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: 2024-02-07
Institutions: Directorate-General for Agriculture and Rural Development, European Commission
Subjects: Extremadura, Spain, consumer information, designation of origin, labelling, product designation, quality control of agricultural products, semi-soft cheese, sheep's milk cheese, soft cheese








C_202401224EN.000101.fmx.xml












Official Journal of the European Union


EN
Series C













C/2024/1224


7.2.2024






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/2024/1224)

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)



                     ‘Queso de la Serena’
                  


EU No: PDO-ES-0086-AM01 - 7.11.2023
                  


PDO (X) PGI ( )

1.   Name of product


               ‘Queso de la Serena’
            
2.   Member State to which the geographical area belongs

Spain
3.   Member State authority communicating the standard amendment

Directorate-General for Agriculture and Livestock of the Government of Extremadura
—
4.   Description of the approved amendment(s)

Explanation that the amendment(s) fall under the definition of the standard amendment as provided for in Article 53(2) of Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012:
the amendment application may be classified as standard within the meaning of Article 53(2) of Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012, as amended by Regulation (EU) 2021/2117 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 2 December 2021. In particular, these changes cannot in any event be classified as a Union amendment, because of the following:






(1)


it does not include a change in the name protected as a PDO or in the use of that name;










(2)


there is no risk of negating the link between the product (although some changes affect the production sub-section of the link, the natural, historical and production factors remain untouched; as far as production is concerned, the link remains based exclusively on the Merino sheep breed, the definition of which has simply been summarised).










(3)


it does not concern a traditional speciality guaranteed; or










(4)


it does not entail any further restrictions on the marketing of the product (on the contrary, changes in the format increase the ways in which it can be placed on the market).




1.   Amendment of the analytical characteristics of the milk
Reason: The analytical characteristics of the milk have been rectified, bringing them into line with the current production and feeding system for sheep in Extremadura.
Specifically, section B of the specification (3.3 of the single document).
Previous text:
The analytical characteristics of the milk are as follows:






 


Proteins: … minimum 5 %










 


Fat content: … minimum 7 %










 


Total dry extract: ... minimum 18 %,




Current text:
The analytical characteristics of the milk are as follows:
Proteins: … minimum 4,8 %
Cheese extract ... minimum 11 %,
This amendment affects the single document.
2.   Correction of the physico-chemical characteristics of the cheeses
Reason: The physico-chemical characteristics of the cheeses have also been corrected as a result of developments and improvements in the sector and in the cheesemaking process.
This concerns point B of the specification ‘Description of the product’ (3.2 of the single document).
Previous text:






 


The physico-chemical characteristics are:






—


Fat: minimum 50 % of dry matter










—


Dry matter: minimum 50 %










—


pH between 5,2 and 5,9.










—


Total protein in dry matter: minimum 35 %,








Current text:






 


The physico-chemical characteristics are:






—


Fat: minimum 50 % of dry matter










—


Dry matter: minimum 50 %










—


pH between 4,9 and 5,9.








This amendment affects the single document.
3.   Amendment of the presentation of the cheeses
Reason: The diameter and presentation of the cheeses have been amended, adapting the product’s presentation to the new formats called for by consumers and allowing them to be divided.
This affects point B of the specification (3.2 of the single document).
Previous text:
It weighs between 750 g and 2 kg, is between 4 cm and 8 cm in height, and has a diameter of between 10 cm and 24 cm.
Current text:
It weighs between 250 grams and 3 kilograms, has a height of 40 % to 70 % of the diameter, and a minimum diameter of 8 cm.
In addition, a new sentence has been added to point E of the product specification (3.5 of the Single Document): The cheeses may be divided into halves or quarters. The packaging must preserve the integrity and final quality of the product.
This amendment affects the single document.
4.   Amendment of the wording on the Merino breed
This amendment affects point F of the specification (point 5 of the single document).
Some descriptions of the Merino breed that do not affect the production of milk or the PDO cheeses have been omitted in the specification, owing to changes in farming systems and changes in the sheep’s phenotype in recent decades.
This amendment affects the single document.
5.   Update of the inspection structure
The inspection body has also been amended, with the control body of the Extremaduran lamb regulatory council (Órgano de Control del Consejo Regulador del Cordero de Extremadura, OCCREX) being made responsible for verifying compliance with the specification for the ‘Queso de la Serena’ PDO. In 2019 the Regulatory Council unanimously decided to entrust the verification of the specification to the OCCREX, which took over this activity from Agrocolor. OCCREX is now accredited by the national accreditation body, ENAC, for the verification of the specification for the ‘Queso de la Serena’ PDO.
The amendment does not affect the single document.
SINGLE DOCUMENT


                     ‘Queso de la Serena’
                  


EU No: PDO-ES-0086-AM01 - 7.11.2023
                  


PDO (X) PGI ( )

1.   Name(s) [of PDO or PGI]


               ‘Queso de la Serena’
            
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 1.3. Cheeses
3.2.   Description of the product to which the name in (1) applies


                  ‘Queso de la Serena’ is a soft to semi-hard cheese made from Merino sheep’s milk. It is a full-fat to extra full-fat cheese, matured, shaped like a wheel, with flat faces and convex sides, a firm rind and a soft to firm paste. It weighs between 250 grams and 3 kilograms, has a height of 40 % to 70 % of the diameter, and a minimum diameter of 8 cm.
Its physico-chemical characteristics are as follows:






—


Fat: at least 50 % of the dry matter.










—


Dry matter: at least 50 %.










—


pH: between 4,9 and 5,9.




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

In the geographical area, pastures are not abundant but are of high quality, which gives the milk produced distinctive characteristics. At certain times of the year, the sheep leave the holding to graze on the stubble of cereal crops and sometimes the residues of irrigated crops. The applicable rules provide for the use of feed, where this is necessary, including specific rules on the sourcing of feed and raw materials for products with a protected designation of origin.
The milk used to produce ‘Queso de la Serena’ comes from Merino sheep farms located within the production area. The milk must be obtained from healthy ewes and must be natural whole milk that is clean and free from impurities, colostrum and medicinal preservatives that might have a detrimental effect on the production, maturing and conservation of the cheese or on its hygiene and sanitary conditions.
The analytical characteristics of the milk are as follows:






—


Protein: at least 4,8 %;










—


Cheese extract: at least 11 %.




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

The stages of production that must take place within the geographical area defined in point 4 are as follows:






—


Production of the milk, with the characteristics and conditions specified in point 3.3, including milking, cooling, storage, collection and transportation of the milk.










—


Production of the cheese, including the coagulation of the milk, which takes place at a temperature of between 25 oC and 32 oC and takes between 50 and 75 minutes (using a natural vegetable coagulant obtained from dried Cynara Cardunculus flowers), cutting, moulding, salting and maturing.




3.5.   Specific rules concerning slicing, grating, packaging, etc. of the product the registered name refers to

The cheeses may be divided into halves or quarters. The packaging must preserve the integrity and final quality of the product.
3.6.   Specific rules concerning labelling of the product the registered name refers to

The commercial labels of each registered company must be approved by the Regulatory Council for the PDO. Labels must bear the following wording: Denominación de Origen ‘Queso de La Serena’.
The marketed product must bear a numbered secondary label issued by the Regulatory Council for the PDO and affixed to each cheese or piece of cheese in the cheese-making plant in such a way that it cannot be reused. The final producer is responsible for the proper use of the label.
4.   Concise definition of the geographical area

The area in which ‘Queso de la Serena’ is made, matured and produced comprises the following 21 municipalities in the extreme south-east of the province of Badajoz: La Haba, Magacela, La Coronada, Campanario, Esparragosa de Lares, Valle de la Serena, Zalamea de la Serena, Higuera de la Serena, Quintana de la Serena, Malpartida de la Serena, Esparragosa de la Serena, Castuera, Cabeza del Buey, Santi-Spiritus, Risco, Garlitos, Peñalsordo, Zarzacapilla, Capilla, Monterrubio de la Serena and Benquerencia de la Serena.
5.   Link with the geographical area


History

References to ‘Queso de la Serena’ can be found in a number of literary works:
Antonio Agúndez Fernández’s 1791 book Viaje a La Serena, which is about the district of La Serena and is taken from some manuscripts by the magistrate Agustín Cubeles, includes the following reference: ‘Famous for its flavour and good workmanship is its sheep’s milk cheese, an arroba of which is sold for 60 reales.’
               
The 16th and 17th century bye-laws of Cabeza del Buey contain references to tithing the cheese and the first fruits to be given to the parish church, as the farmer had to give all the cheeses made from the first batch milked for cheese-making to the parish priests of the town.

Natural factors

(a)   Relief
In the Province of Badajoz, gently undulating terrain predominates, and, broadly speaking, the area is a peneplain. It is an area of high quality pasturelands on skeletal shale and granite soils, covering around 300 000 ha, on which the Merino sheep feed; in fact, this herbaceous pasture is the main energy source for the ecosystem of this region and is made up of diverse flora (see section on flora). The average altitude is 430 m.
(b)   Soil
In terms of its geological structure, the province of Badajoz is a Paleozoic peneplain with some later deposits and a large number of igneous outcrops.
There are shallow, moderately permeable cambric, silurian and granitic soils, through which the bedrock frequently crops out. The gradient is shallow, the topography gently undulating and the orientation south-facing. The soils are generally skeletal shale and granite, acidic, with a pH of 5 to 5,5 and low levels of phosphorus. Tree coverage is low, or non-existent in parts, which gives the region a deforested appearance.
(c)   Climate
The Serena district has a Mediterranean climate influenced by the Atlantic, with hot dry summers and mild and rainy winters. In this area, the winters are generally mild, although there is a period of frosts between 1 November and 10 March. The summers are hot and dry, and the main feature of the area is its aridity. Average annual rainfall is 498 mm.
(d)   Hydrography
The Guadiana Menor and Zújar rivers flow through the district of La Serena.
(e)   Flora
The plant species of the area include:






—


Vulpia ciliata, Bromus mollis and Agrostis spp. from the Gramineae family;










—


Trifolium (T. arvense, T. campestre and T. glomeratum);










—


Ornithopus compressus from the Leguminosae family; Helianthemum, Erodium, Plantago, Carlina and Hypochaeris.





Production and processing systems

(a)   Production
The Merino breed of sheep is very hardy and is well suited to the harsh climate and terrain. At present, it is mainly farmed for meat, but it has also historically been farmed for wool and, to a lesser extent, producing milk, which all together make it profitable enough if the difficult habitat in which it lives is taken into account. The quantity of milk it produces is small, but high in protein and fat.
The breed is highly fecund and fertile. It usually lambs once a year, although it will tend to lamb three times over two years.
The pastures in this area are not abundant but are of high quality, which gives the milk produced distinctive characteristics.
(b)   Processing
The cheese is obtained by means of enzymatic coagulation of the milk using a vegetable coagulant (Cynara cardunculus), usually at a temperature of below 30 oC.
As a result of these two factors, i.e. the moderate temperature and the use of a coagulant with a low coagulation capacity, a long coagulation time is needed and the curds are quite soft. Consequently, proteolytic activity is higher, producing a cheese with a less consistent texture.
Twenty days after moulding, the cheeses usually undergo a phenomenon known as ‘atortado’, during which the paste becomes fluid and the cheeses have to be handled with care to prevent the rind breaking and running into the paste.
Causal link between the geographical area and the quality and characteristics of the product
Firstly, the pastures in the district of La Serena extend over 300 000 ha almost entirely bereft of trees and thus grow without competition from any plants. This means the pastures obtain all of the nutrients in the soil and, consequently, have high nutritional values, making them ideal for livestock feed. Secondly, the Merino sheep, which are best adapted to the extreme climate and relief of La Serena, produce a small quantity of milk, but one which is rich in fat and protein.
This centuries-old and irreplaceable combination makes milk from the Merino sheep grazed on La Serena pastures ideal for the production of ‘Queso de la Serena’, giving it its special and genuine characteristics.

Reference to publication of the product specification

https://www.juntaex.es/documents/77055/621148/DOP+Queso+de+la+Serena.+Pliego+condiciones.pdf


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


ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/C/2024/1224/oj
ISSN 1977-091X (electronic edition)