The Regional Secretary for Agriculture and Forestry, João Ponte, has already signed the order validating the application for the registration of Ramo Grande Beef as Protected Designation of Origin (PDO), whose request was submitted by the Association of Ramo Grande Cattle Breeders as Managing Entity. 

Considering that the application process for the registration of Carne Ramo Beef as PDO at national level has been completed, the process will now be forwarded by the Institute of Food and Agricultural Markets (IAMA) to the Directorate-General for Agriculture and Rural Development, the entity responsible for submitting the application for approval by the European Commission. 

"The certification process of Ramo Grande Beef is on the right track. From a technical standpoint, there are more than sufficient grounds for the European Commission to approve another high-quality Azorean agricultural product as a PDO," considered João Ponte. In this regard, he added that this certification falls within the regional strategy for promoting and disseminating agricultural production in the Azores. 

For João Ponte, this European certification will bring more and better business opportunities for the regional meat sector in terms of value creation, thus providing a direct contribution to the growth of the local economy and of producers' income. 

“The prestige and the increased visibility of products certified by EU quality systems are certainly an asset for the entire agricultural sector in the Region, hence their importance justifies all the efforts undertaken in the current legislative period," stressed João Ponte. 

Currently, 1,407 bovines are registered in the Record Book of Adult Animals for this breed, distributed by the islands of Terceira, São Jorge, Faial, Pico, São Miguel and Graciosa, and with a total of 261 Ramo Grande breeders in the Azores.