Cádiz and Málaga in Andalusia:






—


Cáceres: Cáceres, Trujillo, Brozas, Valencia de Alcántara, Logrosán, Navalmoral de la Mata, Jaraiz de la Vera, Plasencia, Hervás and Coria










—


Badajoz: Alburquerque, Mérida, Don Benito, Puebla de Alcocer, Herrera del Duque, Badajoz, Almendralejo, Castuera, Olivenza, Jerez de los Caballeros, Llerena and Azuaya










—


Seville: Sierra Norte










—


Córdoba: Los Pedroches, La Sierra and Campiña Baja










—


Huelva: La Sierra, Andévalo Occidental, Andévalo Oriental and Condado Campiña










—


Cádiz: La Sierra, La Janda, Campo de Gibraltar and Campiña










—


Málaga: Serranía de Ronda




The processing area comprises the 31 municipalities in the district of La Sierra in the province of Huelva: Alájar, Almonaster la Real, Aracena, Aroche, Arroyomolinos de León, Cala, Campofrío, Cañaveral de León, Castaño de Robledo, Corteconcepción, Cortegana, Cortelazor, Cumbres de Enmedio, Cumbres de San Bartolomé, Cumbres Mayores, Encinasola, Fuenteheridos, Galaroza, La Granada de Río Tinto, Higuera de la Sierra, Hinojales, Jabugo, Linares de la Sierra, Los Marines, La Nava, Puerto Moral, Rosal de la Frontera, Santa Ana la Real, Santa Olalla del Cala, Valdelarco and Zufre.
5.   Link with the geographical area

The production area corresponds to the tree-covered dehesas of Extremadura and Andalusia. It is the processing area for PDO ‘Jabugo’ that is important when it comes to distinguishing the area from the other areas that produce Iberian ham in Spain. It is restricted to La Sierra de Huelva and has the following characteristics:

Landscape

La Sierra de Huelva is the northernmost district in the province of Huelva and is in the last (westernmost) foothills of the Sierra Morena. Its 31 municipalities form a homogeneous area within the province of Huelva. The terrain is quite rugged, but the mountains do not rank as more than medium-altitude, because the action of the network of rivers has led to the formation of a large number of alternating mountain ridges and valleys. Altitudes are lowest in the outermost areas of the district and increase gradually toward its centre, culminating in a ‘central triangle’ known as the Serranía de Aracena. Altitudes range between 500 m and 1 042 m (Cumbre del Castaño), the average being around 700 m.

Climate

The area’s climate is basically determined by its latitude, which is between 37o 04' and 38o N. It therefore lies where the subtropical high-pressure belt and the subpolar low-pressure belt meet, the climate being dominated by first one and then the other, depending on the season. The area’s proximity to the Atlantic Ocean has a very significant influence on its climate, as the moist, temperate winds blow in from the west without hindrance, affecting both temperature and rainfall. The district intercepts all the Atlantic air masses moving across Andalusia, as its central peaks are the first barrier they encounter. The 1 000 mm isohyet coincides almost exactly with the ‘central triangle’. In general, the district as a whole has quite a high level of rainfall, as it lies entirely within the 700 mm isohyet. The highest rainfall is in winter. Rainfall in spring and autumn is almost the same, but the summer is a time of drought, which is almost total in July and August. The average temperature ranges from 14,8 oC in Aracena to 18,4 oC in La Garnacha. The hottest month is July, with average temperatures ranging from 25 oC in Aracena to 27,7 oC in La Garnacha. The coldest month is always January, except in La Garnacha, where it is December, with temperatures ranging from 6,2 oC to 10,7 oC.

Hydrography

The district of La Sierra forms the watershed for the Guadiana, Guadalquivir and Odiel river basins and has an abundance of watercourses and rain-dependent seasonal streams which flow into the area’s rivers and reservoirs.

Vegetation

La Sierra de Huelva has a surface area of 307 952 ha, of which more than 73 % (227 023 ha) is wooded. This area includes more than 120 000 ha of holm and cork oak dehesas. The area’s flora includes Trifolium subterraneum and Periballia laevis on sandy and decomposed granite soils, Trifolium subterraneum (very abundant), Poa bulbosa and Periballia minuta on holm oak pastures, and Rumex bucephalophorus, Trifolium subterraneum and Periballia laevis on the calcifugous soils of the cork oak dehesas, along with Cistaceae and Genisteae.

Know-how of local producers

The know-how of the local producers and processors is passed on from one generation to the next, from parent to child. The finished product is the result of the customary know-how of the livestock farmers, linked to the dehesa and the Iberian pig, and of the ham and shoulder ham producers, linked to La Sierra in the province of Huelva. The know-how of the livestock farmers enables them to maintain the delicate balance of the dehesa ecosystem through the traditional farming of Iberian pigs while respecting animal welfare. When the pigs are being fattened under an extensive system of farming, the herds are taken to the steepest and least accessible plots of land first and the flattest and most accessible plots of land last.
The master ham-maker determines exactly how long to salt the fore and hind legs; when the hams and shoulder hams should be hung in the natural drying chambers; when the windows should be opened and closed in the drying chambers to take advantage of the microclimate; when the hams and shoulder hams should be taken down to the natural maturing cellars to start the slow process of maturing; and when the hams and shoulder hams are fully cured, when their organoleptic qualities have reached their peak.
The features of the geographical environment affect both the raw material and the finished product, as the specific characteristics of PDO ‘Jabugo’ hams and shoulder hams are due to the following factors: production in a sustainable ecosystem, the dehesa, in which Iberian pigs are fattened under an extensive system of farming using the resources it affords; and processing in the microclimate of La Sierra in the province of Huelva.
First the hams and shoulder hams are salted. Then, they are washed, after which they are rested to allow an even distribution of salt to be achieved between the surface and the core. The hams and shoulder hams are then hung in the natural drying chambers to allow them to ‘sweat’, taking advantage of the microclimate.
Finally, the hams and shoulder hams are moved to the natural maturing cellars to mature slowly, developing their own external mycotic flora as a result of the virtual stability of the temperature and humidity conditions over time.
The organoleptic characteristics of the hams and shoulder hams are the result of the physical, chemical and biological reactions undergone by the nutritional components of the acorns (especially their lipid content) and natural herbage when they are metabolised by the Iberian pig and, subsequently, during the slow and gradual curing of the ham or shoulder ham, a process where the following factors come into play: the geographical location is the most southerly area in the European Union in which ham is produced, which means that it has hot summer days; it is in the mountains, which means that it has cool summer nights and cold winters; and it is the first mountain range on which storms coming in from the Atlantic Ocean shed their rain, which means that humidity is high throughout the year.
The marbling, the colour of the lean meat and the shiny appearance of the slices are due to the breed of pig, the fact that the animals are free to roam and the nutritional components of the dehesa. The smooth, velvety feel of the slices to the touch and in the mouth is the result of the fluidity of the fat, because the higher the quantity of acorns in the pigs’ diet, the lower the melting point. The aroma derives from the pigs’ nut- and plant-based diet of acorns and natural herbage and the long, slow curing process. The flavour maintains a subtle balance between the saltiness resulting from the salting process and the sweetness resulting from the duration of salting, determined by the master ham-maker, and the components derived from prolonged metabolisation.
Lastly, it has an intense and particularly persistent aftertaste, which is the result of the large fluctuations between daytime and night-time temperatures in the summer during the natural drying process and of the slow natural maturing process which takes place throughout the year. Furthermore, because of the pigs’ diet during mast-feeding and the physical exercise they get, the hams and shoulder hams are succulent, but also have a firmer muscle texture and more marbled appearance.
The use and renown of the geographical name ‘Jabugo’, the accuracy of the name and its link to the geographical area are supported by the historical events outlined below: historically, the municipal charter of Montánchez, which dates from 1236, already contains references to dehesas dedicated exclusively to producing acorns to feed pigs and lays down laws for their protection.
Historical evidence of the production of pigs and acorns is also provided by Lope de Vega in his famous Epistle to Gaspar de Barrionuevo, from the 1604 publication Rimas [Rhymes]: ‘... Cured ham from a Spanish pig, from the famous mountains of Aracena, where Arias Montano fled from the world ...’
Many centuries ago, with the development of commerce, ham started to be produced in La Sierra by small artisanal producers, one of which was registered in Jabugo in 1895 and, by 1905, had built up a commercial network which included Seville, Jerez de la Frontera, Puerto de Santa María, San Fernando and Cádiz as distribution hubs for its products. In 1883/1884, 400 pigs were slaughtered in the municipality of Jabugo. Jabugo is the municipality in La Sierra with the most Iberian ham processors. An internet search for the term ‘Jabugo’ currently results in almost half a million national and international hits, the great majority referring to ham.
The municipality of Jabugo is practically at the heart of La Sierra in the province of Huelva in Andalusia (Spain), the area in which PDO ‘Jabugo’ is processed, which comprises a further 30 villages that share a common history, microclimate and distinctive ‘ham culture’.

Reference to publication of the product specification

https://www.mapa.gob.es/es/alimentacion/temas/calidad-diferenciada/dop-igp/htm/DOP_Jabugo.aspx


(1)  OJ L 179, 19.6.2014, p. 17.