And yet, we have decided to play with fire. The Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) Guijuelo has approved that, from now on, it will be enough for a pig to be 50% Iberian breed for its ham to bear the "ibérico" label. The other 50% may be Duroc. The Ministry of Agriculture has given the green light. And Brussels, surprisingly, was not even consulted.
A decision that changes history
This modification is not technical, it is structural. We are not talking about an administrative tweak, but about a redefinition of what “excellence” means in Spain. And doing it from one of our most emblematic PDOs, Guijuelo, turns the blow into a symbolic wound.
The Andalusian denominations — Jabugo and Los Pedroches — have said it plainly: lowering to 50% is not a diversification strategy, it is a reduction of quality disguised as progress. It opens the door to intensive production models that have little to do with the essence of the ibérico: slow time, the acorn, the dehesa, and purity of breed.
Because what does a PDO protect if not precisely that? What value does a seal have if it increasingly means less?
A political and economic sham
Guijuelo argues that its decision does not lower quality, but rather “diversifies” it. They claim that what matters is not so much the breed, but the feeding and the curing. The Ministry nods. And everyone — miraculously — has issued favorable reports.
All quick, clean, discreet. So discreet that not even Brussels was informed because the change was processed as a “normal modification.” But what has been done is not normal. It is a political maneuver that reeks of closed‑door dealing, of backroom pacts, of economic servility disguised as modernity.
Spain: the country that cheats itself
No other leading country in excellence would allow something like this. Neither would France dilute its foie gras. Nor Italy its Parmesan. Nor Japan its wagyu. Only in Spain are we capable of self-sabotage with a perfect mix of bureaucracy and inferiority complex.
We Spaniards have an ancestral ability to create something unique… and then water it down out of fear of standing out too much. As if excellence were unwelcome. As if being world leaders gave us vertigo.
Excellence is not negotiable
At Made in Spain Gourmet, we are clear: Spanish gourmet products are not to be touched, discounted, or negotiated. Our moral duty —as professionals, as ambassadors, and as a country— is to protect what makes us unique. And that means calling things as they are: this decision is a monumental mistake that harms Spain’s image in international markets and impoverishes the soul of the Ibérico.
We stand for 100% Ibérico, for the dehesa, for time, and for respect. For the authenticity that truly moves the consumer. And we will continue to denounce every step that seeks to dilute that value in favor of cheaper or faster production.
Lead or follow the mediocre
Spain has two paths: follow the short-sighted route of those who manage with fear and complacency… or lead from excellence, truth, and courage.
Because being a leader is not about selling more. It’s staying true to the values that made you great. And whoever doesn’t understand that doesn’t lead: they preside over decline.