Publication of an application for registration of a name pursuant to Article 50(2), point (a), of Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012 of the European Parliament and of the Council on quality schemes for agricultural products and foodstuffs
Date: 2026-01-22
Institutions: Directorate-General for Agriculture and Rural Development, European Commission
Subjects: France, Nouvelle-Aquitaine, Occitanie, consumer information, designation of origin, fresh meat, labelling, offal, poultry, product designation, quality control of agricultural products








C_202600421EN.000101.fmx.xml












Official Journal of the European Union


EN
C series













C/2026/421


22.1.2026






Publication of an application for registration of a name pursuant to Article 50(2), point (a), of Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012 of the European Parliament and of the Council on quality schemes for agricultural products and foodstuffs
(C/2026/421)

Following this publication, the authorities of a Member State or of a third country, or a natural or legal person having a legitimate interest and established or resident in a third country, may lodge, in accordance with Article 17 of Regulation (EU) 2024/1143 of the European Parliament and of the Council (1) an opposition with the Commission within three months from the date of this publication.
SINGLE DOCUMENT


                     ‘Oie du Sud-Ouest’
                  


EU No: PGI-FR-03229 – 30.4.2024
                  


PDO ( ) PGI (X)

1.   Name(s)


               ‘Oie du Sud-Ouest’
            
2.   Member State or third country

France
3.   Description of the agricultural product or foodstuff

3.1.   Type of product

Class 1.1. Fresh meat (and offal)

Combined Nomenclature code

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


                  ‘Oie du Sud-Ouest’ is made from male and female greylag geese of the species Anser anser intended for the production of foie gras. They are reared in the open air and fattened by force-feeding from the age of at least 91 days for a minimum period of 12 days.

                  ‘Oie du Sud-Ouest’ geese that undergo this traditional finishing stage are well formed, a high degree of fat content visible across all cuts, and skin and fat (subcutaneous and abdominal) of an off-white to yellow colour.
1.   Whole ‘Oie du Sud-Ouest’

                     ‘Oie du Sud-Ouest’ is marketed whole and fresh, fully plucked, with all feather stubs properly removed and no signs of injury (burns, bruises, scratches or fractures).
It weighs at least:






—


7 kg whole, with liver (slaughtered, plucked, not gutted);










—


6 kg whole, without liver (slaughtered, plucked, not gutted but with liver removed);










—


4 kg whole, gutted (whole goose slaughtered, plucked and fully gutted).




Geese may be marketed whole only when fresh.
2.   ‘Oie du Sud-Ouest’ cuts and offal
Cuts and offal come from carcasses selected because their size does not meet the weight criteria.
Cuts and offal may be marketed fresh or deep-frozen.
Only legs and wings intended for the production of confit may be frozen.
Cuts and offal may be marketed as portions from a secondary cut (process of slicing to obtain a portion from the original product).
In order to be marketed to the final consumer, the offal must have the following characteristics:
Raw fattened liver: liver of geese that have been force-fed in order to fatten the liver.






—


The raw fattened liver weighs at least 500 g.










—


Texture: liver with a granular texture is excluded.










—


It may optionally be deveined.










—


It may optionally be seasoned.




Gizzard: whole, completely cleaned, inner lining and outer fat removed. There must be no pieces of oesophagus present.
Heart: does not contain cuts and has had the aorta removed.
The cuts are fully plucked, with all feather stubs properly removed and no defects (burns, bruises, scratches or fractures).
In order to be marketed to the final consumer, the paletot and magret cuts must have the following characteristics:

Paletot (‘overcoat’): all the pieces of meat connected with each other by the skin and subcutaneous fat.

Magret or maigret: the breast fillet from a goose fattened by force-feeding for the production of foie gras.






—


The magret does not include the aiguillette (inner fillet) muscle.










—


It is presented covered by the skin and subcutaneous fat.










—


It is completely plucked and carefully trimmed. It must be surrounded by a ring of evenly trimmed fat with a small amount visible on the meat side.










—


The magret weighs at least 300 grams.




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

The geese’s feed is guaranteed to be:






—


GMO free;










—


free from palm oil and its derivatives.




The geese have unlimited access to water at all times.
The geese are fed in two distinct stages: rearing, and fattening by force-feeding.
At the end of the rearing stage there is at least a seven-day period of preparation for fattening, to enable the geese to be prepared for feeding in the form of meals.
Fattening by force-feeding involves distributing individually to each goose a quantity of maize, adapted to its stage of fattening and its physiological capacity, for a minimum period of 12 days, three times a day with the exception of the first and last day.
During fattening, 95 % of the dry matter content in the feed is maize, with no maize products. The maize in question is dent maize originating in the geographical area, a basin that is historically known for growing this grain, which is rich in starch and is ideal for fattening geese.
3.4.   Specific steps in production that must take place in the defined geographical area

All steps in the production of ‘Oie du Sud-Ouest’, from rearing to slaughtering, gutting and cutting, are carried out in the geographical area.
3.5.   Specific rules concerning slicing, grating, packaging, etc. of the product the registered name refers to

—
3.6.   Specific rules concerning labelling of the product the registered name refers to

In addition to the compulsory information provided for by legislation on the labelling and presentation of foodstuffs, labels must include the following:






—


the European Union PGI logo;










—


the name ‘Oie du Sud-Ouest’, which may be supplemented by the following information in order to specify the type of product being marketed:






—


For whole geese: ‘entière avec foie’ [whole with liver], ‘entière sans foie’ [whole without liver] or ‘éviscérée’ [gutted], placed after the name ‘Oie du Sud-Ouest’;










—


For cuts and offal: the name of the cut or offal, placed before the name ‘Oie du Sud-Ouest’.








The name ‘Oie du Sud-Ouest’ and the elements specifying the name of the product are written in the same font size, type and style.
An additional geographical indication may be used for geese reared, force-fed, slaughtered and cut in the corresponding area:






—


it must be placed above or below the name ‘Oie du Sud-Ouest’, without any other element separating them;










—


it must be written entirely in upper case;










—


the letters must be the same height and in the same font style.




The use of the indication ‘Oies élevées et préparées dans le Sud-Ouest’ [geese reared and prepared in the South-West] is also permitted. This indication may be made more precise by replacing the term ‘Sud-Ouest’ with an additional geographical indication for geese reared, force-fed, slaughtered and cut in the corresponding area:






—



                        ‘Oies élevées et préparées dans le Gers’ [geese reared and prepared in Gers];










—



                        ‘Oies élevées et préparées dans les Landes’ [geese reared and prepared in Landes];










—



                        ‘Oies élevées et préparées en Périgord’ [geese reared and prepared in Périgord];










—



                        ‘Oies élevées et préparées en Quercy’ [geese reared and prepared in Quercy].




Only the geographical name (‘Sud-Ouest’), possibly supplemented by additional geographical indications (‘Gers’, ‘Landes’, ‘Périgord’ or ‘Quercy’), may appear on the labelling. Aside from references to national origin and the address block, any designation of provenance on the labelling is forbidden.
4.   Concise definition of the geographical area

The geographical area comprises the following departments and municipalities:
Nouvelle-Aquitaine region:






 


the departments of Corrèze, Dordogne, Gironde, Landes, Lot-et-Garonne and Pyrénées-Atlantiques;










 


the following municipalities in the department of Haute-Vienne: Bussière-Galant, Les Cars, Le Chalard, Châlus, La Chapelle-Montbrandeix, Coussac-Bonneval, Dournazac, Flavignac, Glandon, Ladignac-le-Long, Lavignac, Maisonnais-sur-Tardoire, Marval, Pageas, Pensol, Saint-Mathieu and Saint-Yrieix-la-Perche.




Occitanie region:






 


the departments of Ariège, Aveyron, Haute-Garonne, Gers, Lot, Hautes-Pyrénées, Tarn and Tarn-et-Garonne;










 


the following municipalities in the department of Aube: Airoux, Baraigne, Belflou, Belpech, Les Brunels, Cahuzac, Carlipa, Les Cassés, Castelnaudary, Cenne-Monestiés, Cumiès, Fajac-la-Relenque, Fendeille, Gourvieille, Issel, Labastide-d’Anjou, Labécède-Lauragais, Lafage, Lasbordes, Laurabuc, La Louvière-Lauragais, Marquein, Mas-Saintes-Puelles, Mayreville, Mézerville, Mireval-Lauragais, Molandier, Molleville, Montauriol, Montferrand, Montmaur, Payra-sur-l’Hers, Pécharic-et-le-Py, Pech-Luna, Pexiora, Peyrefitte-sur-l’Hers, Peyrens, Plaigne, La Pomarède, Puginier, Ricaud, Saint-Amans, Sainte-Camelle, Saint-Martin-Lalande, Saint-Michel-de-Lanès, Saint-Papoul, Saint-Paulet, Saint-Sernin, Salles-sur-l’Hers, Souilhanels, Souilhe, Soupex, Tréville, Verdun-en-Lauragais, Villautou, Villemagne, Villeneuve-la-Comptal, Villepinte and Villespy.




5.   Link with the geographical area

The link with the origin of ‘Oie du Sud-Ouest’ is based on its reputation and its specific nature, which lies in its high fat content. This is linked to its specific rearing and feeding method, which involves a gradual process of fattening the geese by force-feeding using the starch-rich dent maize that originates in the geographical area.
The geographical area corresponds overall to the geological structure of the Aquitaine Basin, a large sedimentary basin formed in the Mesozoic Era that occupies much of South-West France. It is bordered to the west by the Atlantic Ocean, to the south by the Pyrenees mountain range, to the east by a line between the Massif Central and the city of Castelnaudary and to the north by the administrative boundaries of the departments of Gironde and Dordogne.
It is characterised by a succession of plains, slopes and plateaux suitable for cultivation, alternating between areas of meadows and grassland or of forest and heathland, alongside arable land. It also has large areas of meadowland dotted with pools and ponds and irrigated by numerous watercourses.
With its broad exposure to the Atlantic Ocean, the geographical area has a temperate maritime climate with mild temperatures and average precipitation of more than 900 mm, evenly distributed throughout the year.
The geese reared in the South-West are descended from the wild greylag goose (Anser anser), which migrated from the Arctic Circle to the Arabian Peninsula and has been shown to have been domesticated and fattened since ancient times.
In the South-West, the rearing of waterfowl in general and geese in particular developed as early as the Middle Ages as part of the traditional system of mixed crop farming and animal rearing.
The introduction of maize into the region during the 17th century revolutionised the rearing of farmyard poultry. In the South-West, geese and maize are inextricably linked, with one feeding into the other.
Increasing the proportion of maize in the geese’s diet and observing its effects on their fattening helped to develop expertise in force-feeding at the end of the 18th century. This feeding method has changed little, with the geese still being fattened on maize given in the form of whole and/or ground kernels. Because they are low in cellulose and rich in floury starch, dent maize kernels dry out easily and can be made into a finisher feed. From the 1960s onwards maize yields improved, allowing producers to use dent maize, a late variety rich in floury starch and well suited to the mild and humid climate of the South-West, when force-feeding the geese.
On small farms, farmers rely on having large numbers of farmyard poultry, as this is their main source of meat and fat. These mixed-crop subsistence farms break from their domestic self-sufficiency to sell their surplus at markets, which have become genuine speciality marchés au gras [fat markets]. The geese are offered whole to customers, i.e. either the carcass and the liver together, or the carcass and the foie gras separately.
This is truly a commercial tradition that is part of the culture of the South-West.
These markets are still found throughout the South-West, for example in Gers (Samatan market), Landes (Peyrehorade market), Périgord (Périgeux market) and Quercy (Cahors market). These markets also play an important role in supplying professionals in the sector (processors/preservers) and restaurants.
In the 19th century, the industrial revolution gave rise to transport networks enabling the Paris markets to be supplied with products from the South-West by rail (Compagnie du Midi), as evidenced by Baqué’s 1949 work En Gascogne gersoise: deux siècles d’histoire économique 1750-1949 [In the Gers region of Gascony: two centuries of economic history 1750-1949], which reads: ‘In each canton’s administrative centre, where there is a train station, traders scour the nearby markets to gather, first, and then send cases of eggs, poultry and foie gras to Bordeaux, Paris or England.’
            
In the agricultural statistics for 1968, fattened geese are listed only in the South-West, while roasting geese were produced in all regions of France.
Production is now concentrated in a few core areas corresponding to the additional geographical indications (Gers, Landes, Périgord and Quercy), where traditional marchés au gras are still held.

               ‘Oie du Sud-Ouest’ differs from other goose production: it is not a roasting goose, but a goose fattened by force-feeding to obtain fat, meat for making confit and foie gras.

               ‘Oie du Sud-Ouest’ is well formed, a high degree of fat content visible across all cuts, and skin and fat (subcutaneous and abdominal) of an off-white to yellow colour.
This fattening is notable on all cuts of ‘Oie du Sud-Ouest’, with the magret and the foie gras having a significant weight.
The climate in the South-West, with its mild temperatures and regular rainfall, provides the ideal conditions for keeping geese in the open air. The geographical area consists of:






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areas of meadowland and grassland or of forest and heathland, which are favourable for establishing goose runs;










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arable land used to grow the maize used to feed the geese and above all to fatten them by force-feeding.




Maize cultivation has enabled farmers to develop technical know-how based on the concentrated distribution of this cereal and the gradual process of fattening the geese by force-feeding. Fattening by force-feeding involves distributing individually to each goose a quantity of maize, adapted to its stage of fattening and its physiological capacity, several times a day for several days. The force-feeders’ know-how makes it possible to produce well-developed animals with high fat content.
The reputation of ‘Oie du Sud-Ouest’ has also grown through the marchés au gras, which are a source of supply for all private individuals and preservers in the South-West.
Thanks to improvements in preservation techniques (aseptic canning) and the expansion of transport options that have enabled the development of regional, national and international marketing channels, certain trading companies have become showcases of South-West gastronomy, marketing goose products both in France and internationally.
The marchés au gras established in the 19th century continue their commercial and tourist activities today. The fact that the marchés au gras are part of the culture of the South-West is a true testament to this heritage.
In his work ‘De confit en foie gras – Une histoire des oies et des canards du Sud-Ouest’ [From confit to foie gras – A history of the geese and ducks of the South-West] (2009, ed. Elkar – Terres et Gens [Lands and people]), F. Duhart writes of a ‘culture of fat attached to the South-West’ and devotes part of his work to ‘Oie du Sud-Ouest’. In ‘Voyage à travers le temps. L’oie du Sud-Ouest entre mémoire et histoire, XVIe-XXIe siècles’ [Voyage through time. The goose of the South-West between memory and history, 16th-21st century] (Annales de l’Académie Polonaise des Sciences [Annals of the Polish Academy of Sciences], vol. 18, 2016) C. Marache and P. Meyzie devote a chapter to ‘L’oie du Sud-Ouest au XXIe siècle: Folklore et imaginaire au service d’une production limitée et prestigieuse’ [Oie du Sud-Ouest in the 21st century: folklore and fantasy in the service of limited and prestigious production].
Various press articles and TV segments report on the opening of the marchés au gras every year. (‘Le marché au gras revient depuis près de 30 ans’ [The marché au gras returns after 30 years], Journal La Dépêche, 8 November 2023; and ‘Les marchés au gras’ published on the website France Sud-Ouest – culture et tourisme dans le Sud-Ouest de la France).
Similarly, local fairs such as ‘Thiv’Oie’ in Thiviers or ‘Fest’Oie’ in Sarlat (the twelfth edition of which was held on 2 and 3 March 2024 – Journal Sud-Ouest, 3 March 2024) also help to maintain and develop the product’s reputation.
In 2018, AFAMÉS (Association de friands amateurs de mets épicuriens et savoureux) published a book of recipes entirely devoted to Oie du Sud-Ouest entitled Il était une foie dans le Sud-Ouest [Once upon a liver in the South-West], in which the goose was described as follows: ‘Creating recipes that showcase the “Oie du Sud-Ouest”, one of the jewels in the gastronomic crown of our beautiful region, is a joy that is rife with opportunities: liver, breast, neck, gizzards, drumettes, legs, carcass – everything works equally well.’
            

Reference to publication of the product specification


https://info.agriculture.gouv.fr/gedei/site/bo-agri/document_administratif-399e8dd8-25c6-4bf7-845d-4b335c533f74



(1)  Regulation (EU) 2024/1143 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 April 2024 on geographical indications for wine, spirit drinks and agricultural products, as well as traditional specialities guaranteed and optional quality terms for agricultural products, amending Regulations (EU) No 1308/2013, (EU) 2019/787 and (EU) 2019/1753 and repealing Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012 (OJ L, 2024/1143, 23.4.2024, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2024/1143/oj).


ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/C/2026/421/oj
ISSN 1977-091X (electronic edition)