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: 2025-11-12
Institutions: Directorate-General for Agriculture and Rural Development, European Commission
Subjects: Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, France, Occitanie, consumer information, designation of origin, labelling, offal, product designation, quality control of agricultural products, veal








C_202506078EN.000101.fmx.xml












Official Journal of the European Union


EN
C series













C/2025/6078


12.11.2025






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/2025/6078)

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


                     ‘Veau d’Aveyron et du Ségala’
                  


EU PGI-FR-0187-AM01 – 21.8.2025
                  

1.   Name of product


               ‘Veau d’Aveyron et du Ségala’
            
2.   Geographical indication type







☐


Protected Designation of Origin (PDO)










☒


Protected Geographical Indication (PGI)










☐


Geographical Indication (GI)




3.   Sector







☒


Agricultural products










☐


Wines










☐


Spirit drinks




4.   Country to which the geographical area belongs

France
5.   Member State authority communicating the standard amendment

Ministry of Agriculture and Food Sovereignty
6.   Qualification as standard amendment

The application for amendment to the ‘Veau d’Aveyron et du Ségala’ PGI does not involve any of the three situations constituting a Union amendment; specifically, it does not:






(a)


include a change in the name of the protected geographical indication;










(b)


risk voiding the link to the geographical area;










(c)


entail further restrictions on the marketing of the product.




The French authorities therefore consider that the application is for a standard amendment.
7.   Description of the approved standard amendment(s)

1.   Responsible department in the Member State

In the ‘Competent authority in the Member State’ section, contact details have been added for the National Institute of Origin and Quality (Institut national de la qualité et de l’origine – INAO) in accordance with Regulation (EU) 2024/1143.
This amendment does not affect the single document.
2.   Applicant group

The telephone number and email address of the Interprofession régionale du veau d’Aveyron et du Ségala (IRVA), which brings together the operators of this PGI, have been updated. In addition, the description of its composition has been reworded.
This amendment does not affect the single document.
3.   Type of product

The section relating to the type of product, formerly defined by its class, has been deleted from the specification.
This amendment affects the single document.
4.   Product description

The wording of this section has been amended in order to present the product briefly and more precisely. Several elements were in fact indicative and non-exhaustive; these have been revised with a view to providing more information on the product.
The statement ‘It is fed on its mother’s milk until slaughter, with cereals provided as supplementary feed.’ has been replaced by the sentence ‘The “Veau d’Aveyron et du Ségala” is meat from suckled calves fed in particular on their mother’s milk, fodder and cereals.’, which describes the method of raising the calves more accurately.
In addition to the maximum age at slaughter, which remains set at 10 months, a minimum age at slaughter of five months has been added. The average age at slaughter of eight months, which was provided for guidance only, has been removed.
The range of live weights (250 to 420 kg) has been deleted. The minimum carcass weight has been reduced to 140 kg (as opposed to 170 kg in the current product specification) and the different maximum carcass weights for males and females have been abolished, with the result that the maximum carcass weight for females has increased to 270 kg (instead of 250 kg).
Conformation class (E, U, R according to the EUROP classification) and degree of fat cover (2, 3, 4) have been added.
The forms in which the meat may be marketed are specified, these being: carcasses, half-carcasses, quarters (forequarters/hindquarters), primal cuts, muscles or retail cuts, as well as unseasoned minced meat, tartare and carpaccio.
A list of offal products (thick skirt, thin skirt, veal ruffle (‘fraise de veau’), liver, heart, kidneys, tongue, cheeks, sweetbread, head (entire or deboned and rolled), rumen and feet) has been added.
The types of presentation of the meat and the offal products are mentioned: fresh, frozen or deep-frozen, whether packaged or not.
The colour of the raw meat is described as ‘very light pink to red’ instead of ‘a characteristic pink’.
The meat descriptors ‘tender and tasty’ have been removed.
This amendment affects the single document.
5.   Definition of the geographical area

Eight municipalities have been added, six of which are located in the geographical area. These are municipalities that were forgotten when the geographical area was previously defined, this having been done on the basis of cantons. In addition, the annexes showing the geographical area have been deleted and a sentence stating that a map of the geographical area can be found on the website of the National Institute of Origin and Quality (Institut national de l’origine et de la qualité – INAO) has been added.
This amendment affects the single document.
6.   Evidence that the product originates in the geographical area

This section of the product specification has been completely revised; the diagram of the product’s distribution network has been removed and the components used to trace animals and the product have been updated in the light of the amendments made. The proposed approach to traceability allows for bottom-up and top-down traceability.
This amendment does not affect the single document.
7.   Description of the method of obtaining the product

This section of the product specification has been amended to include several new requirements and clarify those already laid down, but also to delete provisions relating to advice, information, control procedures or general rules.
Environmental provisions have been added to emphasise farmers’ practices. These relate to biodiversity on the holdings (a minimum proportion must have agro-ecological infrastructures or include permanent grassland and crop units of less than 6 hectares), the importance of grass (a minimum proportion of the fodder crop area must be under grass) and crop diversity (a minimum proportion must be under permanent grassland or legumes).
Some amended or added provisions relate to the animal:






—


A provision has been added to the effect that farms must be as much as 70 % self-sufficient in the feed consumed thereon. This self-sufficiency relates to dry matter, represents an annual average, and does not include the milk suckled by the calves.










—


Outdoor access by dams and nurse cows is mentioned explicitly, and zero grazing is prohibited.










—


The list of authorised breed types has been expanded: the calves are now bred from parents belonging to (identical or different) meat-type breeds, or from a cross between a parent belonging to a meat-type breed and a cross-bred parent, one of the parents of which belongs to a meat-type breed.










—


The requirement for nurse cows to belong to dairy stock has been withdrawn.










—


The section ‘Feeding of the calves’ has been expanded to spell out that the calf must be suckled daily by the dam or a nurse cow from the time it is born until it is slaughtered. The requirement that the calf be suckled twice a day has been withdrawn. Provisions on the supplementary feeding of calves have also been expanded in order to specify the composition of the feed and excluded raw materials or additives.










—


It is stated that the calves are born and raised on the same holding, except in the specific case of a dam and its calf being transferred from one holding in the sector to another.










—


The living conditions of the calves are spelled out to require that they be raised collectively, with dams and nurse cows as appropriate. If they are not with dams and nurse cows, the calves must be raised in the same building, an adjacent building or a building located at least 100 metres from the one in which the dams and nurse cows are housed when they are not outdoors. The product specification does, however, provide for the possibility of isolating an animal if it is ill or injured.




Provisions have also been added to provide for clean, mould- and earth-free renewed bedding material, as well as ventilated buildings receiving natural light.






—


The conditions under which the animals leave the farm for slaughter and maximum distances and travel times have been specified.










—


The conditions under which the animals are taken to the killing floor have been added: These provide for stress-free delivery to the stunning station and their restraint and stunning in an atmosphere of calm.




Some provisions relate to the carcass of the animal and products thereof:






—


Provisions have been added to make it possible to regulate the chilling and transport of carcasses in terms of both time and objective.










—


Provisions have also been added to regulate the steps of packaging primal cuts and prepared meats and preparing meats (in the form of minced meat, tartare or carpaccio) with regard to where operations are located, their duration and the composition of the meat (100 % meat, collagen-to-protein ratio, proportion of frozen meat in the total amount of deep-frozen minced meat processed).




This amendment affects the single document.
8.   Link with origin

The structure of the chapter concerning the link with the origin, i.e. the link between the product and its geographical origin, has been modified; it has been reorganised to develop in three parts: ‘Specificity of the geographical area’, ‘Specificity of the product’ and ‘Causal link’.
This amendment affects the single document.
9.   Inspection body

The inspection bodies and their contact details have been updated. The inspection plan has been withdrawn.
This amendment does not affect the single document.
10.   Details relating to labelling

The ‘Labelling’ section has been amended in accordance with national guidelines aimed at harmonising how specifications are drafted: the existing paragraph has been deleted and replaced by a sentence setting out the mandatory regulatory elements.
The visual identity (logo) associated with the PGI has been withdrawn, as it has evolved since the PGI was initially registered and there is no longer any desire to make its use compulsory.
This amendment affects the single document.
11.   National requirements

The ‘National requirements’ section has been amended in line with changes to national legislation and rules. A table has been added showing the main points to be checked and the evaluation methods to be used.
This amendment does not affect the single document.
12.   Summary and annexes

The table of contents and all of the annexes to the product specification in force have been removed, as they are non-essential to understanding the product specification.
This amendment does not affect the single document.
SINGLE DOCUMENT


                     ‘Veau d’Aveyron et du Ségala’
                  


EU No: PGI-FR-0187-AM01 – 21.8.2025
                  


PDO ( ) PGI (X)

1.   Name(s) (of the PDO or PGI)


               ‘Veau d’Aveyron et du Ségala’
            
2.   Member State or third country

France
3.   Description of the agricultural product or foodstuff

3.1.   Combined Nomenclature code

02 – MEAT AND EDIBLE MEAT OFFAL
3.2.   Description of product to which the name in (1) applies


                  ‘Veau d’Aveyron et du Ségala’ is meat from a suckled calf with a diet consisting of its mother’s milk, fodder and cereals.
Carcasses of ‘Veau d’Aveyron et du Ségala’ meet the following criteria:






—


an age of slaughter of between 5 and 10 months;










—


a heavy veal calf of 140 to 270 kg carcass weight;










—


Conformation: E, U, R;










—


Degree of fat cover: 2, 3, 4.




The raw meat of ‘Veau d’Aveyron et du Ségala’ is very light pink to red in colour.
The meat may be sold as carcasses, half-carcasses, quarters (forequarters/hindquarters), primal cuts, muscles or retail cuts, as well as unseasoned minced meat, tartare and carpaccio.
The following offal products may be eligible for the PGI: thick skirt, thin skirt, veal ruffle (‘fraise de veau’), liver, heart, kidneys, tongue, cheeks, sweetbread, head (entire or deboned and rolled), rumen and feet.
The meat and the offal products are presented to the consumer fresh, frozen or deep-frozen, whether packaged or not.
3.3.   Feed (for products of animal origin only) and raw materials (for processed products only)

At least 70 % of the feed consumed by the animals (dams, nurse cows, replacement [heifers] and calves), excluding milk suckled by the calves, evaluated in terms of dry matter and as an annual average, is produced on the holding.
The calf is suckled by the dam with the dam’s milk or, where appropriate, with milk from an adoptive dam or nurse cow.
The ‘Veau d’Aveyron et du Ségala’ is not weaned. It is suckled on a daily basis until it leaves the farm.
In addition to the milk they suckle on every day, the calves have supplementary feed available to them, consisting of fodder, cereal feed and mineral and vitamin supplements.
The only types of dry fodder authorised to be given to the animals are hay, straw and dried lucerne.
At least 50 % of the feed (excluding roughage) fed to the calf from the time it is four months old to supplement the suckled milk is made up of cereal grains and products derived from cereals (expressed as dry matter, by weight of the feed formula).
Raw materials falling within the categories of ‘milk products and products derived therefrom’, ‘land animal products and products derived therefrom’ and ‘fish, other aquatic animals and products derived therefrom’ are prohibited, as are products derived from palm oil and palm kernels.
The use of milk powder or milk replacer feed is prohibited.
The raw materials used in the supplementary feed are non-GMO.
Of the additives, only urea and its derivatives are prohibited.
3.4.   Specific steps in production that must take place in the identified geographical area

The ‘Veau d’Aveyron et du Ségala’ is born and raised in the geographical area.
3.5.   Specific rules concerning slicing, grating, packaging, etc. of the product the registered name refers to

Primal cuts are packaged in the cutting plant.
Prepared meats (minced meat, tartare and carpaccio) are packaged in the establishment in which they are prepared.
The aim of these rules is to reduce handling and thus the inherent risks of contamination and impact on the hygiene status and organoleptic quality of the products, given how fragile they are.
3.6.   Specific rules concerning labelling of the product the registered name refers to

—
4.   Concise definition of the geographical area


Department of Aveyron

Cantons covered by the geographical area in their entirety:
Aveyron et Tarn, Causse-Comtal, Ceor-Ségala, Enne et Alzou, Lot et Dourdou, Lot et Montbazinois, Lot et Truyère, Monts du Réquistanais, Nord-Lévezou, Raspes et Lévezou, Rodez-1, Rodez-2, Rodez-Onet, Saint-Affrique, Vallon, Villefranche-de-Rouergue and Villeneuvois et Villefranchois.
Cantons partly covered by the geographical area:
In the canton of Aubrac et Carladez: the municipalities of Brommat, Campouriez, Florentin-la-Capelle, Huparlac, Lacroix-Barrez, Montézic, Mur-de-Barrez, Murols, Saint-Amans-des-Cots, Saint-Symphorien-de-Thénières, Taussac and Thérondels.
In the canton of Causses-Rougiers: the municipalities of Balaguier-sur-Rance, (La) Bastide-Solages, Belmont-sur-Rance, Brasc, Combret, Coupiac, Laval-Roquecezière, Martrin, Montclar, Montfranc, Montlaur, Mounes-Prohencoux, Murasson, Plaisance, Pousthomy, Rebourguil, Saint-Juéry, Saint-Sernin-sur-Rance, Saint-Sever-du-Moustier and (La) Serre.
In the canton of Lot et Palanges: the municipalities of Bertholène, Castelnau-de-Mandailles, Gaillac-d’Aveyron, Laissac-Sévérac l’Église, Lassouts, Palmas d’Aveyron, Saint-Côme-d’Olt and Vimenet.
In the canton of Tarn et Causses: the municipalities of Castelnau-Pégayrols, Montjaux, Saint-Beauzély, Verrières and Viala-du-Tarn.

Department of Cantal

Cantons partly covered by the geographical area:
In the canton of Arpajon sur-Cère: all municipalities except Arpajon sur-Cère and Prunet.
In the canton of Maurs: all muncipalities except Sansac-de-Marmiesse.
In the canton of Saint-Paul-des-Landes: the municipalities of Cayrols, Omps, Parlan, (Le) Rouget-Pers, Roumégoux, Saint-Saury and (La) Ségalassière.

Department of Lot

Cantons covered by the geographical area in their entirety:
Cère et Ségala, Figeac-1, Figeac-2, Lacapelle-Marival and Saint-Céré.
Cantons partly covered by the geographical area:
In the canton of Causse et Vallées: the municipalities of Brengues, Cadrieu, Cajarc, Calvignac, Carayac, Cénevières, Espagnac-Sainte-Eulalie, Espédaillac, Frontenac, Gréalou, Grèzes, Larnagol, Larroque-Toirac, Marcilhac-sur-Célé, Montbrun, Puyjourdes, Quissac-en-Quercy, Saint-Chels, Saint-Jean-de-Laur, Saint-Martin-Labouval, Saint-Pierre-Toirac and Saint-Sulpice.
In the canton of Gramat: the muncipalities of Albiac, Durbans, Flaujac-Gare, Issendolus and Reilhac.
In the canton of Marches du Sud-Quercy: the municipalities of Beauregard, Concots, Laramière, Limogne-en-Quercy, Lugagnac, Promilhanes, Saillac, Varaire and Vidaillac.
In the canton of Martel: the municipalities of Bétaille, Carennac, Cavagnac, Condat, Saint-Michel-de-Bannières, Strenquels, Vayrac, (Le) Vignon-en-Quercy (but only for the area of the delegated municipality of Les Quatre-Routes-du-Lot).

Department of Tarn

Cantons covered by the geographical area in their entirety:
Albi-1, Albi-2, Albi-3, Albi-4, Carmaux-1 Le Ségala, Carmaux-2 Vallée du Cérou, Castres-1, Castres-3, Gaillac, Graulhet, Le Haut Dadou, Les Deux Rives and Saint-Juéry.
Cantons partly covered by the geographical area:
In the canton of Castres-2: all municipalities except Saint-Salvy-de-la-Balme.
In the canton of Hautes Terres d’Oc: the municipalities of Berlats, (Le) Bez, Brassac, Cambounès, Espérausses, Fontrieu, Gijounet, Lacapelle-Escroux, Lacaune, Lacaze, Lacrouzette, (Le) Masnau-Massuguiès, Saint-Pierre-de-Trivisy, Saint-Salvi-de-Carcavès, Senaux, Vabre and Viane.
In the canton of Pastel: the municipality of Saïx.
In the canton of Plaine de l’Agoût: the municipalities of Brousse, Jonquières, Laboulbène, Lautrec, Montdragon, Montpinier, Peyregoux, Puycalvel, Saint-Genest-de-Contest, Saint-Julien-du-Puy and Vénès.
In the canton of Vignobles et Bastides: the municipalities of Alos, Andillac, Cahuzac-sur-Vère, Campagnac, Castelnau-de-Montmiral, Larroque, Lisle-sur-Tarn, Montels, Puycelci, Saint-Beauzile, Sainte-Cécile-du-Cayrou, (Le) Verdier and Vieux.

Department of Tarn-et-Garonne

Cantons partly covered by the geographical area:
In the canton of Quercy-Rouergue: the municipalities of Castanet, Caylus, Cazals, Espinas, Féneyrols, Ginals, Lacapelle-Livron, Laguépie, Loze, Mouillac, Parisot, Puylagarde, Saint-Antonin-Noble-Val, Saint-Projet, Varen and Verfeil.
5.   Link with the geographical area

The link with the geographical area is based on a rearing method specific to the geographical area, and on the reputation of the product. The geographical area has many valleys and pastures. This very grassy region has historically been used for raising cattle and sheep. The grazing capacity and hilly terrain of the geographical area enable the existence of small- to medium-sized farms, with livestock totalling around 50 dams per farmer and typically with an average of 45 to 50 hectares. These farms consist of grassland and areas under cereals. On this land, which is well suited to grazing and the production of hay for farmed animals, cows can take full advantage of the grass. The cows help manage the land, transforming the grass into milk for their calves. The soil in this geographical area is predominantly acidic. The cultivation of rye (‘segala’ in Occitan), which is particularly suited to this environment, has led to the emergence of a specific form of production involving bovine livestock, and reference to it has been incorporated into the name of the area and that of the associated product, ‘Veau d’Aveyron et du Ségala’, the production of which is based on the principle of feeding cereals to the calf throughout its lifetime as supplementary feed in addition to the mother’s milk and to fodder. Numerous references can be found in literature, paintings, family recipes and records of fairs from the 18th century to the present day. In the past, most farms had a few cattle, which were used both as working animals and to feed the family (by providing milk and meat), ensuring virtual self-sufficiency. Of the cattle intended for slaughter, two types were consumed: calves and cull cattle. For reasons of profitability, most of the cattle on small and poor farms were cows, which at that time fulfilled a dual role: to produce a calf (for food) and help the farmer with daily work on the field. The farms operated as self-sufficient systems for a very long time, but at the beginning of the 19th century, agricultural development enabled farmers in the geographical area to buy one or two additional animals and sell one or two calves per year. Trade in the ‘Veau d’Aveyron et du Ségala’ gradually came to be organised around the local and regional fairs of France, and the high quality of the animals traded came to the attention of gourmet consumers in south-eastern France and Paris hospitals. After the Second World War, in the 1950s, Italians in turn came to discover these calves in the markets of Lyon and Saint-Etienne. The calves quickly became very popular in the wealthier regions of Italy (Piedmont, Liguria, Tuscany) and even in Spain (Catalonia). In the 1970s and 1980s, Italians became almost exclusive buyers of ‘Veau d’Aveyron et du Ségala’, most of which thus became intended for export. At the end of the 1980s, when rearing methods were evolving in all regions of France and large numbers of dairy calves were coming onto the market, farmers in the geographical area realised what made their cattle different and decided to protect their long-standing expertise by taking a structured and controlled approach to the ‘Veau d’Aveyron et du Ségala’ denomination. ‘Veau d’Aveyron et du Ségala’ is meat obtained from a calf of a meat-type breed, reared by suckling, with cereals serving as a supplementary feed. The calf is slaughtered at between 5 and 10 months of age. Its carcass weight is less than or equal to 270 kilograms. The colour of the raw meat ranges from very light pink to red. Historically in the small farms of the geographical area, after the morning suckling, the cows would be harnessed to work the land during the day while the calf stayed in the cowshed. To keep the calf calm and meet its dietary needs, the farmer fed it hay and cereals. The specificity of the ‘Veau d’Aveyron et du Ségala’ stems from the intimate link between the needs of the calf and the plant matter available on the farm. The characteristics of the calf (age, weight and colour) are thus directly linked to the type of feed and husbandry practices developed in the geographical area, as referred to in the literature. The exclusive use of the dam’s milk as the source of milk in the calf’s diet from the time of its birth until it leaves the farm, supplemented with fodder and cereals, results in the calf, which is of a meat-type breed, having a finishing age of up to 10 months (8 months on average) and a carcass weight of up to 270 kilograms. Supplementing milk with fodder and cereals provides the calf with a balanced diet and results in meat which is very light pink to red in colour. The ‘Veau d’Aveyron et du Ségala’ is well-known and prized: – by the farmers themselves, who have consumed it in the families of the Ségala for generations; – by the hospitals of Paris, the fairs of Lyon and Saint-Etienne and local fairs since the beginning of the 19th century, and subsequently by several slaughterers across the country; – by the owners of award-winning gourmet restaurants, such as Sébastien Bras, Michel Sarran, Pierre Augé, as well as François Adamski, winner of the Bocuse d’Or and the title of France’s ‘Best Artisan Craftsman’ (‘Meilleur Ouvrier de France’), who is quoted in the April 2016 edition of Gourmet de France magazine, and French and European consumers who recognise the qualities it possesses, both when it is young and when it is more mature; – by food journalists such as François-Régis Gaudry (who, on the TV programme Les Grands Duels de Top Chef, broadcast on the M6 channel on 26 February 2020, stated that ‘I decided to showcase this meat because of its exceptional quality’). The product has also won gold and silver medals at the Concours Général Agricole de Paris [Paris General Agricultural Competition] every year since 2015, with juries highlighting its particular characteristics.

Reference to publication of the specification


https://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/eli/arrete/2025/8/4/AGRT2519533A/jo/texte



(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/2025/6078/oj
ISSN 1977-091X (electronic edition)