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 300/15)

This publication confers the right to object to the application pursuant to Article 7 of Council Regulation (EC) No 510/2006. Statements of objection must reach the Commission within six months from the date of this publication.

SUMMARY

COUNCIL REGULATION (EC) No 510/2006

‘PRESUNTO DO ALENTEJO’ or ‘PALETA DO ALENTEJO’

EC No: PT/PDO/005/0440/24.11.2004

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 1.2: Meat-based products (cooked, salted, smoked, etc.)

4.   Specification

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

4.1.   Name: ‘Presunto do Alentejo’ or ‘Paleta do Alentejo’

4.2.   Description: Presuntos and paletas produced from legs and shoulders respectively of pigs (other than breeding animals) of the Alentejana breed entered in the Portuguese herd book in the Alentejana breed Section, reared in a specified manner and slaughtered when they are 12 to 24 months old. The salting, post-salting, drying/curing, ageing, cutting and packing are governed by well-defined rules.

Presuntos consist of hind legs severed at the level of the pig's ischio-pubic symphysis, while paletas are made from its forelegs. The presunto and paleta are defined anatomically and in terms of muscle since there is a layer of covering fat around the latter. Shape and appearance: while the cut may be anything from being lengthwise and elongated to round, the outer skin and hoof are present in both cases. Weight: in excess of 5 kg in the case of the presunto, and in excess of 3,5 kg in the case of the paleta. When cut, the meat is rosy to dark red and has an oily, glossy, irregular and marbled appearance, with streaks of intramuscular fat. The texture is soft and not very fibrous, very tender and succulent. The fat is oily, fluid, bright, white to pearly and has a pleasant taste. The flavour is smooth, delicate, slightly salty, lingering, pleasant, occasionally with a slight spiciness and it has a pleasant, smooth, delicate and ‘montanheira’ aroma.

4.3.   Geographical area: The boundaries of the geographical area in which the animals are born, reared, fattened and slaughtered, the carcases are butchered and the legs and feet are obtained and are processed into leg and shoulder hams, and cutting, slicing and packing take place are set naturally, by the location of the ‘montado’ (oak plantation and pig pasture), by the presence of holdings able to practise a montanheira type of farming, and by the existence of rules governing slaughter and cutting and the production of Alentejo pig's legs and shoulders, together with the know-how of the population, combined with authentic and unvarying local methods of processing, cutting and packaging.

The area comprises the following municipalities and parishes: Abrantes, Alandroal, Alcácer do Sal (except the parish of Santa Maria do Castelo), Alcoutim, Aljezur (parishes of Odeceixe, Bordeira, Rogil and Aljezur), Aljustrel, Almodôvar, Alter do Chão, Alvito, Arraiolos, Arronches, Avis, Barrancos, Beja, Borba, Campo Maior, Castelo Branco, Castelo de Vide, Castro Marim (parishes of Odeleite and Azinhal), Castro Verde, Chamusca, Coruche, Crato, Cuba, Elvas (except the parish of Caia e S. Pedro), Estremoz, Évora, Ferreira do Alentejo, Fronteira, Gavião, Grândola (except the parish of Melides), Idanha-a-Nova, Lagos (parish of Bensafrim), Loulé (parishes of Ameixial, Salir, Alte, Benafim and Querença), Marvão, Mértola, Monchique (parishes of Monchique, Marmelete and Alferce), Monforte, Montemor-o-Novo, Mora, Moura, Mourão, Nisa, Odemira (except the parishes of Vila Nova de Mil Fontes and S. Teotónio), Ourique, Penamacor, Ponte de Sôr, Portalegre, Portel, Redondo, Reguengos de Monsaraz, Sabugal, Santiago do Cacém (except the parish of S. André), Sardoal, São Brás de Alportel, Serpa, Sines, Silves (parishes of S. Marcos, S. Bartolomeu de Messines and Silves), Sousel, Tavira, (parish of Cachopo), Vendas Novas, Viana do Alentejo, Vidigueira, Vila Velha de Ródão and Vila Viçosa.

4.4.   Proof of origin: Pigs of the Alentejana breed must be born and reared on registered holdings that are subject to control arrangements. At birth the animals are entered in the appropriate herd book. Slaughter, butchering, processing, slicing, and packaging must be carried out on premises that are approved for that purpose by the inspection body, are located in the geographical area and are subject to control arrangements. Approval shall be dependent on a prior verification of the conditions under which production and manufacturing take place, in particular as regards the origin of the raw materials used and the manner in which the latter are processed/cut/sliced/packaged and the characteristics of the final product. Specifications and control arrangements have been adopted which apply to the entire chain of production and to all those involved.

A comprehensive traceability system implemented by the producers themselves makes it possible to monitor the entire production circuit from the raw material to the final product (‘from the montado to the table’) and, on the basis of the number on the certification mark on whole hams or on the packages of sliced meat, identify the ear-tag number of the animals.

At the end of the production process only products which fulfil all the specifications and have undergone suitable documented checks — including laboratory tests and submission to a tasting panel — may bear the certification mark, logo and name Presunto do Alentejo (PDO) or Paleta do Alentejo (PDO).

4.5.   Method of production: The pigs, of the Alentejo breed, are reared under extensive and semi-extensive conditions, mostly in the open air, in areas featuring a minimum of 40 holm oak or cork trees per hectare and a maximum density of one pig per hectare of montado. The animals tend to be reared extensively, feeding on cereal waste and by-products, grasses, legumes (e.g. peas and vetches) and even small mammals and birds, eggs, reptiles, molluscs, worms, etc., as is the wont of omnivorous animals. It is only when there is a shortage of food in the field that the animals may be given supplements (up to 30 % of their diet) from outside the region. The animals invariably undergo a finishing phase in which they spend 60 to 90 days under a montanheira system (i.e. feeding on acorns and other montado products), and must replace at least three arrobas (45 kg) of body weight in this way. The pigs are slaughtered at between 12 and 24 months, the minimum weight of each carcase being 90 kg. The (fresh) legs and shoulders are marked individually by means of a numbered tag. The legs and shoulders must, after trimming, weigh a minimum of 7,5 kg and 5 kg respectively, and the hoof must still be attached. Depending on the weight of the legs and shoulders the subcutaneous fat may be trimmed. The processing of the hind- and forelegs, based on authentic and unvarying local methods derived from the know-how of the local population and from the highland conditions, comprises the following: cutting, salting, rinsing, post salting (sweating), drying/curing and ageing. It is in the course of this process that the presuntos and paletas slowly acquire the appearance, colour, aroma and texture that make them unique.

Presuntos and Paletas do Alentejo may be marketed whole, in pieces or sliced, with or without bone. The cutting, slicing and boning may be carried out only on premises situated within the geographical area of production, in so far as special know-how is associated with these operations, a know-how which relates to the shape, delicate aromas and complex flavours of each piece. Before a piece is selected for cutting, specialists from the region determine the optimum curing stage, and knowledgeable and trained tasters carry out a detailed organoleptic assessment of the product and its suitability for cutting. In order to maximise the yield from each piece the cutting must be performed by highly trained specialists who, by means of expert cuts, can make use of all the muscle tissue in the piece and produce extremely thin slices that fully exploit the product's organoleptic potential. The fat on the meat — which has its own flavour, aroma, colour and brilliance — deteriorates rapidly when in contact with the air or when the temperature is high. Accordingly, the work described above has to be carried out on premises that are suitable microbiologically and in terms of temperature and moisture, in order not to impair the delicate flavour and enable the product to be packaged promptly, thereby avoiding undue exposure to the air. It should be added that this work is accompanied by organoleptic tests carried out by specially trained personnel.

The aim of these measures is to ensure that the product is fully traceable and is not impaired, above all organoleptically, that the consumer, far from being misled, is supplied with a product that is genuine and was produced in its region of origin and on which checks can be carried out throughout the production cycle.

4.6.   Link: Presuntos and Paletas do Alentejo are produced in a region where soils are poor and the climate markedly hot and dry in the summer and cold and dry in the winter. The flora that is able to withstand these conditions and which can be exploited is the holm oak/cork plantation (montado) and the vegetation associated with it. The Alentejo pig is the animal that best exploits those natural conditions, since it can be reared in the open and allowed to feed mainly on the natural products associated with that environment (grasses, acorns, cereals and pulses and small animals) under a specific system known as montanheira.

This type of animal husbandry and nutrition gives the meat special characteristics in terms of both muscle and fat cover.

The climatic conditions described above also gave rise to the development of know-how which enables the pigmeat to be dried naturally, without resorting to smoke or any external agent other than simply salt.

Hams and shoulders are thus produced in the typical shape with the hoof on (which, being a ‘black hoof’, immediately identifies it as belonging to the Alentejo pig) and with specific organoleptic characteristics, foremost of which are the marbled muscle, the colour and glossiness of the fat, the texture, the aroma and the flavour inherent to and typical of products obtained from the Alentejo pig (because they are reared under the ‘montanheiro’ system) and dried in the natural conditions of the region described.

The link between the product and the region is also based on the following factors:

Historical: The first documented references to the existence of pigs in the Alentejo date from several centuries B.C. and there is also evidence of the production of pigs and pork products during Portugal's Roman and Arab periods. Cato praised the ham of the Alentejo, made in the western coastal area. Tales set against the backdrop of the Christian reconquest of the Iberian Peninsula tell of disputes between farmers, with one side denouncing the damage caused by pigs to planted crops, and the other drawing attention to the beneficial impact the quality of the meat and other products from such pigs had on the diet. At the end of the nineteenth century and the beginning of the twentieth century, pig farming was one of the main economic resources in the Alentejo, providing sustainable conditions for both the region and its people.

Human: A number of traditions are associated with the consumption of these products, which are never presented ready-cooked. In earlier times Presuntos or Paletas do Alentejo tended to be served only on festive occasions or as a gift to honoured guests.

4.7.   Inspection body:

Agricert is recognised as complying with Standard 45011:2001.

4.8.   Labelling: The following must appear on the labelling: Presunto do Alentejo or Paleta do Alentejo (PDO) and the relevant Community logo. The labelling must also bear a certification label including the name of the product and the forms of wording concerned, the name of the inspection body and a serial number (i.e. a numerical or alphanumeric code used for tracing the product). The following pictogram is hot-branded on the outer skin of Presunto do Alentejo or Paleta do Alentejo: