Canary mealybugThe EU has published in its Official Journal the definitive registration in the Community Registry of the Protected Designation of Origin “Cochineal Canary Islands”.

This seal has been requested by the Association of Cochineal Breeders and Exporters of the Canary Islands and has been processed by the Canarian Institute of Agri-Food Quality, body attached to the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and waters of the Canary Islands, responsible for the processing of these quality figures.

cochineal It is a product of animal origin that results from the natural drying of adult females of the insect. of the family Dactylopius coccus- traditionally known as cochineal, What, once collected from the prickly pear shovels, It is used for the extraction of a natural dye that is used to color textiles, food or cosmetics.

The Minister of agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and waters of the Canary Islands, Narvay Quintero, expressed his satisfaction with this recognition, “for a product closely linked to our territory, traditions and customs, What It hardly requires water resources and allows you to take advantage of a large number of prickly pears. that are spread throughout the Archipelago”.

“This stamp, which has been achieved in record time, if we take into account the complexity of this type of procedures, It also constitutes a recognition of rural women, which has traditionally played a key role in obtaining this production, and for which it historically represented, on islands like Lanzarote, an important complementary activity”, Quintero highlighted.

In the Canary Islands there are several factors that determine the specific character of this product.. Like this, unlike cochineal obtained in other territories, A single type of host is grown on the islands., i.e., from tunera, and a single type of insect; and the drying is natural, without chemical components, using only the heat of the sun. Added to this is the perfect adaptation of both the plant and the parasite to the conditions of the territory., They give the product quality characteristics, which manifest themselves in low humidity and a high concentration of carminic acid.

The cultivation of cochineal in the Archipelago It was introduced in the first third of the 19th century, When, after one of the cyclical crises in agriculture occurred, the replacement of sugar and grape crops is proposed. This coincided with the rise of the textile industry in Europe, which demanded all types of dyes., among them, in a prominent place, the carmine. The best years of production were from 1845 to 1869 until the appearance of synthetic dyes.

Although currently production has been significantly reduced in the Archipelago, in some areas of the Canary Islands Its cultivation continues to play a dynamic role in the local economy, where the production tasks have resulted in know-how, based on an artisanal model of obtaining the product, that has been passed down from generation to generation, and that has led to the emergence of own words linked to the activity.