Publication of the communication of an approved standard amendment to a product specification of a geographical indication in accordance with Article 5(4) of Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2025/27
Date: 2025-10-13
Institutions: Directorate-General for Agriculture and Rural Development, European Commission
Subjects: Catalonia, Spain, consumer information, designation of origin, labelling, leguminous vegetable, product designation, quality control of agricultural products




C_202505515EN.000101.fmx.xml












Official Journal of the European Union


EN
C series













C/2025/5515


13.10.2025






Publication of the communication of an approved standard amendment to a product specification of a geographical indication in accordance with Article 5(4) of Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2025/27 (1)

(C/2025/5515)

COMMUNICATION OF APPROVAL OF A STANDARD AMENDMENT
(Article 24 of Regulation (EU) 2024/1143)


                     ‘Fesols de Santa Pau’
                  


EU reference number: PDO-ES-1226-AM01 – 31.7.2025
                  

1.   Name of product

Fesols de Santa Pau
2.   Geographical indication type







☐


PGI










☑


PDO










☐


GI




3.   Sector







☑


Agricultural products










☐


Wines










☐


Spirit drinks




4.   Country to which the geographical area belongs

Spain
5.   Member State authority communicating the standard amendment


Name

Department of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Food – Government of Catalonia
6.   Qualification as standard amendment

It qualifies as a standard amendment because the approved changes do not affect the protected name or the link with the environment, nor do they lead to increased restrictions on trade in the product.
7.   Description of the approved standard amendment(s)

Title

Extending the admissible protein content and weight ranges

Description

The admissible ranges for two physico-chemical characteristics (protein content and weight) have been slightly extended to adapt them to the variability in climate, based on the experience and know-how gained in the years since the PDO was set up.
In Section B (Description of product) of the product specification:






—


the reference to the weight has been changed from ‘100 seeds weigh between 18 and 30 g’ to ‘100 seeds weigh between 16 g and 32 g’,










—


the minimum protein content has been reduced, from ‘at least 25 %’ to ‘at least 23 % of the dry weight’.




These changes require an amendment to the single document, specifically in Section 3.2 (Description of the product).






☑


The amendment affects the single document.





Title

Deletion of numerical scales from the description of the organoleptic characteristics

Description

The numerical scales have been deleted from the description of the organoleptic characteristics in Section B (Description of the product) of the product specification. The description of the organoleptic characteristics has been moved from subsection B3 (Characteristics of the protected product) to subsection B2 (Description of varieties).
As with the changes detailed in point a), this change is based on the experience gained, as well as on the difficulty and cost involved in assessing these characteristics during the certification process.
This change requires an amendment to the single document, specifically in Section 3.2 (Description of the product).






☑


The amendment affects the single document.





Title

Improvement to the wording

Description

The wording of subsection E2 (Processing method and storage conditions) has been improved.
This called for an amendment to the single document, more specifically in subsection 3.4 (Specific steps in production that must take place in the defined geographical area), where the words ‘threshing and cleaning the seeds’ have been changed to ‘threshing and grading the seeds’. ‘Grading’ is a more accurate word for the process of sorting the seeds to remove chaff and those that do not meet the standard size requirements.






☑


The amendment affects the single document.




SINGLE DOCUMENT

Designations of origin and geographical indications of agricultural products



                  ‘Fesols de Santa Pau’
               


EU reference number: PDO-ES-1226-AM01 – 18.7.2025
               

1.   Name(s)

Fesols de Santa Pau
2.   Geographical indication type







☑


PDO










☐


PGI










☐


GI




3.   Country to which the defined geographical area belongs

Spain
4.   Description of the agricultural product

4.1.   Classification of the agricultural product in accordance with the Combined Nomenclature heading and code, as referred to in Article 6(1) of Regulation (EU) 2024/1143


                  0713 33 90  – Other

                  0710 22  – Beans (Vigna spp., Phaseolus spp.)
4.2.   Description of the agricultural product to which the registered name applies


                  ‘Fesols de Santa Pau’ PDO are the seeds of the following traditional varieties of bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.): Tavella Brisa, Setsetmanera and Gra Petit, dried or cooked and preserved. These varieties grown in the defined geographical area are known for their fine, barely perceptible skin when cooked, low mealiness and mild flavour.

                  ‘Fesols de Santa Pau’ PDO are classed in the ‘extra’ commercial category and have the following characteristics:
Morphological characteristics: The seeds of these three traditional varieties, which are types of navy or haricot beans, are white and rounded; 100 seeds weigh between 16 g and 32 g, with a 12 % moisture content.
Chemical characteristics:






—


Protein: high protein content, at least 23 % of the dry weight.










—


Moisture content: less than 15 %.




4.3.   Derogations on sourcing of feed (for products of animal origin designated by a protected designation of origin only) and restrictions on sourcing of raw materials (for processed products designated by a protected geographical indication only)


                  ‘Fesols de Santa Pau’ PDO are dried or cooked and preserved beans. The processed product may be made only with beans that meet the PDO specification, water and salt. No other type of additive or preservative may be used.
4.4.   Specific steps in production that must take place in the identified geographical area


                  ‘Fesols de Santa Pau’ PDO must be produced within the geographical area defined in point 4, as it is the combination of the traditional germplasm with the volcanic soil, the growing period and the production techniques that give the final product its specific characteristics. The following steps must take place within the defined area:






—


cultivation: to be carried out exclusively in natural volcanic soil in the municipalities which form part of the geographical area defined in point 4;










—


drying the plants;










—


threshing and grading the seeds;










—


insecticide treatment (freezing); and










—


preparation of the product.




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

For the dried beans any type of breathable packaging is permitted (maximum capacity 25 kg).
4.6.   Specific rules concerning labelling of the agricultural product the registered name refers to

The Protected Designation of Origin name ‘Fesols de Santa Pau’ must be printed clearly on the packaging, together with the product’s own logo and the EU PDO logo, and any other information generally required under the legislation in force.
Reproduction of the logo itself (colour version and black and white version):





4.7.   Concise definition of the geographical area


                  ‘Fesols de Santa Pau’ PDO are produced and processed in the municipalities of Santa Pau (main centre of production), Castellfollit de la Roca, Les Planes d’Hostoles, Les Preses, Olot, Sant Feliu de Pallerols and Sant Joan les Fonts (all in the district of Garrotxa, in the Autonomous Community of Catalonia in north-eastern Spain).
5.   Link with the geographical area


Summary of the link


                  ‘Fesols’ (beans) started being grown in the volcanic region of Santa Pau in the 18th century. Since then farmers have shaped the traditional varieties, first selecting genotypes adapted to mixed cropping with maize and later, from the 1970s, selecting genotypes suitable for monoculture and efficient management. This has given rise to the traditional varieties authorised for the ‘Fesols de Santa Pau’ PDO, Tavella Brisa, Setsetmanera and Gra Petit, very well adapted to the local conditions and of a recognised quality.

                  ‘Fesols de Santa Pau’ PDO have a very high protein content, fine skin, low mealiness and a mild flavour. These characteristics are derived both from the soil and climate conditions of the geographical area where they are grown and from the traditional varieties used.
The climate of the geographical area of the PDO is Mediterranean but with continental features. Average annual rainfall is around 1 000 l/m2, with irregular distribution, mainly concentrated in spring and autumn, although there is enough rain in summer to allow the beans to be grown without irrigation. Maximum temperatures in July and the first half of August can reach 35 °C but from mid-August and in September, maximum temperatures drop below 27 °C (mild temperatures).
There has been intermittent volcanic activity in the Garrotxa area for 350 000 years and the last eruption occurred 11 000 years ago. The area’s volcanic rock is fundamentally basalt and not very acidic, i.e. poor in SiO2 (SiO2 between 52 % and 45 %). Soil formation processes have turned the basalt into extremely fertile soil with the following characteristics:






—


relatively high organic matter content (usually between 2,5 and 5,0 g/100g);










—


slightly acidic or neutral pH, usually between 6,0 and 7,5;










—


absence of calcium carbonate and, consequently, low calcium availability;










—


high cation-exchange capacity (usually more than 25 cmol+/kg); and










—


high water-retention capacity.




These soil characteristics directly affect the quality and characteristics of the product obtained as the increased capacity for cation exchange favours the high protein content linked to the low mealiness of the product, whilst the low calcium content and the slightly acid or neutral pH produce a fine skin. These two factors enhance one another as the seed matures with temperate temperatures occurring from mid-August. Moderate temperatures during maturation also promote the mild flavour.
The area’s climatic irregularity, especially as regards rainfall and temperature, means that only farmers with local experience know exactly which variety to sow and when (the beans should start ripening from mid-August, with mild temperatures). The farmers usually combine the three authorised varieties (distinguished from one another by type of growth, length of growing cycle and degree of tolerance of environmental variation) in different fields, in order to guarantee a minimum production regardless of the weather in any given year. The experience of the local farmers is also crucial in ensuring that the seeds are dried properly in the autumn, when it can be very wet, which allows for the maximum expression of the organoleptic characteristics of the product.
Fesols de Santa Pau have been used in various traditional and innovative dishes, and form the basis of the ‘Cuina volcánica’ (volcanic cuisine) which has made the area a gastronomic destination with traditional culture due to the activities linked to ‘Fesols de Santa Pau’ such as the ‘Feria del Fesol de Santa Pau’ [Fesol de Santa Pau fair] which, since 1991, is celebrated annually in the middle of January.

Electronic (URL) reference to the publication of the product specification


https://agricultura.gencat.cat/web/.content/al_alimentacio/al02_qualitat_alimentaria/normativa-dop-igp/plecs-vigor/pliego-condiciones-dop-fesols_santa_pau_modificacion1_normal_2025-ESP.pdf



(1)  Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2025/27 of 30 October 2024 supplementing Regulation (EU) 2024/1143 of the European Parliament and of the Council with rules concerning the registration and the protection of geographical indications, traditional specialities guaranteed and optional quality terms and repealing Delegated Regulation (EU) No 664/2014 (OJ L, 2025/27, 15.1.2025, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg_del/2025/27/oj).


ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/C/2025/5515/oj
ISSN 1977-091X (electronic edition)