Jesús Casas, Rural Development and Agrofood general manager, discards to create a new label for the Asturian cider.
LA SIDRA.- Apple small producers claim to the Principality of Asturias to use an specific labelling for the cider which is not regulated by the DOP has been rejected.
In the words of Jesús Casas, the labelling which differenciates the Certificate of Origin Cider of Asturias is enough for the consumer to know the apples with which this cider is made. The DOP is formed by 31 cidermills and 322 affiliated producers, which means a 5% of the whole cider market in Asturias, and it is made from 22 apple varieties, which will be increased to 76 next season.
According to the Agrofood general manager, a new label would cause confusion among consumers, as they are already able to differenciate the cider made with indigenous Asturian apples and they know they have to pay more for it.
He considers that it is the cidermakers’ decision to choose the apples they want to make cider with, as we are in a free market, and try to adapt to the market pull of a controlled and quality product like DOP.
On the other hand, he attributes the current problem of apple excedent to a poor planification on the part of harvesters, who should know beforehand the production levels in the apple orchads, as well as the cidermills demand.
In this sense, Jose Luis Rubiera, ex-manager of the Cider Apple Orchads Asturian Association, considers that there should be some control on the cider which does not belong to the DOP, because it offers no guarantee as it does not specify its procedence in the label, something the consumer should know.
