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

(2007/C 89/07)

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.

SUMMARY

COUNCIL REGULATION (EC) No 510/2006

‘CARNE DE BÍSARO TRANSMONTANO ’OR ‘CARNE DE PORCO TRANSMONTANO’

No: EC PT/PDO/005/0457/20.04.2005

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 1.1 — Fresh meat (and offal)

4.   Specification:

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

4.1.   Name: ‘Carne de Bísaro Transmontano ’or ‘Carne de Porco Transmontano’

4.2.   Description: Meat obtained from the slaughter of piglets or from the cutting up of the carcasses of pigs of the Bísaro breed, reared in a traditional, semi-extensive farming system and fed with local agricultural produce and by-products. The carcasses of animals slaughtered before they are 45 days old (piglets) weigh up to 12 kg. The meat has little marbling, quite succulent and smooth muscle, white, even, consistent, non-exudative fat and a smooth texture. The carcasses of animals (castrated males or females) slaughtered from the age of eight months weigh upwards of 60 kg and are graded R, O or P. The muscle is bright red and the fat is pink. The meat is not very fatty, quite streaky, very succulent and smooth with a firm texture. When grilled, the meat has a characteristic taste resulting from the production method and type of animal feed.

4.3.   Geographical area: Due to the traditional production method, the knowledge of how to look after and feed the animals, the composition of the soil and the necessary pedoclimatic conditions, the production area (where the pigs are born, reared, fattened, slaughtered and the meat is cut up finely and packed) of ‘carne de porco transmontano ’is confined to the municipalities of Alfândega da Fé, Bragança, Carrazeda de Anciães, Freixo de Espada à Cinta, Macedo de Cavaleiros, Miranda do Douro, Mirandela, Mogadouro, Torre de Moncorvo, Vila Flor, Vimioso and Vinhais in the Bragança district and to the municipalities of Alijó, Boticas, Chaves, Mesão Frio, Mondim de Basto, Montalegre, Murça, Régua, Ribeira de Pena, Sabrosa, Santa Marta de Penaguião, Valpaços, Vila Pouca de Aguiar and Vila Real in the Vila Real district. The food is obtained in the geographical area, except for some complete compound feed, used exclusively for the feeding of breeding sows which as a general rule represents no more than 5 % of their food intake.

4.4.   Proof of origin: The farms, abattoirs, processing, cutting and packing plants must be licensed, authorised by the group through the control body's prior approval and located in the aforementioned designated area. The entire production process, from the farm producing the raw ingredients to the premises selling the product, is subject to a rigorous control system ensuring the product's full traceability. The certification mark applied to every carcass or piece of meat is numbered, ensuring full traceability to the farm where the product originated. It is possible to prove the origin of the product at any point in the production chain by means of the serial number, which must be indicated on the certification mark.

4.5.   Method of production: Livestock management is based on ancestral and traditional production methods practised in the area and passed down from generation to generation. The farms must have enough space either to produce food for the animals or to provide an area for pasture and roaming. Stock-raising moves indoors only in winter. In October and November, the farmers take their animals to chestnut groves to take advantage of the chestnuts that have fallen to the ground. The feed is varied and depends on the annual harvests. It is based on a mixture of cereals (normally wheat, maize, rye, oats) provided throughout the year but supplemented with pumpkin, turnip, potato, beetroot, different fruits, sweet corn, cabbage, dried fodder, forage and chestnuts. After slaughter, the carcasses must remain at 7 °C (+/- 1 °C) for at least 24 hours before they are gradually cooled to 2 °C. The carcasses are not allowed to be frozen until they are sold to the consumer. The pH of the meat is 5,95 until 45 minutes after slaughter and 5,56 after 24 hours. The meat can be presented commercially and independently of the age of slaughter in two different ways:

as marked and identified carcasses or half-carcasses, displaying a tamper-proof and indelible designation of origin mark and certification mark;

as whole or cut pieces, packed in material used especially for contact with the product in a normal or controlled environment or in a vacuum, properly labelled and with a tamper-proof and indelible certification mark.

Slaughter, quartering, cutting and packing may only be carried out in duly licensed installations located in the geographical area of production, since these pigs are bigger and are of a different build to other pigs, entailing the need to make various pieces of slaughterhouse equipment bigger and provide the means of singeing of carcasses, rather than merely scalding them. The special nature of the carcasses means that quartering and fine cutting must be carried out by specialist professionals who are able to make the best commercial use of it and produce cuts showing the characteristic marbling of the fat interspersed within the meat while at the same time indicating little superficial fat. In view of the amounts produced, butchers specialising in such carcasses are only found in the region of origin.

Following the quartering and fine-cutting stages, the meat must be packed immediately in order to avoid it becoming rancid or undergoing any other chemical alteration — in particular as a result of the fatty content — or microbiological changes, if it is not immediately protected and properly chilled, or changes to its pH, which is higher than the norm.

However, in order to guarantee its physical and sensory characteristics, the ‘carne de porco transmontano ’is systematically checked by specialists before packing in packaging for the final consumer, in particular with regard to its freshness and the marbling in the product; any product which does not conform to requirements is withdrawn from circulation.

4.6.   Link: Various zoomorphic sculptures and references made to taxes on pigs and their by-products in different municipal registers in the region prove that pig-breeding has been important in this area for a very long time. The breeding of Bísaro pigs is of vital importance, whether to maintain traditional production systems or to maintain the family business on small farms. The animals, extensively reared, are particularly well-adapted to the area's rural environment, harsh climate and local foodstuffs. The conformation of the carcass, the quantity and dispersal of the fat and the taste and aroma of the meat are directly linked to how the animals are reared and fed, and in particular to their ingestion of chestnuts. In summary: the relationship between the product and the region stems from the indigenous breed, the existing pedoclimatic conditions, the method of livestock management and the local produce fed to the animals, the combination of which gives the meat from these animals its own recognisable organoleptic characteristics.

4.7.   Inspection body:

Tradição e Qualidade has been recognised as complying with the requirements of Standard 45011:2001.

4.8.   Labelling: No matter how the meat is presented or packed, each piece of meat or carcass must display the following wording in addition to the wording that is compulsory under general legislation: ‘Carne de Bísaro Transmontano — Denominação de Origem Protegida ’(Protected Designation of Origin) or ‘Carne de Porco Transmontano — Denominação de Origem Protegida ’(Protected Designation of Origin). When packed, the meat also displays the Community's own logo and the specific logo for products from Vinhais reproduced below. The labelling must also include the certification mark, which must indicate the name of the product and the relevant wording, the inspection body and the serial number.

(1)  OJ L 93, 31.3.2006, p. 12.