Brussels, 06/02/2014 (Agence Europe) - The European Parliament is digging in its heels. It is calling for the full labelling of the origin of all meats. It sent out this message loud and clear in its rejection, in Strasbourg on Thursday, of the draft regulation of the European Commission on labelling requirements regarding the provenance of fresh, refrigerated and frozen pork, sheep/goat meat and poultry (see EUROPE 11006).
Under this draft regulation, only the country in which the animal was raised and slaughtered would feature on the labelling of the meat. The resolution adopted by the MEPs (368 votes to 207, with 20 abstentions) calls on the Commission to withdraw its draft regulation and produce a revised version to bring in obligatory labelling of the place where the animal was born, raised and slaughtered for all meats, exactly as is already required for beef meat and bovine meat products and has been in force in the EU since 2002. They also call on the Commission to get rid of any derogation for minced meat or offcuts.
“Consumers want an overview of the supply chain for meat. This is why I am calling for the places of birth, rearing and slaughter to feature on the label. Many citizens want to know whether the animals come from countries which apply high welfare standards and want to know how far the animals have travelled, for ethical and environmental reasons”, said Glenis Willmott (S&D, UK), rapporteur.
In the view of Alain Cadec (EPP, France), this vote is a real victory for farmers and consumers. “For farmers, this labelling does not represent any additional cost. And consumers want to know the origin of the meat, particularly the country of birth, rearing and slaughter. The same rules must apply to minced meat, to frozen pork, sheep and goat meat, it is a question of traceability and transparency!” said the MEP.
Bas Eickhout (Greens/EFA, Belgium) welcomed the result. “The MEPs are calling on the Commission to come up with a new deal . The Parliament has supported a resolution which would guarantee labelling which covers the entire life cycle of the meat, including the country of origin. The recent food scandals, particularly those concerning meat products, have shed light on the need for total transparency in the food chain. Communicating this information is also an important instrument for everyone who eats meat and who wants to choose to eat meat from animals which have not suffered stress during long journeys”.
Readers may recall that the draft regulation presented by the Commission lays down the details for the application of the EU regulation on consumer information on foods (Regulation 1169/2011). (AN/transl.fl)