Allister presses Commission on Mandatory Beef Labelling

07 February 2008

Jim Allister QC MEP has tabled a written question to the European Commission, seeking clarification on what current rules apply to an EU Region/Member State wishing to apply country-of-origin labelling of meat in the food service and catering sectors.

Mr Allister said,

“The Northern Ireland beef industry would benefit, I believe, from mandatory country-of-origin labelling on foodstuffs sold in the food service and catering sectors. It would also benefit consumers to have a greater awareness of where their food comes from, when using restaurants, canteens and other catering establishments.”

“In her response, Mariann Fischer-Boel indicates that Member States shall introduce mandatory country-of-origin labelling for the catering sector, ‘only where failure to give such particulars might mislead the consumer to a material degree as to the true origin of provenance of the foodstuff’. Interestingly, the Commissioner avoided answering my question whether applications have been made to date by either DARD or DEFRA in respect of introducing mandatory labelling in Northern Ireland. Indeed, she failed to comment on how the Republic of Ireland Government has already introduced identical requirements.”

“If the Republic of Ireland can make the case for mandatory labelling for beef sold in the food service and catering sector, I see no reason why Northern Ireland should be denied similar provision.”

ENDS

Notes to Editor:

Please find full Parliamentary Question, and Commission response below:

P-5796/07EN

Answer given by Mrs Fischer Boel

on behalf of the Commission

(25.1.2008)

Council Regulation (EC) No 1906/1990[1] on certain marketing standards for poultry meat and Regulation (EC) No 1760/2000[2] of the Parliament and of the Council establishing a system for the identification and registration of bovine animals and regarding the labelling of beef and beef products provide for certain rules on labelling as regards the origin of the meat respectively in the poultry, beef and veal sector.

It should be stressed that the rules in Regulation (EC) No 1906/1990 do not provide for a compulsory country of origin labelling for the food business and catering sector.

As regards the beef labelling rules in Regulation (EC) No 1760/2000, labelling of beef is required at all stages of marketing, as mentioned in Article 11 of that Regulation. This requirement applies to fresh/chilled and frozen beef but not to processed products containing beef or beef-based products. One of the cornerstones of this labelling system is that it is compulsory to indicate on the label the country where the bovine animal was born, raised and slaughtered. In addition to this compulsory information, Article 16 of Regulation (EC) No 1760/2000 sets out certain rules regarding additional information that the operator can put on the label under a voluntary labelling system. This additional information may include an indication of the origin at sub-national level (for instance the name of a region). In accordance with Article 16 of Regulation (EC) No 1760/2000 it is competence of the Member States to approve such voluntary labelling systems.

Finally, without prejudice to the more specific above-mentioned rules, Directive 2000/13/EC[3] of the Parliament and of the Council on the approximation of the laws of the Member States relating to the labelling, presentation and advertising of foodstuffs concerns the labelling of foodstuffs to be delivered to the final consumer and/or intended for supply to restaurants, canteens and other so-called 'mass caterers'. In accordance with point 8 of Article 3(1) of this Directive, Member States shall make it compulsory to indicate particulars of the place of origin or provenance of the foodstuffs only where failure to give such particulars might mislead the consumer to a material degree as to the true origin or provenance of the foodstuff.

Agriculture and Environment