Publication of an application pursuant to Article 6(2) of Council Regulation (EC) No 510/2006 on the protection of geographical indications and designations of origin for agricultural products and foodstuffs

(2008/C 85/10)

This publication confers the right to object to the application pursuant to Article 7 of Council Regulation (EC) No 510/2006 (1). Statements of objection must reach the Commission within six months of the date of this publication.

SUMMARY

COUNCIL REGULATION (EC) No 510/2006

‘SAN SIMÓN DA COSTA’

EC No: ES/PDO/005/0359/19.08.2004

PDO ( X ) PGI ( )

This summary sets out the main elements of the product specification for information purposes.

1.   Responsible department in the Member State:

2.   Group:

3.   Type of product:

Class 1.3: Cheese

4.   Specification:

(Summary of requirements under Article 4(2) of Regulation (EC) No 510/2006)

4.1.   Name: ‘San Simón da Costa’

4.2.   Description: Cheese produced from cows' milk, with the following characteristics:

Cheese covered by this designation of origin is marketed in two sizes:

large, aged for a minimum of 45 days, with a final weight of between 0,8 and 1,5 kg and measuring between 13 and 18 cm high,

small or ‘Bufón’, aged for a minimum of 30 days, with a final weight of between 0,4 and 0,8 kg and measuring between 10 and 13 cm high.

4.3.   Geographical area: The milk for cheeses covered by the ‘San Simón da Costa’ Protected Designation of Origin is produced and the cheeses themselves are made in the geographical area of the District of Terra Chá, which is made up of the following municipalities, all in the Province of Lugo: Vilalba, Muras, Xermade, Abadín, Guitiriz, Begonte, Castro de Rei, Cospeito and A. Pastoriza.

4.4.   Proof of origin: Only milk from livestock holdings entered in the relevant register may be used for making cheeses covered by the ‘San Simón da Costa’ Protected Designation of Origin.

Similarly, only cheeses made, aged and smoked in cheese dairies and ageing and smoking facilities entered in the register held by the Inspection Body may be covered by the ‘San Simón da Costa’ Protected Designation of Origin.

To ensure compliance with the specifications, the Inspection Body will hold registers of inspections on livestock holdings, cheese dairies and ageing facilities. All natural and legal persons owning property entered in those registers, their installations and their products will be subject to inspection to verify that products bearing the ‘San Simón da Costa’ Protected Designation of Origin fulfil the requirements laid down in the specification.

Inspections will involve checks on livestock holdings, installations and documentation and analyses of raw materials and finished cheeses. Where it is found that raw materials or cheeses were not produced in accordance with the specification or cheeses show defects or significant deterioration, the cheeses concerned may not be marketed under the ‘San Simón da Costa’ Protected Designation of Origin.

Cheese covered by the Protected Designation of Origin will bear a numbered secondary label issued, checked and supplied by the Inspection Body.

4.5.   Method of production: The cheeses are made from raw or pasteurised, whole, natural milk from Galician blond, brown Swiss and Friesian cows and their crosses on guaranteed holdings entered in the register of the Protected Designation of Origin. The milk contains neither colostrum nor preservatives and must meet the general requirements laid down by legislation.

The milk may not be subject to any form of standardisation and is correctly stored to prevent the development of micro-organisms at a temperature of not more than 4 °C. Production of the cheese must commence no more than 48 hours after milking. Production involves the following procedures:

Coagulation: this is induced using rennet, the active components of which are the enzymes chymosin and pepsin. The starter cultures used are the various strains of Lactococcus lactis, Streptococus cremoris and Streptococus lactis. The recovery and use of indigenous strains is promoted. The milk is coagulated at a temperature of between 31 and 33 °C for 30 to 40 minutes, except when raw milk is used, in which case these criteria are adjusted to 28 to 32 °C for 30 to 35 minutes.

Cutting: the curd is cut to produce grains of between 5 and 12 mm in diameter.

Moulding: the curd is placed in moulds of the shape and size required to produce cheeses with the characteristic properties of the certified product.

Pressing: the cheese is pressed in suitable presses for the time necessary, depending on the pressure applied and the size of the cheeses. The cheeses are wrapped in cotton cloth to facilitate elimination of the whey and produce a smooth rind.

Salting: the cheeses are immersed in brine with a concentration of between 14 and 17 % for a maximum of 24 hours.

Ageing: large cheeses are aged for a minimum of 45 days after salting and small cheeses (‘Bufón’) for 30 days. The cheeses are turned and cleaned during ageing so that they acquire their characteristic properties.

Immersion in an anti-mould bath: this is an optional procedure involving immersing the cheeses in a bath of olive oil or other authorised product to inhibit the growth of mould.

Smoking: the cheeses are smoked for the time necessary to acquire their characteristic colour, ensuring that the cheeses do not come into close contact with the fire. Birch wood without bark is always used.

In order to safeguard the quality and traceability of the product, the protected cheeses must generally be marketed as whole cheeses, in the packaging authorised by the Inspection Body. However, the Inspection Body may authorise marketing in portions, including cutting at the point of sale, provided that an appropriate monitoring system has been established for this purpose that guarantees the product's origin, quality, perfect conservation and correct presentation to the consumer, avoiding all possibility of confusion.

4.6.   Link:

Historic link:

According to legend, the origins of ‘San Simón da Costa’ cheese are to be found with the Celtic tribes of the castreña culture in the mountains of the Sierras de Carba and Xistral. Tradition also has it that, during the Roman period, the cheese was shipped to Rome for its characteristic taste and long shelf-life. Later, it was used for paying rent and tithes to feudal lords and the Church.

Natural link:

The District of Terra Chá is one of the most extensive and well defined in Galicia, with a high degree of uniformity conferred by its flat landscape, interrupted only by the mountains that surround it.

The impact of the geographical environment on the specific characteristics of the cheese:

There is a series of factors related to the geographical environment that have an impact on the distinguishing characteristics of ‘San Simón da Costa’ cheese:

4.7.   Inspection body:

4.8.   Labelling: Cheese marketed with the ‘San Simón da Costa’ Protected Designation of Origin, after being certified as conforming to the specification and the relevant rules, must carry a numbered seal, label or secondary label, approved and issued by the Inspection Body, bearing a sequential alphanumeric code and the official logo of the Designation of Origin.

The words ‘Denominación de Origen Protegida San Simón da Costa’ must appear on both the label and the secondary label.

The label must indicate whether the cheese has been made with raw or pasteurised milk.

(1)  OJ L 93, 31.3.2006, p. 12.