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: 2026-04-23
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_202602334EN.000101.fmx.xml












Official Journal of the European Union


EN
C series













C/2026/2334


23.4.2026






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/2026/2334)

COMMUNICATION OF APPROVAL OF A STANDARD AMENDMENT

(Article 24 of Regulation (EU) 2024/1143)


‘Queso de La Serena’


EU reference number: PDO-ES-0086-AM02 – 29.1.2026
                  

1.   Name of product

‘Queso de La Serena’
2.   Geographical indication type







☑


PDO










☐


PGI










☐


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

Consejería de Agricultura, Desarrollo Rural, Población y Territorio de la Junta de Extremadura [Regional Ministry of Agriculture, Rural Development, Population and Territory of the Government of the Autonomous Community of Extremadura], Dirección General de Agricultura y Ganadería [Directorate-General for Crop and Livestock Farming]
6.   Qualification as standard amendment

The amendment application can be classified as standard within the meaning of Article 24(4) of Regulation (EU) 2024/1143. In particular, these changes CANNOT be classified as Union amendments because:






(1)


they do not include a change in the name protected as a PDO or in the use of that name;










(2)


there is no risk of voiding the link with the geographical area;










(3)


they do not entail further restrictions on the marketing of the product.




7.   Description of the approved standard amendment(s)


Title

Inclusion of the Lacaune breed as suitable for supplying milk for Queso de La Serena

Description

The following amendment has been included in the description of the product (section B of the specification), in the evidence that the product comes from the area (paragraph b.1 of the specification), in the Link (paragraph 3.a of the specification), and in the relevant points of the single document:
The requirement that the milk for the production of the protected cheeses must only come from ewes of the Merino breed has been replaced by the requirement that it must come exclusively from the Merino and Lacaune breeds, together with their crossbreeds. According to the request submitted by the Regulatory Board, the amendment is due to ‘changes in production systems, farm structure and working systems in recent decades’. Specifically, ‘there have been many changes in the sheep management and production system, improvements in genetics and breed selection, increases in and inclusion of breeds which are adapted to this particular environment, technical improvements, changes in the milking system, advances in health, improvements in equipment and changes in the way dairies and cheesemakers operate’.
According to the supporting studies submitted, the inclusion of the new breed does not alter the characteristics of the cheeses covered by the PDO. The new breed has become perfectly adapted to the district of La Serena since its introduction several decades ago.
In any event, both the Merino and the Lacaune breeds are included in the Official Catalogue of Livestock Breeds of Spain (Annex I to Royal Decree 45/2019 of 8 February 2019 laying down zootechnical rules applicable to purebred breeding animals, hybrid breeding pigs and the germinal products thereof, updating the National Programme for the conservation, improvement and promotion of livestock breeds and amending Royal Decrees 558/2001 of 25 May 2001; 1316/1992 of 30 October 1992; 1438/1992 of 27 November 1992; and 1625/2011 of 14 November 2011).






☑


The amendment affects the single document.





Title

Update of the inspection structure

Description

The details of the control body included in section G of the product specification have been updated. This change does not affect the single document.






☐


The amendment affects the single document.





Title

Update of the product category nomenclature

Description

Although it was not included in the Regulatory Board’s request, the opportunity is taken to update the product type to make it consistent with the new Combined Nomenclature codes (section 3.1 of the single document).






☑


The amendment affects the single document.




SINGLE DOCUMENT

Designations of origin and geographical indications of agricultural products


‘Queso de La Serena’


EU reference number: PDO-ES-0086-AM02 – 29.1.2026
                  

1.   Name(s)

‘Queso de La Serena’
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

Code 04 – DAIRY PRODUCE; BIRDS’ EGGS; NATURAL HONEY; EDIBLE PRODUCTS OF ANIMAL ORIGIN, NOT ELSEWHERE SPECIFIED OR INCLUDED

                  0406  – Cheese and curd
4.2.   Description of the agricultural product to which the registered name applies

‘Queso de La Serena’ is a soft to semi-hard cheese made from the milk of ewes of the Merino and Lacaune breeds and their crossbreeds. 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.




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)

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 farms with Merino and Lacaune sheep and their crossbreeds, 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:






—


Proteins: at least 4,8 %;










—


Cheese extract: at least 11 %.




4.4.   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 °C and 32 °C and takes between 50 and 75 minutes (using a natural vegetable coagulant obtained from dried Cynara Cardunculus flowers), cutting, moulding, salting and maturing.
4.5.   Specific rules concerning packaging, slicing, grating etc. of the agricultural 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.
4.6.   Specific rules concerning labelling of the agricultural product the registered name refers to

The commercial labels of each registered company must be approved by the Regulatory Board of the PDO. Labels must bear the following wording: Designation of origin ‘Queso de La Serena’.
The marketed product must bear a numbered secondary label issued by the Regulatory Board of 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.
5.   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.
6.   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 [A Journey to La Serena], which is about the district of La Serena and is taken from manuscripts by the magistrate 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)   Orography

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 on which the Merino sheep are fed 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)   Soils

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 Cambrian, 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 district of La Serena 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 precipitation 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 and Lacaune breeds of sheep, and their crossbreeds, are very hardy and well suited to the harsh climate and terrain. Nowadays they are mainly raised for their meat, but they also have a certain capacity for producing milk, as well as wool, which all taken together make them profitable enough if the difficult habitat of the area is taken into account. The quantity of milk they produce is small, but it is high in protein and fat.
The sheep are highly fecund and fertile and usually lamb once a year, although they also often 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 °C.
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 take all the nutrients from the soil and, consequently, have high nutritional values, making them ideal for livestock feed. Secondly, Merino and Lacaune sheep, and their crossbreeds, 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 sheep of these breeds which have grazed on La Serena pastures ideal for the production of Queso de La Serena, giving it its special and genuine characteristics.

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


https://www.juntaex.es/documents/77055/621148/Pliego+condiciones+Queso+Serena+2025+consolidado.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/2026/2334/oj
ISSN 1977-091X (electronic edition)