This communication is published in accordance with Article 6b(5) of Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) No 664/2014 (1).

COMMUNICATING THE APPROVAL OF A STANDARD AMENDMENT TO THE PRODUCT SPECIFICATION OF A PROTECTED DESIGNATION OF ORIGIN OR PROTECTED GEOGRAPHICAL INDICATION ORIGINATING IN A MEMBER STATE

(Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012)

‘Noord-Hollandse Gouda’

EU No: PDO-NL-0314-AM02 – 4.3.2024

PDO (X) PGI ( )

1.   Name of product

‘Noord-Hollandse Gouda’

2.   Member State to which the geographical area belongs

Netherlands

3.   Member State authority communicating the standard amendment

Rijksdienst voor Ondernemend Nederland [Netherlands Enterprise Agency]

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4.   Description of the approved amendment(s)

Explanation of why the amendment(s) fall under the definition of a standard amendment as provided for in Article 53(2) of Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012

On the grounds of Article 53 of Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012 and Article 6b of Delegated Regulation (EU) No 664/2014, the Netherlands declares as follows:

The advisory committee on geographical indications, designations of origin and traditional specialities guaranteed set up by the Minister for Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality has issued a favourable opinion on a standard amendment of the Noord-Hollandse Gouda PDO product specification.

As this amendment does not change the essential characteristics of ‘Noord-Hollandse Gouda’, it is a ‘standard amendment’ as defined in Article 53(2) of Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012.

Reasons why the amendment of the Noord-Hollandse Gouda PDO is a standard amendment

This standard amendment introduces the following changes:

1)

The product specification refers to the requirements of the (1981) Agricultural Quality Act, in particular Section C, Article 28, of the Agricultural Quality (Cheese Products) Decision. The Agricultural Quality Act is now no longer in force. Because it has been found to be desirable to delete the reference to repealed legislation, we should like to include in the product specification the aspects of the 1981 Agricultural Quality Act, and in particular Section C, Article 28, of the Agricultural Quality (Cheese Products) Decision, that are essential to the specification but were not previously specified in it. All the requirements that have applied with respect to the product since the initial application was submitted in 1996 are thereby included in the product specification. As the essential characteristics of ‘Noord-Hollandse Gouda’ therefore remain unchanged, this is a ‘standard amendment’ as defined in Article 53(2) of Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012.

2)

The above also applies to point 5 of the product specification, which refers to Article 4(2). This is a reference to obsolete legislation (Regulation (EEC) No 2081/92) and serves no purpose in the document as it now stands. We have deleted the reference for that reason. As the deletion of the reference to obsolete legislation in the title of point 5 does not alter the essential characteristics of Noord-Hollandse Gouda, this is a ‘standard amendment’ as defined in Article 53(2) of Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012.

The amendment affects the single document.

SINGLE DOCUMENT

‘Noord-Hollandse Gouda’

EU No: PDO-NL-0314-AM02 – 4.3.2024

PDO (X) PGI ( )

1.   Name(s) [of PDO or PGI]

‘Noord-Hollandse Gouda’

2.   Member State or Third Country

Netherlands

3.   Description of the agricultural product or foodstuff

3.1.   Type of product [listed in Annex XI]

Class 1.3. Cheeses

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

‘Noord-Hollandse Gouda’ is a Gouda-type cheese weighing between 2,5 kg and 30 kg on the 10th to 14th day after the 1st day of manufacture.

The specific characteristics are as follows:

—	Shape: the cheese has a flattened cylindrical or block shape. A flattened cylindrical shape is a shape with convex sides that curve smoothly into a flat top and bottom and a height that is one quarter to one third of the diameter. The block-shaped cheese may have straight or rounded sides.

—	Taste: aromatic, pleasant, melts in the mouth, mild to sharp depending on its age. Cumin may be added. ‘Noord-Hollandse Gouda’ is less salty than other Gouda cheeses.

—	Cross section: after slicing the cheese, eye formation is visible but may not be evenly distributed. The colour is uniformly ivory to yellow.

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Rind: 9 days after the 1st day of manufacture, the rind of the cheese is closed and smooth and shows no visible mould growth. In particular the ease of keeping is one of the cheese’s most striking characteristics. The rind is uniformly yellow in colour and may be treated only with uncoloured or yellow-coloured rind treatment products.

—	Consistency: the cheese ‘fills’ the borer and is, once a certain resistance has been overcome, very pliable. The cheese has traditionally been termed a ‘soft dairy product’ because of this typical quality.

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

The dairy cattle’s grass-rich fodder from the North Holland pasture region is extremely important for the quality of ‘Noord-Hollandse Gouda’. The percentage of roughage such as grass and silage from the production area is at least 50 % of the total dry matter fed annually to the lactating cows. A complete fodder consisting only of raw materials from the geographical area is not possible because the cattle need feed concentrate in their fodder as well as roughage. Feed concentrate is scarce or unavailable in the geographical area. In winter, feed from the geographical area is available in the form of silage. In years with poor grass growing conditions, for instance, it may be necessary to include a portion of roughage from outside the region. For this reason a minimum value of 50 % is adhered to.

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

‘Noord-Hollandse Gouda’ is produced only from cow’s milk or cow’s milk products in which the ratio of whey protein to cow’s milk casein is not exceeded. All the cow’s milk used comes from dairy farms situated in the province of North Holland.

There is an unbroken cold chain until the moment the milk is processed. On the farm, the milk is stored in a cooling tank and cooled to a maximum of 6 °C. Within 96 hours, the milk is transported to the factory in insulated tankers.

The quality assurance systems in place on dairy farms and the intensive quality assessment system together guarantee the quality of the milk. The quality assessment system involves testing and assessing each delivery of milk according to various quality parameters in terms of composition (fat, protein) and the undesirable presence of non-milk bacterial growth inhibitors. Other quality parameters, such as cell count, plate count, fat acidity and various contaminants, are tested periodically.

Within 12 hours of its arrival at the cheese factory, the milk is heat-treated for a maximum of 30 seconds at 65 °C, or an equivalent time and temperature, and subsequently processed into cheese milk. For this purpose, the fat content of the milk is standardised, as a result of which the final cheese has a fat content in dry matter of between 48 % and 52 %. The cheese milk is pasteurised at a temperature of at least 72 °C for at least 15 seconds (or an equivalent). The pasteurisation is carried out in such a way that phosphatase activity is negative and the undenatured whey protein content does not deviate or deviates only slightly from that of unpasteurised raw material of a similar type and quality. The milk is curdled using calf or microbial rennet at a temperature of between 31 °C and 34 °C. The separation and coagulation of the milk proteins that occurs during this process is typical of ‘Noord-Hollandse Gouda’. No productive organisms or microorganisms created by means of recombinant DNA technology may be used to make the rennet. Rennet produced through genetic modification is therefore excluded.

For acidification, use is made of a mixed culture of starter bacteria belonging to the group of LD starter cultures: Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis and/or Lactococcus lactis subsp. cremoris, Leuconostoc subsp. and/or Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis biovar diacetylactis.

The curds obtained by coagulation are separated from the whey and processed and washed in such a way that the resulting taste is mild and not sour (pH at 14 days of greater than 5,25). The curds are pressed into the correct shape and desired weight in vats. The resulting ‘cheese’ is then immersed in the brine bath until it has a salt content in dry matter of, on average, less than 3,3 %. The maximum salt content in dry matter is 3,6 %. The moisture content must not exceed 42,5 % after at least 12 days from the 1st day of manufacture.

‘Noord-Hollandse Gouda’ is naturally ripened at a minimum temperature of 14 °C for at least 4 weeks to longer than 18 months.

The production of the milk, the processing and the entire initial preparation of the cheese takes place in the geographical area, as has long been customary.

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

‘Noord-Hollandse Gouda’ may be cut, pre-packaged and aged either within or outside North Holland, provided that the subsequent processor uses a comprehensive administrative monitoring system ensuring that the cut ‘Noord-Hollandse Gouda’ can be traced by means of the unique combination of numbers and letters on the mark and that the consumer can be sure of its origin.

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

Each ‘Noord-Hollandse Gouda’ cheese is given a casein mark before the curd is pressed. In addition to the designation ‘Noord-Hollandse Gouda’, this mark contains a unique combination of letters and ascending numbers, either alphanumerically, digitally or digital-graphically.

If paper labels are used, they must prominently display the designation ‘Noord-Hollandse Gouda’ in combination with the mandatory EU PDO logo.

If the cheese is sold cut and pre-packaged, then the product name ‘Noord-Hollandse Gouda’ in combination with the mandatory EU PDO logo must appear on the pre-packaging.

4.   Concise definition of the geographical area

The geographical area concerned by the application is the Dutch province of North Holland.

5.   Link with the geographical area

The specific characteristics of ‘Noord-Hollandse Gouda’, in particular the pleasant flavour, the characteristic dry rind formation and the unique consistency, are the result of a combination of the composition of the milk in the North Holland pasture region and the recipe used to make ‘Noord-Hollandse Gouda’. The specific characteristics of ‘Noord-Hollandse Gouda’ give it a difference in quality for which consumers are prepared to pay a higher price.

Reference to publication of the product specification

https://www.rvo.nl/sites/default/files/2024-02/Productdossier%20BOB%20Noord-Hollandse%20Gouda.pdf

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(1)   OJ L 179, 19.6.2014, p. 17.