COMMUNICATION OF APPROVAL OF A STANDARD AMENDMENT

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

‘Avellana de Reus’

EU reference number: PDO-ES-0046-AM03 – 23.9.2025

1.   Name of product

‘Avellana de Reus’

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

Department of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Food

6.   Qualification as standard amendment

The approved amendment qualifies as a standard amendment because the changes do not affect the protected name, do not risk voiding the link and do not entail further restrictions on the marketing of the product.

7.   Description of the approved standard amendment(s)

Title

Amendment of the limit on pieces permitted

Description

In the table setting out the maximum quality and size tolerances in the ‘Product description’ section of the specification, the maximum permissible percentage of ‘pieces’ has been increased for roasted hazelnut kernels.

☑	The amendment affects the single document.

Title

Deletion of the nutritional composition

Description

In the ‘Product description’ section of the specification, the paragraph on the nutritional composition of the hazelnuts has been deleted as it set out average values from nutritional tables which are not a specific characteristic of the product covered by the PDO. Therefore, the information was considered superfluous.

☑	The amendment affects the single document.

Title

Removal of restrictions on the containers permitted for wholesale packaging

Description

In the ‘Geographical area’ section of the specification, the wording has been amended to state that different types of large containers may be used for wholesale packaging and not just ‘big bags’.

☑	The amendment affects the single document.

Title

Amendment of the specific labelling

Description

In the ‘Labelling’ section of the specification, the reference to a numbered secondary label has been replaced by a reference to a code approved by the Regulatory Board.

☑	The amendment affects the single document.

SINGLE DOCUMENT

Designations of origin and geographical indications of agricultural products

‘Avellana de Reus’

EU reference number: PDO-ES-0046-AM03 – 23.9.2025

1.   Name(s)

‘Avellana de Reus’

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

0802 – Other nuts, fresh or dried, whether or not shelled or peeled

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

Seed of the fruit of the hazel (Corylus avellana L. and Corylus maxima Mill.) of the Betulaceae family. The fruit has a green outer part or woody epicarp, which separates during ripening. Inside there is a hard shell or pericarp normally containing a seed: this is the hazelnut.

The varieties protected by the Avellana de Reus PDO are: Negreta, Pauetet, Gironella, Morella and Culplana. They are all native varieties traditionally grown in the geographical area.

The product covered by the PDO is marketed in the following formats:

—	hazelnuts in shell (raw or roasted),

—	shelled whole hazelnut kernels (raw or roasted).

The hazelnuts must be sized or sifted. The diameter or particle size for each product format is as follows:

Hazelnuts in shell:

—	Very large: diameter or particle size ≥ 18 mm

—	Large: diameter or particle size ≥ 16 mm

Whole hazelnut kernels (shelled): diameter or particle size ≥ 11 mm

For hazelnuts in shell, the following maximum quality and size tolerances are permitted:

Quality tolerance (maximum %):

1.	External defects (number of nuts): 1

2.	Internal defects (number of nuts): 4

3.	Foreign matter (by weight): 0,25

Difference in size (maximum %): Next size below and/or above the size declared (number of nuts): 5

(For hazelnuts in shell, the control parameters are calculated on the basis of the number of nuts, except for the percentage of foreign matter, which is calculated on the basis of weight.)

For whole hazelnut kernels:

Quality tolerance (maximum % by weight):

1.	Twin kernels: 1 for both raw hazelnuts and roasted hazelnuts

2.	Not fully developed, shrivelled, blemished and yellowish kernels: 2 for both raw hazelnuts and roasted hazelnuts

3.	Rancid, rotten, mouldy, having a bad smell or taste, damaged by insects or rodents: 1 for both kinds

4.	Pieces: 0,5 for raw hazelnuts and 10 for roasted hazelnuts

5.	Mechanically damaged: 5 for both raw hazelnuts and roasted hazelnuts

6.	Hazelnuts in shell, fragments of shell and foreign matter: 0,1 for both raw hazelnuts and roasted hazelnuts

Difference in size (maximum % by weight): 5 for both raw hazelnuts and roasted hazelnuts

(For hazelnut kernels, the control parameters are calculated on the basis of weight.)

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)

—

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

Production of hazelnuts and processing must take place in the geographical area defined in the appropriate section.

Processing always includes cleaning, classification and extrinsic quality control. Depending on the final product format, it also includes shelling and roasting.

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

Packing into large containers (big bags) must take place in the defined geographical area in order to ensure the correct identification and traceability of the batches of hazelnuts covered by the PDO. Packing in packaging intended for the final consumer may take place either within or outside the defined geographical area, but the PDO hazelnuts must have been packed into wholesale packaging, boxes, big bags or similar and duly identified before leaving the area.

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

The following information must be clearly indicated on the packaging used for hazelnuts covered by the Avellana de Reus PDO, along with the other information required under the applicable legislation:

—	the PDO name ‘Avellana de Reus’, along with the term ‘Denominación de Origen Protegida’ [‘Protected Designation of Origin’] or ‘DOP’ [‘PDO’] and the PDO’s own logo;

—	a numbered secondary label or code approved by the PDO managing body.

Reproduction of the PDO’s own logo:

4.7.   Concise definition of the geographical area

The geographical area of the Avellana de Reus PDO is located in the province of Tarragona, in the south of Catalonia. It comprises all the municipalities located in the districts of Alt Camp, Baix Camp, Tarragonès, Priorat, Conca de Barberà and Terra Alta.

5.   Link with the geographical area

Summary of the link

The geographical area in which Avellana de Reus hazelnuts are produced and processed is characterised by its rugged terrain, with altitudes ranging from almost sea level in the lowest areas to 1 000 m in the highest areas. The soil is calcareous, fairly deep and loose, loamy in texture and light brown to reddish brown or ochre in colour.

The land, together with the climate, provide suitable conditions for the development of the hazels. The climate is characterised by mild temperatures (average annual temperature of around 16 °C, minimum temperatures that do not usually fall below 4 or 5 °C), average annual rainfall of between 400 and 500 mm, and strong ‘mistral’ winds (north-westerly wind) from February to March which aid pollination.

Accordingly, the link between growing hazels and the geographical area dates back to the Middle Ages. In Catalan-speaking regions, and especially the Tarragona area, the hazelnuts produced have been commercialised for at least 600 years. A committee on the trade of hazelnuts was listed among the organisations of traders at the Lonja de Barcelona in 1271, and records show that hazelnuts were being grown in Alforja in 1287, La Selva del Camp in 1296, and Vilanova d’Escornalbou and Duesaigües in 1331. In La Selva del Camp, hazelnuts began to be tithed in 1472; however, an extraordinary tax was already being levied on the nut in 1381. These four municipalities are part of the geographical area of the Avellana de Reus PDO.

The hazel tree, which was originally cultivated in the hinterland area of the ‘Camp’, became much more widespread during the second half of the 19th century. In 1862, a meeting was held in Reus by the agricultural association ‘Institut Agrícola Català de Sant Isidre’ and a recommendation was made that grapevines be replaced by hazels in order to combat the agricultural crisis caused by grapevine mildew. Due to the outbreak of phylloxera in the last decade of the 19th century, that recommendation became a necessity. The development of the crops during the 20th century followed the basic trend which began at the end of the 19th century: a decline in vines and a large increase in hazels and other fruits and vegetables. 95 % of the total yield from mainland Spain passed through Reus, making it the main trading centre.

Under these soil, climate and economic conditions, which favour the growing of hazels in the geographical area, the century and a half of human experience in the sector has been a key factor. This is because, historically, producers sought to select and reproduce the most well-adapted and productive varieties based on genetic diversity and plant health, in accordance with the area’s climate and soil conditions. The first classification of hazelnuts was clearly defined in a comprehensive 1922 study in which 29 of the main varieties grown at the time were described [‘Description of the most important hazel varieties grown in Catalonia’ by A. Trotter and A. Matons, Arxius de la Escola Superior d’Agricultura, Mancomunitat de Catalunya, 1922].

The local growers selected the five varieties covered by the Avellana de Reus PDO from all the varieties native to and traditionally cultivated in the geographical area as they considered them to be the best varieties in terms of quality and because of their compatibility in the pollination process. It should be borne in mind that the hazel varieties are self-incompatible: the female flower of one variety must be fertilised by the pollen of another variety.

In conclusion, this human element, organised in cooperatives and producer groups, together with a processing industry that is constantly improving its production processes and the practice of selecting the best-quality native varieties and adapting them to the geographical environment, inextricably shape the identity of Avellana de Reus, which has been protected as a designation of origin since 1990.

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

https://agricultura.gencat.cat/web/.content/al_alimentacio/al02_qualitat_alimentaria/normativa-dop-igp/plecs-vigor/pliego_condiciones-dop_avellana_reus_modificacion2_normal_2025-CAST.pdf

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(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).