Brussels, 05/06/2013 (Agence Europe) - - On Tuesday 4 June, the three institutions of the EU finalised their agreement on the regulation for the common market organisation (CMO) for fisheries and fishfarming products. Once consolidated, the text will be put to the national ambassadors to the EU (Coreper) on Wednesday 12 June for their final approval.
On the labelling of products, the compromise provides, among other things, for the “landing date” of fish to feature among information which is voluntary rather than mandatory, as the European Parliament initially called for. The information which will be mandatory includes: species (including the scientific name of the species), origin (zone or country) of catch and the method used to catch it (fishing gear). The other information which may be provided on a voluntary basis is: date of catch, date of landing and the flag state of the vessel.
Struan Stevenson (ECR, UK), EP rapporteur on this matter, clarified that producers will be able to choose whether or not they wish to include the date of catch and date of landing of the product (voluntary basis). However, the use-by date will be mandatory, he announced. “We need to know whether the product is fresh or not”, he added.
Derogations for small-scale fishing
Stevenson also announced that there would be derogations for small-scale fishing when the fish is landed on the same day the vessel went to sea. “And this will apply to the vast majority of the European fleet”, he stressed. These fishermen should have a commercial advantage and, therefore, will be able to write the information on a board or poster when they come to sell their fish and crustaceans, “in order to enjoy a competitive advantage”.
The place where the fish is caught should feature on the label, but should be easy for consumers to understand. Currently, labels state “caught in the Atlantic Ocean”. This will no longer be acceptable as the fishing zone must be more clearly defined, such as the Irish Sea.
There are also plans to bring in eco-labelling. Currently, there are 63 eco-labels on fisheries products and foodstuffs in the EU and many of these labels may mislead consumers. The European Commission has been called upon to make proposals on Community eco-labelling. The Commission will present a report as soon as possible.
Provisions on the recognition and functioning of producer organisations (POs) are included.
Additionally, reference is made to fish farming in the regulation.
The negotiators have ensured that the regulation covers all modern technologies available today (electronic vessel register, satellite-based vessel monitoring systems, on-board cameras, etc). The rapporteur argues that these devices should be combined in order to “improve the sales and marketing of fishery products”. Readers may recall that the Commission has recently launched the European Market Observatory for Fisheries and Aquaculture Products.
“Consumers and producers will find more than their share” in this regulation (which has still to be formally approved by the Council), commented Martin Crowley on behalf of the Irish Presidency of the Council. The producer organisations will be able to play their role in full, and fishermen will be more informed about the market, he added. “We are pleased to have made a useful contribution to this effort to give the industry and consumers more confidence in the future as regards the quality of fisheries and fish farming products”, Crowley concluded.
Lastly, it is worth noting that aid to the private storage of fisheries products will be gradually phased out by 2019. The conditions for this aid are contained in the CMO regulation, but the budget will be decided on in the future European Fund for Fisheries and Maritime Affairs, with reference to the period 2014-2020. (LC/transl.fl)