Jamón Serrano seeks protected status
The Confederation of Spanish Meat Organisations (Confecarne) and the Spanish Serrano Ham Foundation (FJSE) are seeking the legal protections that PGI status would bring. This follows widespread concern in the industry over products being falsely labelled as serrano ham in foreign markets.
José Ramón Godoy, manager of the FJSE, said the plan "is very important for Spanish ham makers". He said PGI status would prevent non-Spanish ham makers in other EU member states from selling their product as jamón serrano.
It would also help jamón serrano companies fight against the use of the name in non-EU countries, as EU PGI restrictions are also recognised in some bilateral agreements between the EU and countries outside the union: "The ham is genuinely Spanish and so should be recognised and protected by a PGI," said Godoy.
Godoy told GlobalMeatNews: "This PGI project, co-ordinated across the entire sector, is very important for Spanish ham makers. An exquisite product that is so highly valued in all countries needs protection, not only in the EU but also in third countries where some unscrupulous operators have already tried to supplant and use our name."
A PGI would insist that products sold as jamón serrano include quality standards associated with the geographical location of producers and the impact of local feed and climate on the ham’s taste and texture.
"The industry expects rapid processing of the request by [Spain’s ministry of agriculture, food and environment] MAGRAMA and its moving on to Brussels for endorsement and registration," Confecarne and the FSJE said in a joint statement.
The Spanish ham industry produces about 33 million pieces of cured ham annually, with an estimated economic value of about €1.5 billion. Cured ham exports were almost 31,000 tonnes last year, valued at €274m, Spain’s largest category of meat export.
