Publication of an approved standard amendment to the 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 194/09
Date: 2023-06-02
Institutions: Directorate-General for Agriculture and Rural Development, European Commission
Subjects: Andalusia, Spain, consumer information, designation of origin, honey, labelling, product designation, quality control of agricultural products








C_2023194EN.01003401.xml










2.6.2023   


EN


Official Journal of the European Union


C 194/34






Publication of an approved standard amendment to the 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 194/09)
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


‘Miel de Granada’


EU No: PDO-ES-0243-AM01 – 3.3.2023


PDO (X) PGI ( )

1.   Name of product

‘Miel de Granada’
2.   Member State to which the geographical area belongs

Spain
3.   Member State authority communicating the standard amendment

Directorate-General for Industry, Innovation and the Agri-Food Chain of the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development of the Regional Government of Andalusia (Dirección General de Industrias, Innovación y Cadena Agroalimentaria Consejería de Agricultura, Pesca, Agua y Desarrollo Rural de la Junta de Andalucía)
4.   Description of the approved amendment(s)

1.   Modification of the physico-chemical characteristics

Section B.1 of the product specification
The general physico-chemical characteristics are modified as regards hydroxymethylfurfural at the time of packaging and labelling. This was not included in the previous version. Specifically:






—


Hydroxymethylfurfural < 10 mg/kg




is replaced by:






—


Hydroxymethylfurfural: < 18 mg/kg.




The amendment affects the single document.
2.   Elimination of limits to the proportion of Erica sp. pollen

In Section B.2 of the product specification, the 1 % limit on the proportion of pollen from Erica sp. is deleted, as the pollen level has increased owing to climate change.
The amendment affects the single document.
3.   Changes in the organoleptic characteristics

A table clarifies Section B.3 of the product specification regarding the organoleptic characteristics, so that they can be analysed and quantified in a laboratory. Limits are laid down for variables such as conductivity, percentage of pollen, and colour.
The amendment affects the single document.
4.   New wording concerning the traceability of the honey

Section D of the product specification
The wording is changed to reflect the approach to ensuring the traceability of the honey.
The amendment affects the single document.
5.   Update to ‘Method of production’

Section E of the product specification, which concerns the method of production, is amended as follows.
The description of the contents of the containers is updated and the processes involved is set out in clearer, more up-to-date wording. The headings ‘Presentation and packaging’, ‘Contents of containers’ and ‘Shipping of honey’ are added, each followed by a more explicit description of what it involves.
The amendment affects the single document.
6.   Change of the body responsible for checking compliance with the product specification

This relates to Section G of the product specification on checking compliance with the product specification before sale in an entity accredited in accordance with ISO 17065.
The amendment does not affect the single document.
7.   Amendment of the wording concerning the type of product

The reference to Annex IX to Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 668/2014 has been deleted from Section 3.1 of the single document, as it is no longer necessary.
The amendment affects the single document.
8.   Amendment of the wording of specific rules concerning slicing, grating, packaging, etc. of the product

In Section 3.5, all the text concerning the traceability of the product has been deleted and new wording considered to be more appropriate has been added. This new text was previously part of Section 3.6, ‘Presentation and packaging’ and ‘Contents of containers’.
The amendment affects the single document.
9.   New wording concerning specific labelling rules in the product specification

The wording of Section H of the product specification has been amended; the reference to the ‘symbol of the European Community’ has been replaced by a reference to the ‘symbol of the European Union’.
The amendment affects the single document.
10.   New wording of the specific labelling rules in the single document

In Section 3.6 of the single document, the previous text has been replaced by the new wording of Section H of the product specification, which is considered more appropriate.
The amendment affects the single document.
11.   Simplification of the wording in the justification of the link with the geographical area concerned

The wording of Section 5 of the single document, Link with the geographical area, has been amended to bring it into line with the character limit of the eAmbrosia site. The substance has been left unamended; the wording used is that of the product summary.
The amendment affects the single document.
SINGLE DOCUMENT

‘Miel de Granada’


EU No: PDO-ES-0243-AM01 – 3.3.2023


PDO (X) PGI ( )

1.   Name

‘Miel de Granada’
2.   Member State or third country

Spain
3.   Description of the agricultural product or foodstuff

3.1.   Type of product

Class 1.4. Other products of animal origin (eggs, honey, various dairy products except butter, etc.)
3.2.   Description of the product to which the name in (1) applies

Honey: a food product made by honey bees using nectar from flowers or secretions from the living parts of plants or found on them, which the bees gather, transform, combine with their own specific substances, store and allow to mature in the hive’s honeycombs. It can be liquid, viscous or crystalline.
Protected honey is classified as:






—


single-flower honey from chestnut flowers (Castanea sativa)










—


single-flower honey from rosemary flowers (Rosmarinus officinalis)










—


single-flower honey from thyme flowers (Thymus sp.)










—


single-flower honey from avocado flowers (Persea americana)










—


single-flower honey from orange blossoms (Citrus sp.)










—


single-flower honey from French lavender flowers (Lavandula stoechas)










—


mountain honey










—


multi-flower honey




1.   General physico-chemical characteristics common to all the varieties of honey at the time of packaging and labelling






—


Moisture: < 17,5 %










—


Hydroxymethylfurfural: < 18 mg/kg.




2.   General melissopalynological characteristics for all honeys






a)


Pollen spectrum characteristic of vegetation in Granada, comprising chiefly the following families: Cistaceae, Lamiaceae, Fagaceae, Rosaceae, Asteraceae, Brassicaceae, Fabaceae, Borraginaceae, Salicaceae, Campanulaceae, Resedaceae, Plantaginaceae, Apiaceae, Caesalpinaceae and Lauraceae.




3.   Specific physico-chemical and melissopalynological characteristics








Honey type


Conductivity


Colour


Pollen content




(× m S/cm)


(mm Pfund)




single-flower chestnut honey
(Castanea sativa)


> 0,8 


> 80 


> 75 % Castanea


sativa





single-flower rosemary honey
(Rosmarinus officinalis)


< 0,25 


< 35 


> 15 % of Rosmarinus officinalis or > 10 % Rosmarinus officinalis and > 5 % other labiates




single-flower thyme honey
(Thymus sp.)


> 0,3 and < 0,8


> 55 


> 15 % Thymus sp.




single-flower avocado honey
(Persea americana)


> 0,7 


> 100 


> 25 % Persea sp.




Presence of > 0,2 % of perseitol if the pollen content < 25 %




single-flower orange (blossom) honey
(Citrus sp.)


< 0,3 


< 30 


> 15 % Citrus sp.




If the pollen content lies between > 5,0 % and < 15 %, the methyl anthranilate content must be equal to or greater than 1,2 mg/kg




single-flower French lavender honey
(Lavandula stoechas)


< 0,5 


< 50 


> 15 % Lavandula stoechas





Mountain honey


 


 


> 20 % Castanea sp.




3.3.   Feed (for products of animal origin only) and raw materials (for processed products only)

This is not relevant to honey.
This section does not apply.
3.4.   Specific steps in production that must take place in the defined geographical area

All the steps in production must take place in the defined geographical area.
3.5.   Specific rules concerning slicing, grating, packaging, etc. of the product the registered name refers to

Presentation and packaging
Honey in liquid state (fluid), solid state (crystallised) or with a creamy texture.
Contents of containers
Containers with a capacity not exceeding 5 kilos, which must be compliant with the legislation in force.
Material: transparent, uncoloured glass.
The label and the secondary label must not conceal the contents.
Hermetic seal.
Traditional earthenware jars may be used, provided that they have a net weight of 500 or 1 000 g and a hermetic seal.
3.6.   Specific rules concerning labelling of the product the registered name refers to

The labels are approved by the Regulatory Council as regards use of the denomination or the brand. The labels on the jars must bear the following indication, clearly displayed: ‘Denominación de Origen Protegida’ (‘Protected Designation of Origin’), the symbol of the European Union and the designation ‘Miel de Granada’.
Whatever the type of container in which different types of honey are shipped for consumption, they must bear a numbered label or secondary label, provided by the Regulatory Council, which must be attached before shipping, in accordance with the rules laid down for that purpose and always in such a way that the labels cannot be reused.
4.   Concise definition of the geographical area

The area where the hives are located and the honey is extracted, i.e. the production area, includes all the municipal territories of the province of Granada, in the Autonomous Community of Andalusia.
The total area is 12 531 hectares.
The honey is packaged in the production area.
5.   Link with the geographical area

a.   Historical link

The quality of honey from Granada is well known and has been abundantly documented since the early 14th century. Honey has been produced in this region since time immemorial. The first documentary evidence goes back to the time of Ibn al-Khathib (1313-1375), who, in his work al-Ihata fi akhbar Gharnata (‘The complete source on the history of Granada’), refers to abundant honey production in areas of Granada which still make use of this traditional resource as a major source of income. There are also many references to honey in the works of various chroniclers of the period who recounted the conquest of the Emirate of Granada by Christian armies.
After the conquest, the municipalities began to organise various economic activities. In Baza, for instance, as described in the Libro de Propios (1564), the municipal authorities levied taxes on the beehives in the Sierra de Baza, and rosemary honey was justly famed.
The book of trades of the City of Granada (1752) made explicit mention of the criador de colmena (beekeeper). In 1777, in his Diccionario Geográfico o descripción de todos los reinos (‘Geographical dictionary or description of all the kingdoms’), Juan de la Serna described Granada as rich in wax and honey. Again, Sebastián de Miñano (1826) referred to the abundance and excellent quality of honey from Granada in his Diccionario Geográfico Estadístico de España y Portugal (‘Geographical and statistical dictionary of Spain and Portugal’). He mentioned Baza, Alhama de Granada, Güejar-Sierra and Guadix as major honey-producing areas in the Granada region. Pascual Madoz, in his Diccionario Geográfico, Estadístico e Histórico de España (‘Geographical, statistical and historical dictionary of Spain’) again highlights the variety, abundance and outstanding features of honey from Granada. He notes, for instance, the abundance of white honey in the municipality of Loja. He also observes that considerable amounts of honey are produced on the coast (in La Garnatilla and Motril). Tomás López, too, in his Diccionario Geográfico de Andalucía: Granada (‘Geographical Dictionary of Andalusia – Granada’), which came out in the last quarter of the 18th century, again singles out various localities in Granada and the sierras around it where beehives and honey play an important role, such as Quéntar or Ribera de Oveja (a small rural community belonging to the municipality of Granada).
In 1888, Luis Morell y Terry carried out a census. The number of beehives was estimated at approximately 15 000, and the traditional bee-keeping areas – the eastern mountains, the Alpujarras and the provincial capital, Granada – maintained large numbers of beehives. In the same year – 1888 – Bertha Wihelmi introduced movable comb hives and promoted them in the province, where they gradually replaced the traditional (Arab) fixed hives. In this way she made Granada one of the pioneering provinces which led the way in developing new bee-keeping methods. In May 1909 the magazine Granada Agrícola reported the interest shown by the German market in importing honeys from Granada because of their quality derived from the rich range of aromatic and medicinal plants in its mountainous areas, particularly the Sierra Nevada.
b.   Natural link

The natural factors with a direct influence on the product include the mountainous terrain, climate and vegetation, while the human factors include the characteristic internal transhumance routes established by the beekeepers of Granada.
The province of Granada has a wide variety of relief and climate with a direct impact on the sector, influencing, for example, the inland transhumance paths made by the beekeepers as they seek different kinds of flowers. From the point of view of beekeeping, this diversity means that the beekeepers of Granada can make transhumance paths up and down the mountainsides within the province, as the various species concerned flower at different times, providing a yield all year round. The type and season of flowering vary depending on altitude, with the bee-keepers moving up and down the slopes and rarely covering a distance greater than 50 km. Hence the beekeepers on the coast, in the Valle de Lecrín and the Alpujarra – Sierra Nevada normally move upwards, i.e. from the coast to the hills and vice versa in search of vegetation, which flowers depending on the altitude.
Clearly, the main factor which gives Miel de Granada the particular characteristics which distinguish it from other honeys is the province’s flora. It has over 296 000 ha of cleared hillside covered by aromatic plants that ensure flourishing levels of beekeeping, plus large areas of chestnuts, orange trees and, on the coast, avocados, of which the coasts of the provinces of Granada and Málaga are major producers.
Virtually 70 % of the owners of bee-keeping establishments in the province of Granada have links to protected areas (the Sierra Nevada national park and the nature parks of the Sierra Nevada, the Sierra de Baza, the Sierra de Huétor, the Sierra de Castril and the Sierras de Tejeda, Alhama y Almijara), which are their normal area of residence. Their hives remain in these areas for part of the year, either for production or for overwintering. The movement of bees which the keepers undertake throughout the province of Granada, in search of the richest flower supplies throughout the year, or sites for overwintering, subsequently provides Miel de Granada with a full pollen spectrum.
These areas have remained isolated for a long period and beekeeping has played an important economic role by providing an alternative source of agricultural income. The variety of flowers in these parks means that the honeys they produce offer unique and unusual combinations of flowers. The Sierra Nevada alone has over 160 endemisms, of which some 60 are exclusive.
Studies of pollen in the province have identified some 92 forms belonging to about 50 botanical families. Miel de Granada typically contains the spectrum comprising the following families: Cistaceae, Lamiaceae, Fagaceae, Rosaceae, Asteraceae, Brassicaceae, Fabaceae, Borraginaceae, Salience, Campanulaceae, Resedaceae, Plantaginaceae, Apiaceae, Caesalpinaceae and Lauraceae. This knowledge of the pollen spectrum of Miel de Granada, together with the considerable quantity of botanical endemisms, enables us to find geographical indicators which allow us to differentiate the honeys we produce clearly from those produced elsewhere in the Iberian Peninsula.

Reference to publication of the product specification

https://www.juntadeandalucia.es/sites/default/files/inline-files/2023/02/Pliego_miel_Gran_consolidado.pdf


(1)  OJ L 179, 19.6.2014, p. 17.