Alentejo council mayors are up in arms about the application by the Algarve medronho producers for submitting a Protected Geographical Indication request without including Almodôvar, Beja or Ourique.
The mayors have challenged the Algarve’s ownership of local firewater production and say that as their regions produce much of the raw material for the drink’s production, their councils should be added to the list of producing councils and the Alentejo should be added to the 'Algarve' demarcation.
The mayors explained that they object to the application to the General Directorate of Agriculture and Rural Development for registration of ‘Algarve Medronho’ by the Producers Association of Aguadente and Medronho of the Western Algarve.
Notice of this application appeared in the Official Gazette, this was first the producing Alentejo councils had heard of it.
According to the presidents of the three slighted councils, the application for registration was done in an 'arrogant and abusive manner,' and only eight parishes in Almodôvar, Beja and Ourique in the lower Alentejo were included in the demarcation of ‘Algarve Medronho’ and this was done without the knowledge of the producers, associations and the regional mayors.
The disgruntled mayors want the mess sorted out and may even go to court to do so.
The mayors admit that the fruit from the Alentejo’s famous arbustus shrubs are shipped to the Algarve for distillation but this does not mean the product is an Algarvean one.
According to the three mayors, there already have been complaints raised about the 'Algarve' classification for medronho and there also is a public petition doing the rounds.
According to the notice published in the Official Gazette, the geographical area of production of ‘Medronho do Algarve’ is intended to cover the parishes of 13 Algarve municipalities and the eight Alentejo parishes.
Clearly messing with something as essential as the definition of the area of origin for medronho is serious stuff in the serra.
