Translation of the article 'The fraudulent part of the Iberian pig', from the German newspaper Sueddeutsche Zeitung.
(Annex to the article published by Grandes Productos: 'In the name of Iberian ham').
It is becoming more and more common to find the 'duroc' breed of pig in the high-end Iberian ham sector, this breed being very common and much cheaper. Resulting the 'pigs' born from the crosses with Duroc a very productive breed.
Do not want to meet an angry 'Duroc', this animal as an adult reaches 350 kilograms in weight, making it a real beast. The traditional, dark brown Iberian pigs are much more pleasant, small, agile and quite shy.
The famous Spanish Iberian pig does not weigh even half the 'duroc' and with them the fabulous and prestigious Iberian ham is manufactured, the most prestigious gastronomic brand in Spain.
Currently in the pig sector of the Spanish Iberian, a great controversy has been unleashed. Controversy that has even reached politics. It can be summed up in one sentence: the vast majority of the luxury ham sold around the world under the name of the famous “Iberian” name is obtained from animals that have been born from Iberian females crossed with the huge 'Duroc'.
It is a sector that moves hundreds of millions of euros a year and these crosses are hidden on all the labels of the pieces sold.
In the neighboring towns of the small town of Zafra in the south of the Autonomous Community of Estremadura, you can see the pig “duroc” originally imported from North America.
It is quite recognizable as it is rounder and larger, its coat is reddish in color unlike the native Iberian pig that is significantly smaller, thinner, and its sparse coat is usually dark brown.
Both have black hooves, in Spanish "black leg", a characteristic that is recognized abroad as an indicator of the highest quality.
A large part of the Iberian sows are artificially inseminated with sperm from the 'Duroc' males, since the resulting animal retains the coveted and famous "black leg" so important to the point of being the main distinctive of its international recognition.
Their officially obtained ham is also sold with the trade name "Iberico" on all labels.
It's not a secret, it's even legal
In Zafra is the headquarters of the Spanish Association of Iberian Pig Breeders (AECERIBER) where all the Iberian purebred specimens are recorded in a genealogical record book. The European Union assigns each of these pigs a registration number that is placed on the animal's ears within a kind of earring.
The Community of Extremadura and Andalusia, both located in the south-west of Spain, are home to the Iberians, which is why they are also known as the “Spanish pig's corner”.
All its Iberian pigs are fed in the montanera season in large groves of holm oaks and cork oaks, mainly acorns and grass that give the ham its unique and exceptional flavor. After all, the overwhelming majority of customers believe that the fragrance of acorns and the green grass of their meadows can be appreciated when tasting their magnificent ham.
About the reproductive crosses between the Iberian pig and the duroc, the vast majority of consumers do not know anything, neither that almost 80 percent of the ham sold as Iberian (Iberian bait) comes from this type of animals fattened in huge factory farms with feed rich in fats and antibiotics.
"Iberian ham has become a mass-manufactured product," so they say in the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine of the University of Córdoba, where genetic tests are carried out to determine and certify the purity of the DNA of the Iberian breed animals.
The "contamination of the Iberian brand" is criticized for "legal consumer fraud"
In addition to some university professors, the many defenders of the true Iberian pig are grouped in environmental organizations, consumer protectionists, naturists, politicians who fight against this fraud and conservatives of a centuries-old tradition that not only stands out for the excellent quality and origin of the ham Iberian but also happens to be a symbol of the gourmet and cultural heritage of Spain.
"It is not only a delight for gourmets, but also a great cultural and gastronomic tradition that occurs in a unique ecosystem (the dehesa) that dates back to Roman times", clarifies a report published in a specialized magazine.
The ham obtained from the Iberian ham crossed with duroc does not have the same flavor as the real ham from the pure Iberian pigs raised in acorn-fed holm oaks, which result in meat pieces, “with delicate, aromatic, juicy nuances, with a intense and very persistent aftertaste ». It is as if you dilute drops of an ordinary wine in an excellent wine and then add sugar.
Defenders of traditional production accuse the Madrid Ministry of Agriculture of being under the influence of large meat corporations that multiply their profits by raising this type of cross-breed pigs based on feed and that later the regulations allow them to be officially marketed as Iberian pigs deceptively.
Lower feed costs and higher profits
At the University of Córdoba, with its magnificent facades decorated with elements of Moorish architecture, experts show how each type of ham can be differentiated: a good acorn-fed Iberian ham, has little visible white fat and a lot of lean, garnet-colored meat and large quality.
However, Iberian ham crossed with duroc is characterized by having a large streak of white fat that snakes back and forth throughout the meat area of the piece.
Crossing with the Duroc breed has other advantages for producers, in addition to the larger size of its pieces: it provides more animals for each calving, from 7 to 8, much higher than the litters of pure Iberian females, and they also grow much faster. and therefore they reach the adjusted weight for slaughter in less months.
For optimal curing they need to stay less time in the cellars, and therefore their meat mass loses significantly less weight, around 15 or 20%. Unlike a pure Iberian, the pieces of the crossed animals go to the market earlier.
All this means that crosses with Duroc have significantly lower feeding and production costs, which leads to higher profits due to their shorter period of fattening and curing.
Royal Decree 4/2014, –which regulates the manufacture of Iberian ham–, allows all pieces of ham to be marketed under the commercial and racial name of Iberian, even if they come from crossbred and mass-produced animals.
The regulations establish three categories based on the purity of the animals used in the crosses: 100% Iberian, 75% Iberian (second-generation cross between an Iberian female and a hybrid male) and finally 50% Iberian, the result of the first. generation of cross between an Iberian dam and a Duroc stallion.
The detractors maintain, that in this way they would also be mocking the Brussels regulations regarding the strict procedures applicable to all hybrid pigs and also through this official approval the breed and the “Iberian” brand are clearly being harmed, as they firmly believe that the name of an officially recognized breed can only be assigned to animals of that pure breed.
"The miscegenation of the race" was legalized 16 years ago, so the detractors speak that it is taking place and allowing "legal fraud to the consumer."
Also the Spanish Association of Iberian Pig Breeders, Aeceriber, has recently received many harsh accusations for having created an auxiliary record within the Genealogical Book of the Iberian pig breed in which they are registering "females of uncertain genetic origin" with a single Requirement: pass a visual inspection on various and predetermined parts of its body: ears, legs, head, muzzle, etc.
If after the review they obtain a qualification of 70 points they will be considered as purebred. In addition, the new regulations of the Genealogical Book clarifies that the animals born in the second generation will become part of the main section of the Iberian census even if they are descendants of these “doubtful Iberian females”.
The problem that has triggered criticism is that in recent years the number of breeding females registered in the auxiliary area of the genealogical register has far exceeded the total number of females listed in the main section.
In other words, it is estimated that four fifths of the females classified as pure Iberian (4 out of 5) pass to the herd book through the auxiliary section and it is believed that they are not 100% genetically pure.
The farmers of the pure Iberian breed pig are very indignant with this situation and request genetic DNA tests to guarantee the purity of the animals. They also explain that AECERIBER receives large amounts of money in subsidies that come from the coffers of the European Union, although it is proven that in the Genealogical Book of the autochthonous breed there are a huge number of reproductive females that are not genetically purebred, with what would be infringing the Community regulations.
Instead they complain that for them there is currently no help to avoid this greedy business and that it also ensures the survival of the pure Iberian race.
Currently around 3 million pigs are slaughtered annually, and all are officially registered as Iberian, but less than 10% are genetically pure, so the defenders of authentic Iberian ham are outraged when they see how more than 90% of the Pieces sold as Iberian breed do not correspond to what is supposed to be the best ham in the world.
Toni Cantó, deputy of the Citizens party, leads and actively coordinates the fight against what he believes is a consumer deception.
One of the fundamental parts of his parliamentary presentation includes the defense of the purity of the pure Iberian breed, which is why he has asked the Government various questions about the auxiliary section of the Genealogical Book.
The reason is that he considers that the reputation of Spain is damaged if a brand of quality and prestige such as Iberian ham becomes a "cheap" product and available to anyone.
In the Ministry of Agriculture they explain that the regulations of the sector were implemented to bring order within a confused market.
Elena Diéguez Garbayo, Aeceriber technical secretary, admits and assures that animals classified as Iberian by means of a visual review of their morphological structure "are not purebred". It indicates "that what is intended from the beginning is that visual inspection be applied only during a transition period." And he concludes by assuring, "that in the future, farmers who wish to classify and register animals of unknown origin, will have to pay and submit a DNA test."
Elena Diéguez details how, in the development of her daily work, she has come across a multitude of tricks –by sector operators– to achieve the incorporation of the coveted commercial and racial name of Iberian in all the meat pieces made from animals from a reproductive cross. .
He shows several photographs that denote the existence of these attempts: sows that had a considerable pink color on the belly and a spot of the same hue on the snout, which in his opinion is clear evidence that these animals had the genetics of pigs from white coat.
"The bad reputation of the industry"
The sectorial Regulation approved by the Ministry of Agriculture in RD 4/2014, classifies Iberian ham in several commercial categories that vary depending on the percentage of Iberian breed that the slaughtered animal had and the food received during its fattening.
Now all the hams are marked with different colored plastic ribbons depending on the commercial variant to which they correspond.
The <> belongs to the highest commercial ladder and is placed on the ham legs of pure Iberian breed animals. These pigs freely graze on the Spanish meadows during the montanera period and feed exclusively on acorns, for which all their noble pieces acquire the popular name of 100% Iberian acorn-fed ham.
These travel up to twelve kilometers a day in search of water and food, which allows the ham to acquire that consistent texture but with very delicate nuances. It is considered a gourmet food and the cost is very high, exceeding 100 euros per kilo on many occasions.
Pigs in the second tier are distinguished by red plastic bands. These animals are also fed with acorns in the montanera season but they are not purebred, they belong to crossbred pigs.
An oak tree produces only about 15 kilograms of acorns per season and each animal can eat up to 800 kilograms during the montanera season before being slaughtered. This requires an immense “forest” of holm oaks and cork oaks to be able to produce such an enormous amount of food for the Iberian pigs that they must have at least one hectare of land for each one.
Experts calculate that with the quantity of acorns that are collected in the Spanish pastures, only half of the animals documented each year as acorn quality by the inspection entities can be fed. In other words, a permanent fraud that has been put into practice for the last decade.
The green seals are exclusive for animals - mostly crossed - of the commercial category distinguished as <>, one of the most important in the sector and which are fed with feed in outdoor enclosures for part of their life.
The most basic commercial classification is differentiated with the white ribbon and corresponds to the animals - almost all crossed - fed exclusively with feed in these gigantic farms and each pig must have two square meters of living space - according to the regulations - but the reality shows that they often only have one square meter per pig.
The Ministry of Agriculture acted in a forced manner, after receiving continuous complaints about the fraud of the labeling of Iberian ham.
The second Spanish television channel aired a documentary in which a breeder openly complained, even claiming that "the reputation of the industry is terrible and badly damaged."
"But the solution of the colored seals and the genetic percentages of the Iberian breed on the labels is not enough," says Francisco Espárrago, manager of the Senorio de Montanera company. This company brings together an outstanding number of small producers who are firmly committed to the quality of the products and the purity of the breed.
Asparagus criticizes that "the category of <>, one of the most representative in the industrial sector by volume of animals slaughtered in recent times, is not properly defined".
"At present, the regulation allows fattening of this type of pigs before slaughter in wooded enclosures and with one pig for each hectare, but also authorizes their bait in plots with a livestock load of 100 animals per hectare and where there is no single blade of grass and the trees are dead. "
According to Esparrago, this last productive option "is perfect for large industrial corporations that destroy large tracts of land in this way, since this type of final fattening in the open air is carried out with feed and on farms that generally do not have sewage systems. and wastewater from animal excreta pollutes the soil. "
Chemicals to replace fatty acids in acorns
At the University of Córdoba, they have detected that there is an incessant and serious fraud, and they explain that high-quality acorn-fed ham would have to go through a molecular analysis that reliably guarantees the presence of the authentic fatty acids that the diet provides based on of acorns.
If the minimum parameters are not met, the "acorn" quality and guarantee seal could not be used, these experts warn.
But researchers from animal feed companies have developed substances that mimic the fatty acids in acorns. These chemicals are incorporated into cheap animal feed.
A double fraud, because on the one hand the animals do not eat acorns and on the other they do not have the necessary space to move freely, so their meat does not have the consistency and delicate texture that food provides in the ecosystem of the pasture to acorn base.
"The main problem lies in the lack of control", explains Juan Luis Ortiz Pérez, technical secretary of the Denomination of Origin of the producers of «Los Pedroches» in Córdoba.
"The classification of the quality of the ham is certified by private control bodies, which is paid for by the operators themselves and the large industrial corporations that dominate the majority of the market." Great competition has been unleashed between these certification agencies, resulting in less and less stringent controls in order not to lose customers.
This "opaque and fraud-prone" system favors large industrial corporations that were originally specialized in the mass rearing and fattening of white-coat pigs and that have switched to producing cross-bred Iberian pigs in intensive systems, because they offer higher profit margins.
Experts estimate that more than half of the ham that is marketed under the commercial name of "acorn" does not correspond to its true quality and therefore does not deserve to be distinguished with this prestigious name.
Francisco Esparrago sees a fundamental flaw in the system, as he affirms that "the controls would have to be in the hands of official bodies duly accredited by the National Accreditation Entity (ENAC)".
"In the way that the system is currently designed, the smallest industrialists must resort to basically artisanal production processes and bet on a ham of the highest quality, because otherwise it is totally impossible for them to be able to compete at the price level with these macro-industries that they supply large supermarkets and monopolize exports of crossed Iberian products ", laments Ortiz Pérez.
Deputy Toni Cantó sums it up clearly, "The State must fulfill its obligation to protect honest industrialists, but instead it benefits the dishonest."
