Agriculture refuses to suspend the change process in Guijuelo to introduce a category of 50% Iberian pork

First victory for the Protected Designation of Origin (DOP) Guijuelo. The Ministry of Agriculture has rejected, in a resolution dated October 24, the precautionary suspension of the modification of the Guijuelo specifications by which this PDO included a new category of ‘50% Iberian breed pig’ (the result of a cross between an Iberian female and a Duroc male) for hams and shoulders, as well as opening the door to intensive farms in the designation “50% Iberian breed field bait”, among other changes. Specifically, sources consulted clarify that the department directed by Luis Planas has yet to rule on the merits of the appeals presented by the other three Iberian denominations: ‘Dehesa de Extremadura’, ‘Jabugo’ and ‘Los Pedroches’. That is to say, the administrative route is not yet exhausted although the aforementioned DOP does not rule out taking this procedure to judicial means.

Specifically, the Ministry still has to decide whether the changes introduced by Guijuelo They can be considered normal or union. Or what is the same, whether or not they should go through the Brussels exam. Furthermore, the three denominations also share that the appearance of this new category – ‘Pork 50% Iberian breed’ – and, above all, the introduction of intensive farms for the designation “of field bait 50% Iberian breed” impacts on the territorial bond since the intensive allows production in any location. Specifically, they doubt its environmental sustainability by allowing the concentration of a hundred pigs per hectare. Furthermore, from Jabugo, they have been regretting that in order to go from 75 to 100% of the Iberian breed they were forced to obtain the endorsement of the European Union, as we published in this medium a few weeks ago.

Sources consulted justify the rejection of the precautionary suspension, in which the Law of Common Administrative Procedure of Public Administrations in its article 47.1 establishes as causes for this annulment the infringement of fundamental rights (freedom of expression, religion, physical and moral integrity,…), the lack of jurisdiction, the fact that the legally established procedure has been dispensed with or that they are decisions contrary to the legal system. The Ministry has considered that, in the case of the PDO Guijuelo, these requirements are not met to stop the procedure that will continue while waiting for a ruling on the rest of the appeals filed by Dehesa de Extremadura’, ‘Jabugo’ and ‘Los Pedroches’.