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

2012/C 52/11

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 from the date of this publication.

SINGLE DOCUMENT

COUNCIL REGULATION (EC) No 510/2006

‘CABRITO DO ALENTEJO’

EC No: PT-PGI-0005-0791-08.10.2009

PGI ( X ) PDO ( )

1.   Name:

‘Cabrito do Alentejo’

2.   Member State or third country:

Portugal

3.   Description of the agricultural product or foodstuff:

3.1.   Product type:

3.2.   Description of the product to which the name in point 1 applies:

‘Cabrito do Alentejo’ is the carcase/meat obtained from the slaughter of caprine animals born, reared and slaughtered in accordance with the established rules, listed in the register of births, which are the offspring of a father and mother registered in the zootechnical register and/or in the herd book for the Serpentina goat breed, or also the offspring of a one-off pairing, the male of which is listed in the zootechnical register and/or the herd book for the Serpentina goat breed.

According to the local traditional practices for breeding the animals of both sexes, slaughter takes place when they are between 30-120 days old, providing carcasses between 3,50 kg and 7,50 kg in weight which are low in fat, high in muscle content, light red in colour, tender, succulent and of pleasant aroma.

3.3.   Raw materials (for processed products only):

—

3.4.   Feed (for products of animal origin only):

‘Cabrito do Alentejo’ kids are suckled from birth until the age of between 30 and 120 days.

In order to aid the development of the digestive system or to occupy the animals by meeting their instinctive need to gnaw and thereby prevent stress, at around 15 days of age the kids are given fibrous substances known as ‘roedores’ (‘chews’). These foods contain the following: good quality hay and straw (tasty and easily-digestible hay); holm and cork oak material; cereals; products consisting exclusively of cereals such as maize, wheat, oats, barley, rye, etc.; protein crops such as peas, beans, vetches, Lathyrus cicera, Ornithopus sativus, etc.; sunflower seed, soya, beet, etc.; and other by-products from agriculture, horticulture and fruit production.

Fats, carbonates, bicarbonates, phosphates and chlorides, together with whey powder and vitamin and mineral additives, may also form part of their feed, but only in small proportions.

All these foods may only supplement the mothers’ milk and must not exceed 15 % of the total food intake of the kids while they are growing up.

The administration of any growth promoter, anabolic steroids, hormones or similar natural or artificial products is prohibited.

Their supply of water and food must comply with the minimum standards for hygiene and animal welfare.

3.5.   Specific steps in production that must take place in the identified geographical area:

Production takes place in the identified geographical area while the slaughter, cutting and packaging may take place outside the geographical area of production.

3.6.   Specific rules concerning slicing, grating, packaging, etc.:

The ‘Cabrito do Alentejo’ may be marketed as a whole carcase or half carcase, packaged or otherwise, or in the following cut-up parts: shoulder, neck, brisket, breast rib, leg and offal. The cuts must be put up packaged in trays.

3.7.   Specific rules on labelling:

The labelling must bear the words ‘Cabrito do Alentejo — IGP’ and the relevant logo (see figure 1), the PGI logo and the certification body’s mark.

Figure 1

4.   Concise definition of the geographical area:

The geographical production area is limited, administratively, to the districts of Portalegre, Evora and Beja (except the municipality of Sines and the parishes of Vila Nova de Milfontes, Langueira, Almograve and Zambujeira do Mar in the municipality of Odemira); the municipalities of Grândola (except the parishes of Carvalhal and Melides), Alcácer do Sal (except the parishes of Santa M.a do Castelo and Comporta), Santiago do Cacém (except the parish of Santo André), Alcoutim (except the parish of Vaqueiros); and the parishes of Couço and Santana do Mato, in the municipality of Coruche, S. Marcos da Serra, in the municipality of Silves, and Ameixial, in the municipality of Loulé.

5.   Link with the geographical area:

5.1.   Specificity of the geographical area:

The geographical area where the animals are born and bred is limited to the Alentejo and neighbouring areas where soils are poor, consisting in particular of weathered shale, with much of its pasture land in steep wooded slopes where there is no access for agricultural machinery and where other species have great difficulty in surviving (either because of the quality of grazing or the difficulty of access).

Livestock farming in the region is extensive and applies a mixed agricultural/woodland/pasture system. The goats are extensively farmed and are necessarily outdoor reared. The land is therefore mostly under cover of Mediterranean forests (cork and holm oak), cereal production (non-irrigated areas) and arable crops (cropped fodder and natural or improved pastures) and uncultivated land.

Cold rainy winters and hot dry summers are also characteristic of this geographical area and have an influence not only on the existing vegetation type but also on its variability throughout the year. Vegetation consists mostly of native grasses (Dactylis glomerata, Lolium ssp., Bromus ssp. among others) and pulses (mainly various types of Trifolium and Mendicago and also Ornithopus, Lotus, Scorpiurus etc.) as well as several types of shrub species (various types of Cistus commonly called ‘estevas’, ‘sargaços’, ‘piorno’ and ‘tojo’) and also certain typical oaks (cork and holm) which provide acorn and branches. This range of vegetation not only provides food for the adult animals but is also a decisive factor, since it not only influences, by natural selection, the characteristics of the animals which overcome the conditions and which manage to survive, breed and feed their young in such difficult conditions, as is the case of the Serpentina goats and their offspring, but is also a factor in changing the characteristics of the milk in accordance with the time of the year.

5.2.   Specificity of the product:

Studies on carcases of ‘Cabrito do Alentejo’ provide the following differentiating characteristics: light colour, due to the presence of subcutaneous fat, which is also light in colour; 60 % to 66 % of extremely tender and succulent muscle; 25 %, on average, of bone; a lower percentage of fat than other genotypes studied; significant economic yield, since the leg, shoulder and ribs together account for around 70 % of the total weight of the carcase; the edible parts, consisting of muscle and subcutaneous inter- and intramuscular fat, contain 6 % to 8 % fat.

The main fatty acids occurring in the fat of ‘Cabrito do Alentejo’, accounting for more than 70 % of the total, are oleic (C18:1 cis-9), palmitic (C16:0) and stearic (C18:0) acids.

Linoleic acid concentration (CLA) varies from 0,34 % to 0,66 % throughout the year.

5.3.   Causal link between the geographical area and the quality or characteristics of the product (for PDO) or a specific quality, the reputation or other characteristic of the product (for PGI):

The plant, rock and climatic characteristics of the geographical area, under the influence of Man, define the ecosystem. This fact, together with husbandry techniques peculiar to the Alentejo region and the characteristics of the breed, has resulted in the goatmeat of the Serpentina breed and its offspring being placed on the market as a distinctive product intended for consumption, especially at traditional times for families and for society at large. ‘Cabrito do Alentejo’ thus became, a long time ago (there are written references and recipes for ‘Cabrito do Alentejo’ dating from the 16th century), a renowned name in its own right among consumers, given the special nature of the organoleptic quality of the meat and its gastronomic value, especially in the two seasons of the year in which it is mostly eaten: Christmas and Easter.

Common practice in the region requires the slaughter of kids before they are weaned and thus before they reach the ruminant stage. Their mothers’ milk is thus crucial to the quality of the kid meat. Since the mothers’ diet is so dependent on plant, geological and climatic conditions within the production area and since those vary over the year, the levels of CLA in milk is also variable, so that it is possible to establish a positive correlation with their levels in intramuscular fat and the longissimus dorsi muscle of the kid which, in turn, influences the colour, taste and succulence of the meat. Moreover, the concentration of CLA and other fatty acids is always greater in ‘Cabrito do Alentejo’ kids than in other kids, and the profile of fatty acids varies significantly in the meat of the kid over the year. These two factors result in a marked demand for ‘Cabrito do Alentejo’ by the consumer during the two festive seasons of Christmas and Easter.

Reference to publication of the specification:

(Article 5(7) of Regulation (EC) No 510/2006)

http://www.gpp.pt/Valor/Cabrito_Alentejo_CE_MAIO2011.pdf

(1)  OJ L 93, 31.3.2006, p. 12.