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
Date: 2023-10-27
Institutions: Directorate-General for Agriculture and Rural Development, European Commission
Subjects: Castile-Leon, Spain, consumer information, designation of origin, dried product, labelling, leguminous vegetable, product designation, quality control of agricultural products








C_202300167EN.000101.fmx.xml












Official Journal of the European Union


EN
Series C













C/2023/167


27.10.2023






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
(C/2023/167)

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

(Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012)



                        ‘Lenteja de La Armuña’
                     


EU No: PGI-ES-0102-AM01 - 31.7.2023
                     


PDO ( ) PGI (X)

1.   Name of product



                     ‘Lenteja de La Armuña’
                  

2.   Member State to which the geographical area belongs

Spain
3.   Member State authority communicating the standard amendment

Instituto Tecnológico Agrario (ITACYL) [Institute of Agricultural Technology]
—
4.   Description of the approved amendment(s)

1.   Amendment to ‘Description of product’
                              

The ecotype Rubia de la Armuña has been replaced by the commercial varieties Guareña and Nikola, and the morphological and analytical characteristics have been updated.
Commercial varieties Guareña and Nikola
The Protected Geographical Indication, then called ‘Specific Designation’, was registered in 1993. Since then, new commercial varieties derived from the ecotype Rubia de la Armuña have been planted in the protected area. These varieties are Guareña and Nikola.
Guareña is the most widely planted commercial variety in the area. Registered in 2001, this commercial variety originates from the Rubia de la Armuña ecotype, which was also used to produce the Nikola variety, commercially registered since 2021.
The varieties Guareña and Nikola, and the ecotype Rubia de la Armuña, have the same morphological characteristics. They differ only in the speckled appearance of the seeds.






—


Guareña (and Rubia de la Armuña): may be speckled.










—


Nikola: speckled.




In terms of the analytical characteristics, the Study of the Nutritional Characteristics of the Lenteja de la Armuña by the University of Salamanca in 2016 concluded that there were no significant differences between these varieties.
The Guareña and Nikola varieties have been chosen in preference to the Rubia de la Armuña ecotype for the following reasons: their clonal selection based on the ecotype; their similar morphological and analytical characteristics; and, above all, because using commercial varieties guarantees the origin, germination and purity of the seeds.
Furthermore, over the years, the Guareña and Nikola varieties have been subject to the same cultivation techniques as the Rubia de la Armuña ecotype. During this time, studies have found that yields are slightly higher than those of the initial ecotype. This is the result of the clonal selection of the certified commercial varieties.
The amendment affects the single document.
2.   Amendment of the morphological and analytical characteristics

This amendment affects point 3.2 of the single document.
The Protected Geographical Indication was registered in 1993. A product specification was drawn up in accordance with the standards required at that time. Certain characteristics of the product were described in a generic way. The analytical values for the characteristics of the lentil set out in the previous specification were taken from the book Una fuente de proteínas [a source of protein], published by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food in 1984. They are given as absolute values, not ranges or minimum and maximum values. It is therefore impossible for the analytical results of checks on the lentils to tally exactly with these values in any, or almost any, respect.
Data from the University of Salamanca study was analysed together with samples from successive years between 2012 and 2022. The conclusion was that, in terms of average values, the Lenteja de La Armuña does not demonstrate any physical or chemical property that could be considered to differentiate it as a product. It should be remembered that lentil growing is subject to external factors that are difficult to control, such as precipitations, temperatures and frosts. These factors affect the composition of the lentils from year to year and are the reason why it is highly variable.
The peculiarity of the Lenteja de La Armuña results from its morphology. As a result, based on the study carried out, new parameters that better characterise the product have been drawn up and included. These are: colour, shape, speckled appearance and minimum size.
The morphological characteristics are now defined as follows:






—


Shape: round and flat










—


Size: up to 9 millimetres in diameter










—


Average weight of 100 seeds: minimum 5 grams










—


Colour: green with variations in shades of brown










—


Speckled appearance: may be speckled (Guareña); speckled (Nikola)




The amendment affects the single document.
3.   Amendment to the ‘Proof of origin’
                              

It is now specified that consignments of lentils must be accompanied by transit documents as proof of origin.
All references to authorisation and checks by the Regulatory Board have been deleted. The official checks are carried out by the competent authority: the Instituto Tecnológico Agrario of Castile and Leon. The section has therefore been rewritten.
Article 4(2) of Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 66/2014 has been incorporated and the text reorganised to make the meaning clearer.
The amendment does not affect the single document.
4.   Amendment to the ‘Description of the method of production’
                              

All references to authorisation and checks by the Regulatory Board have been deleted.
The text has been restructured to make it easier to understand the processes carried out by registered operators in order to guarantee the product characteristics and quality.
The amendment does not affect the single document.
5.   Change to Control Body

The ‘Control structure’ section has been amended as the Instituto Tecnológico Agrario of Castile and Leon is now the competent authority.
The amendment does not affect the single document.
6.   Amendment to ‘Labelling’
                              

This amendment affects point 3.6 of the single document.
The terms that must appear on the labelling have been set out, and the logo of the Protected Geographical Indication has been added. As in other sections, all references to authorisation and checks by the Regulatory Board have been deleted.
Similarly, all references to the labelling of products using the PGI products as ingredients have been removed. It is not necessary to include this in the section on labelling in the specification because there are Commission guidelines on the matter.
The text has been redrafted so that it reads more clearly.
The amendment affects the single document.
7.   Amendments to the wording - Changes to the lay-out/presentation of the product specification

The heading of one of the sections has been changed from ‘H) LABELLING AND CONFORMITY MARK’ (in the previous specification) to ‘H) LABELLING’.
The amendment does not affect the single document.
8.   Amendments to the wording - Administrative change to the link

This amendment concerns point 5 of the single document.
The link with the geographical area remains unchanged. However, the description has been amended to bring it into line with section 5 of Annex I to Regulation No 668/2014, with the addition of more recent material concerning the reputation of the designation ‘Lenteja de la Armuña’, thereby harmonising the content of both documents: the specification and single document.
The amendment affects the single document.
SINGLE DOCUMENT


                     ‘Lenteja de La Armuña’
                  


EU No: PGI-ES-0102-AM01 - 31.7.2023
                  


PDO ( ) PGI (X)

1.   Name(s) [of PDO or PGI]


               ‘Lenteja de La Armuña’
            
2.   Member State or Third Country

Spain
3.   Description of the agricultural product or foodstuff

3.1.   Type of product [listed in Annex XI]

Class 1.6 Fruit, vegetables and cereals fresh or processed
3.2.   Description of the product to which the name in (1) applies

Dried lentils, separated from the pods, derived from the Leguminosae family of plants, of the species Lens culinaris medicus, of the commercial varieties Guareña and Nikola, intended for human consumption.
When made available for consumption, the ‘Lenteja de la Armuña’ must have the following characteristics:
Shape: round and flat;
Size: up to 9 millimetres in diameter
Average weight of 100 seeds: minimum 5 grams
Colour: green with variations in shades of brown






—


Speckled appearance: may be speckled (Guareña); speckled (Nikola)




The minimum quality characteristics are:
Whole
Healthy, free from mould, rot and insects
Within the tolerances allowed for the commercial categories ‘Extra’ and ‘Primera’ [first], according to the commercial requirements at the destination.
3.3.   Feed (for products of animal origin only) and raw materials (for processed products only)

—
3.4.   Specific steps in production that must take place in the identified geographical area

The lentils must be grown, handled and stored in the demarcated area.
3.5.   Specific rules concerning slicing, grating, packaging, etc. of the product the registered name refers to

Conditions during storage and packaging must be mainly dry and cool to prevent the seeds deteriorating, for example by hardening or becoming stale more quickly. This ensures that the health-related and organoleptic characteristics of the product remain constant.
Packaging must take place in the demarcated geographical area in order to guarantee the final quality and traceability of the product.
3.6.   Specific rules concerning labelling of the product the registered name refers to

All packaging, regardless of type, in which the lentils are made available for consumption must include a numbered label showing the obligatory EU symbol for Protected Geographical Indication, and the name ‘Lenteja de la Armuña’. It must also include the logo of the Protected Geographical Indication as shown both in the product specification and in the single document.
The labels must be affixed at the packaging plant in such a way that they cannot be reused.
4.   Concise definition of the geographical area

The surface area for the agricultural production and packaging of lentils measures 756 square kilometres. It is located in the district of La Armuña, in the north of the province of Salamanca. The following municipalities are included:
Aldealengua, Aldeanueva de Figueroa, Aldearrubia, Almenara de Tormes, Arcediano, Cabezabellosa de la Calzada, Cabrerizos, Calzada de Valdunciel, Castellanos de Moriscos, Castellanos de Villiquera, Espino de la Orbada, Forfoleda, Gomecello, Monterrubio de la Armuña, Moriscos, Negrilla de Palencia, La Orbada, Pajares de la Laguna, Palencia de Negrilla, Parada de Rubiales, Pedrosillo el Ralo, Pedroso de la Armuña, Pitiegua, Salamanca (only the part of the municipality situated on the right bank of the Tormes river), San Cristóbal de la Cuesta, Tardáguila, Topas, Torresmenudas, Valdunciel, Valverdón, La Vellés, Villamaryor, Villares de la Reina and Villaverde de Guareña.
5.   Link with the geographical area

The link between the geographical area and the product ‘Lenteja de La Armuña’ is based on its reputation. This comes from the long tradition of growing the Rubia de La Armuña variety in the area.
Cultivation and consumption of lentils appears in various treatises on agriculture and cookery published down the ages. Special mention of this type of pulse can be found in the books of Columella. In Chapter VII of the second book of his work On Agriculture, there are rules for growing lentils: ‘It is best to sow lentils in light, loose and, above all, dry soil as, when they flower, they can easily perish in lush, moist conditions.’ There is also reference to the consumption of lentils in the Libro de Buen Amor [Book of Good Love] by the writer known as the ‘Archpriest of Hita’.
The soils in the production area are suitable for growing lentils. They are brown and reddish brown, sandy, deep, neutral or slightly alkaline, with sufficient calcium and potassium and varying levels of phosphorus. Organic matter is sparse in these soils. The climate in the area is continental, with long, cold winters and very short, hot and dry summers. Temperatures range between -10 oC in December and January and 35 oC in July and August. Precipitations are scarce, with an annual average of 300 to 400 millimetres.
The combination of these two factors, soil and climate, together with the traditional cultivation techniques of the farmers of La Armuña and the commercial activity of recent years, have increased the reputation and renown of the product.
The ‘Rubia de La Armuña’ variety is mentioned on page 218 of the book Una fuente de proteínas. Alubias, garbanzos y lentejas [A source of protein. Beans, chickpeas and lentils], published by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1984).
Other certified commercial varieties have emerged from the Rubia de la Armuña, thereby guaranteeing their origin and purity, i.e.: the Guareña and Nikola varieties.
In recent years, many other publications have mentioned the Lenteja de la Armuña. In his book La Armuña: algo más que trigo y lentejas [La Armuña: not just wheat and lentils], Francisco García González made it the subject of verse:

               ‘The lentil from La Armuña
is a marvellous product
which makes everyone feel good
and it’s kind to the pocket...’
            
It is also included in various official catalogues of quality food products, such as the Inventario Español de Productos Tradicionales [Spanish Traditional Product Inventory], published by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food in 1996, and the Inventario de Productos Agroalimentarios de Calidad de Castilla y León [Inventory of high-quality agri-food products of Castile and Leon], published by the Government of the Autonomous Community of Castile and Leon (2001).
In 2009, the Diputación de Salamanca produced a recipe book devoted to the Lenteja de La Armuña. It includes over 20 culinary ideas created by different cooks from the province. The book refers to the Lenteja de La Armuña as one of the products that features in the gastronomy of the province in the Guía gastronómica de la provincia de Salamanca [Guide to the gastronomy of the province of Salamanca] (2018).
In the book Las Legumbres en la Gastronomía del Siglo XIX [Pulses in the Gastronomy of the 19th century] (Everest, 2012), it is the main ingredient in dishes contributed by cooks from Castile and Leon. Examples include ‘Lentejas de la Armuña with duck liver and a Pedro Ximénez reduction’ and ‘Tartine of Lentejas de la Armuña and Iberico suckling pig’.
The Lenteja de la Armuña has taken centre stage at many events, as shown by the international short story competition ‘Lenteja de Oro de la Armuña’ [Golden lentil of La Armuña]; the ‘Carrera Popular Lenteja de la Armuña’ [Lenteja de la Armuña’ race] in Tardáguila, which has been held since 2017; and the photography exhibition ‘La Armuña. Tierra binada’ [La Armuña. Twice-ploughed land] at the Museum of Commerce in Salamanca since 2020. The exhibition is a tribute to the farm labours associated with lentils in the Armuña area.
The importance of the Lenteja de la Armuña, along with its reputation, can be seen in the use of its name on municipal buildings and monuments in the area, for example the ‘IGP Lenteja de la Armuña’ municipal sports centre in Castellanos de Moriscos.
The product has received various prizes for pulses recognised for their outstanding quality in Castile and Leon. These include the ‘Best Food Prize: Pulses of Castile and Leon’ for the North of Castile, 2017; and ‘Prize for Quality: Pulses with a Marca de Garantía [local quality scheme] or PGI in Castile and Leon’. These prizes demonstrate the importance of pulses, including the Lenteja de la Armuña, in the region.
Finally, the mountaineer, explorer and television presenter Jesús Calleja took the Lenteja de la Armuña with him on one of his journeys to Ethiopia, in the programme ‘Planeta Calleja’, which has aired on Spanish television since 2014: episode of 17.1.2022, at 42 minutes.

Reference to publication of the product specification

https://www.itacyl.es/calidad-diferenciada/dop-e-igp/listado-dop-agroalimentarias


(1)  
            OJ L 179, 19.6.2014, p. 17.


ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/C/2023/167/oj
ISSN 1977-091X (electronic edition)