Publication of an application pursuant to Article 50(2)(a) of Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012 of the European Parliament and of the Council on quality schemes for agricultural products and foodstuffs

(2016/C 58/13)

This publication confers the right to oppose the application pursuant to Article 51 of Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012 of the European Parliament and of the Council (1).

SINGLE DOCUMENT

‘GALL DEL PENEDÈS’

EU No: ES-PGI-0005-01308 – 03.02.2015

PDO ( ) PGI ( X )

1.   Name

2.   Member State or Third Country

Spain

3.   Description of the agricultural product or foodstuff

3.1.   Type of product

Class 1.1. Fresh meat (and offal)

3.2.   Description of the product to which the name in (1) applies

The product covered by the ‘Gall del Penedès’ PGI is the fresh meat of chickens (males and females) of the improved Black Penedesenca variety of the traditional Penedesenca breed.

It is characterised by its flavour, the reddish colour of the carcasses and the firm and succulent meat and muscles.

The breed is slow growing and very hardy, has great vitality and a light, Mediterranean build and produces a dense meat. It is resistant to the heat and cold typical of the Mediterranean.

‘Gall del Penedès’ chickens are reared in chicken coops with outdoor access all year round, and the inclusion of grape seeds in their diet is a characteristic feature.

The grape seeds give the meat distinctive organoleptic qualities, as shown by the report on the sensory and chemical analysis carried out by the Institut de Recerca i Tecnologia agroalimentàries (IRTA — Institute for Agri-food Research and Technology), entitled Inclusió de granet de raïm en el pinso per la IGP del Gall del Penedès (Inclusion of grape seeds in the feed for PGI ‘Gall del Penedès’) (Amadeu Francesch Vidal, February 2012), which reads as follows:

The minimum age at slaughter for ‘Gall del Penedès’ chickens is 98 days.

‘Gall del Penedès’ carcasses are classified as class A (in accordance with Regulation (EC) No 543/2008). The carcass has no excess fat, the skin is white, the meat is reddish and the feet are black with a white base.

The minimum weight is 1,5 kg for an eviscerated carcass without giblets (plucked, eviscerated and without the head, feet, heart, liver or gizzard) and 2 kg for a partially eviscerated carcass (plucked and gutted, but with the head and feet still on).

‘Gall del Penedès’ carcasses are sold fresh, either whole or cut into pieces.

3.3.   Feed (for products of animal origin only) and raw materials (for processed products only)

‘Gall del Penedès’ chickens are fed on a diet based on the traditional diet for the geographical area covered by the PGI, adapted to current formulas and agri-food techniques. The distinctive feature of the diet is that it includes grape seeds.

The basic feed is made up as follows:

During the last seven days before slaughter, the feed may be based on a minimum of 90 % cereals and 5-5,5 % grape seeds.

Animal fats are prohibited, with the exception of milk derivatives.

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

‘Gall del Penedès’ chickens are reared within the defined geographical area.

Chicks arrive at poultry production farms for fattening when they are 24-48 hours old. When they reach the age of 42-56 days, the chickens are given access to outdoor ranges. They are reared for a minimum of 98 days.

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

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3.6.   Specific rules concerning labelling of the product to which the registered name refers

The end product destined for consumption under this PGI must prominently bear the words IGP‘Gall del Penedès’ or Indicación Geográfica Protegida‘Gall del Penedés’ and the PGI’s own logo.

4.   Concise definition of the geographical area

‘Gall del Penedès’ chickens are reared in a geographical area comprising 73 municipalities:

5.   Link with the geographical area

The link with the area is based on the reputation that the product has gained over time, as evinced by oral tradition, documents, fairs and markets and the particular production system used by breeders in the area, which is closely linked to the wine-growing tradition of the production area.

The geographical production area for the PGI corresponds to the historical region of el Penedès, which is distinguished by being the place of origin of the traditional Penedesenca breed, from which ‘Gall del Penedès’ stems, and for being a largely wine-growing region in which approximately 80 % of agricultural land is used to grow grapes and which falls within the Penedès and Cava wine PDOs. It could be said that, in el Penedès, as a result of the area’s specific character and crops, ‘Gall del Penedès’ is produced along with the region’s characteristic wines and sparkling wines.

The rearing, consumption and marketing of ‘Gall del Penedès’ has for centuries formed part of the customary apprenticeship for the region’s farmers. Written sources, oral tradition and works of art testify to the fact that these birds were kept at every farm, both as a means of feeding the family and as a source of household income over time, as their intensely red-brown eggs (known as ‘ou rogenc de Vilafranca’ (red eggs from Vilafranca)) were sold and were much sought after at the local markets (Vilafranca market, for which records date back to the 12th century) and the market in Barcelona. ‘Gall del Penedès’ meat was also held in high esteem and renown, as illustrated by the Fira del Penedès, a fair dating back to the 12th century which was later renamed Fira de Sant Tomàs and is now known as Fira del Gall. It has been held every year without fail, allowing the region’s farmers, whose farms were small, to display and sell their produce, thus preserving the traditional foods based around wine-growing.

In this environment, the region’s farmers came together at markets and fairs, where they passed on their expertise on how to rear ‘Gall del Penedès’ and consolidated the region’s typical production system, in which grape skins were used as feed for the chickens. The skins of pressed grapes (known as brisa) were dried in the fields before being fed to the birds. In 1937, a study on poultry feed noted that grape seeds were highly nutritious for chickens on account of their high fibre content and relative abundance of fats and some proteins and carbohydrates. Today, breeders have adapted the traditional practices of the area by including grape seeds in the feed formula.

The diet of PGI ‘Gall del Penedès’ chickens, which includes grape seeds and thus maintains the link between the feed and the region’s wine-growing tradition, contributes to the flavour of the product, while the fact that the birds are reared in coops with outdoor access all year round contributes to the reddish colour and the firmness and succulence of the meat.

Today, ‘Gall del Penedès’ is the subject of numerous articles in the regional press, campaigns promoting high-quality regional produce (Barcelona Council and the District Council of Alt Penedès through programmes such as Productos de la Terra (Products of the Land) and la Gastroteca) and research (Fundación Alicia, IRTA, etc.).

Reference to publication of the specification

(the second subparagraph of Article 6(1) of this Regulation)

The full text of the specification can be consulted on the following web page:

http://www.gencat.cat/alimentacio/pliego-gall-penedes

(1)  OJ L 343, 14.12.2012, p. 1.