COMMUNICATION OF APPROVAL OF A STANDARD AMENDMENT

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

‘Melva de Andalucía’

EU reference number: PGI-ES-0280-AM01 – 12.6.2025

1.   Name of product

Melva de Andalucía

2.   Geographical indication type

☑

PGI

☐

PDO

☐

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

Dirección General de Industrias, Innovación y Cadena Agroalimentaria [Directorate-General for the Agri-Food Industry, Innovation and the Food Supply Chain]

6.   Qualification as standard amendment

The approved amendment falls under the definition of a standard amendment as provided for in Article 24(4) of Regulation (EU) 2024/1143, as it does not include a change in the name or use of the name, does not risk voiding the established link to the geographical area and does not entail further restrictions on the marketing of the product.

7.   Description of the approved standard amendment(s)

Title

Amendment to Section E, ‘DESCRIPTION OF THE METHOD OF PRODUCTION’, of the product specification

Description

The wording of point (c), ‘Cooking’, has been improved by specifying that water checks must be carried out at the beginning of the day and on the cooking water, and now reads as follows:

‘Salt must be dissolved in boiling fresh water, varying according to the size and characteristics of the fish. The pH and Cl values of the cooking water used must be checked at the beginning of the day on which the fish is cooked, in order to avoid exceeding the maximum authorised values (pH < 9,5 and Cl < 0,8 mg/l).’

The wording of point (g), ‘Sterilisation’, has been improved to clarify that the analyses must be carried out by sampling, without leaving the frequency to interpretation, and now reads as follows:

‘Incubation and analytical tests must be carried out by sampling to verify the effectiveness of the process.’

☐

This amendment affects the single document.

Title

Update of the information in Section G, ‘VERIFICATION OF COMPLIANCE WITH THE PRODUCT SPECIFICATION’, of the specification

Description

Amended text:

‘Verification of compliance with the product specification before placing the product on the market is carried out in accordance with 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.

The designated competent authority responsible for checks is the Directorate-General for the Agri-Food Industry, Innovation and the Food Supply Chain of the Regional Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development of the Government of the Autonomous Community of Andalusia, C/ Tabladilla, s/n, 41071 Seville; tel. +34 955032278; fax +34 955032112;

Email: dgiica.capadr@juntadeandalucia.es

Information on the bodies responsible for verifying compliance with the requirements of the product specification can be found at the following address: https://lajunta.es/5fq00 or via the home page of the Regional Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development (https://juntadeandalucia.es/organismos/agriculturapescaaguaydesarrollorural.html), by following the navigation pathway: “Temas”/“Industrias, Innovación y Cadena Agroalimentaria”/“Calidad Agroalimentaria”/“Denominaciones de calidad”/“Productos derivados de la pesca” [“Topics”/“Agri-food industry, innovation and the food supply chain”/“Agri-food quality”/“Quality designations”/“Products derived from fish”].

They are specifically tasked with verifying compliance with the product specification before the product is placed on the market.’

☐

This amendment affects the single document.

Title

Amendment of Section H, ‘LABELLING’, of the production specification and point 3.6 of the single document

Description

The requirement to include the words ‘Indicación Geográfica Protegida’ [‘protected geographical indication’] has been deleted and the regulatory board’s logo has been included.

Amended text:

‘The individual label of each producer marketing the product covered by the protected geographical indication “Melva de Andalucía” must bear prominently the name “Melva de Andalucía” and the European Union symbol. In addition, the packaging of all preserved “Melva de Andalucía” covered by the protected geographical indication must bear the logo of the regulatory board shown below.’

☑

This amendment affects the single document.

Title

Deletion of Section I, ‘LEGISLATIVE REQUIREMENTS’, from the product specification

Description

Section I, ‘Legislative requirements’, has been deleted to bring the content of the product specification into line with Article 49 of Regulation (EU) 2024/1143 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 April 2024.

☐

This amendment affects the single document.

SINGLE DOCUMENT

Designations of origin and geographical indications of agricultural products

‘Melva de Andalucía’

EU reference number: PGI-ES-0280-AM01 – 12.6.2025

1.   Name(s)

Melva de Andalucía

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

16 – PREPARATIONS OF MEAT, OF FISH, OF CRUSTACEANS, MOLLUSCS OR OTHER AQUATIC INVERTEBRATES, OR OF INSECTS

03 – FISH AND CRUSTACEANS, MOLLUSCS AND OTHER AQUATIC INVERTEBRATES

1604 20 90 – Of other fish

4.2.   Description of the agricultural product to which the registered name applies

Preserved frigate tuna fillets, natural and in olive oil, produced using non-industrial methods.

The fillets are distinguished by their compact, smooth and juicy texture, a pleasant smell and a very characteristic taste of oily fish.

Three varieties of the preserved frigate tuna fillets are marketed, differing in the liquid medium used: olive oil, sunflower oil or cooking water. They are packed in round or rectangular tins or glass jars.

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)

The raw material used is fish of the species Auxis rochei and Auxis thazard, which have a robust, elongate and rounded body with a short snout and two well-separated dorsal fins. They are bluish or bluish grey, with silvery flanks and belly, and their skin is very hard and tough and completely scaleless, except on the posterior part of the body and along the lateral line.

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

Non-industrial production methods traditional in Andalusia are used. The frigate tuna is skinned by hand without the use of chemicals, thus ensuring a high-quality product with a greyish-white colour that preserves all its characteristics.

The fish are placed exclusively in salted water (with less than one per cent salt) or olive or sunflower oil.

4.5.   Specific rules concerning packaging, slicing, grating etc. of the agricultural product the registered name refers to

—

4.6.   Specific rules concerning labelling of the agricultural product the registered name refers to

The individual label of each producer marketing the product covered by the protected geographical indication ‘Melva de Andalucía’ must bear prominently the name ‘Melva de Andalucía’ and the European Union symbol. In addition, the packaging of all preserved ‘Melva de Andalucía’ covered by the protected geographical indication must bear the logo of the regulatory board shown below.

All packaging in which the protected frigate tuna is placed on the market must bear a numbered label issued by the regulatory board that is affixed at the packaging stage in such a way that it cannot be reused.

4.7.   Concise definition of the geographical area

Production takes place in the municipalities of Almería, Adra, Carboneras, Garrucha and Roquetas de Mar in the province of Almería; Algeciras, Barbate, Cádiz, Chiclana de la Frontera, Chipiona, Conil, La Línea, Puerto de Santa María, Rota, Sanlúcar de Barrameda and Tarifa in the province of Cádiz; Almuñécar and Motril in the province of Granada; Ayamonte, Cartaya, Huelva, Isla Cristina, Lepe, Palos de la Frontera and Punta Umbría in the province of Huelva; and Estepona, Fuengirola, Málaga, Marbella and Vélez-Málaga in the province of Málaga.

5.   Link with the geographical area

The causal link with the geographical origin is based on:

☑	Reputation

☑	Given quality

☐	Other characteristics.

Summary of the link

5.1.   Specificity of the geographical area

The frigate tuna preserves are produced in preserving plants located within the geographical production area in accordance with the requirements of the product specification, particularly as regards non-industrial processing involving methods and procedures used since antiquity that allow the fish’s natural characteristics to be maintained. Skinning of the fish by hand is a particularly important stage in the production process and is carried out by skilled workers trained in this operation, whose know-how has traditionally been passed down from generation to generation.

5.2.   Specificity of the product

The non-industrial methods used to produce the product preserve all the natural characteristics of the product, which is distinguished by a compact, smooth and juicy texture, a pleasant smell and a very characteristic taste of oily fish.

The species of frigate tuna referred to above that provide the raw material for the product, although migratory, are normally found along the coast of the specified geographical area.

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)

Migratory species have been fished in the South of Spain for 3 000 years, since the Phoenicians and the Tartessians began catching tuna, frigate tuna and mackerel using small nets, rudimentary purse seines and the familiar hook and line. As well as fishing, mention should also be made of the importance of the processing industry for these migratory species, whose origins go back to the first century AD. All types of tuna and mackerel were processed at factories all along the coast of Andalusia. The famous ruins of Baelo Claudia at Bolonia (Tarifa), where tanks are still visible today, are just one example. Preserving fishery products from species caught in the area is thus a time-honoured tradition in Andalusia that continues to this day, using non-industrial methods to produce a distinctive, high-quality product. This is precisely because of the raw material and the non-industrial production method used, which give it its organoleptic properties and make it a safe, high-quality product.

The non-industrial preserving sector has been dominated by small and medium-sized family undertakings, managed by either the founders or their descendants, which has made it possible to maintain traditional production methods. The long traditions of the industry in Andalusia and the experience of non-industrial production handed down from generation to generation guarantee a skilled labour force.

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

https://lajunta.es/5jo4c

---

(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).