Brussels, 19/06/2014 (Agence Europe) - A Commission regulation supplementing regulation 1151/2012 regarding the conditions for the use of the optional quality term “mountain product” was published in the Official Journal of the EU on Thursday 19 June.
“I'm delighted to confirm that the detailed rules for the use of the term 'mountain product' on food labels are now in place. I hope that this will make it easier for this new tool to be adopted. I believe that it has the potential to benefit farmers in mountainous areas, for example in the dairy sector, but also in others. This tool will inform consumers on the added value of these products”, commented Agriculture Commissioner Dacian Ciolos.
Regulation 1151/2012 has established a scheme for optional quality terms to help producers whose agricultural products have properties or characteristics which give them added value to communicate these characteristics or properties on the single market. It lays down conditions for the use of the optional quality term “mountain product”. In order to prevent consumers from being misled, the use of the term “mountain product” for products of animal origin should be clarified, the Commission says.
For products produced by animals, such as milk and eggs, production should take place in mountain areas. For products made from animals, such as meat, the animals should be raised in mountain areas. As farmers often buy young animals, such animals should spend at least two thirds of their life in mountain areas.
Products of animal origin. The term “mountain product” may be applied to products produced by animals in mountain areas and processed in these areas. This term may apply to products made from animals raised for at least the last two thirds of their lives in these mountainous areas, if the products are processed in these areas. By way of derogation, the term “mountain product” may apply to products made from transhumant animals that have been reared for at least one quarter of their life in transhumance grazing on pastures in mountain areas.
Feedstuffs. In order to guarantee that food for farm animals can be deemed to come essentially from mountain areas, the regulation stipulates that in principle, at least half of their annual diet, expressed as a percentage of dry matter, must be made up of feedstuffs from mountain areas (60% in the case of ruminants). For pigs, the proportion of feedstuffs that cannot be produced in mountain areas, expressed as a percentage of dry matter, must not exceed 75% of the annual diet.
Processing operations outside mountain areas. By way of derogation from Article 31 of Regulation 1151/2012, the following processing operations may take place outside mountain areas, as long as the distance from the mountain area in question does not exceed 30 kilometres: - processing operations for the production of milk and dairy products in processing facilities in place on 3 January 2013; - slaughtering of animals and cutting and deboning of carcasses; - pressing of olive oil. As regards products processed on their territory, member states may determine that the derogation provided will not apply, or that the processing facilities must be located within a distance, to be specified, of less than 30 kilometres from the mountain area in question.
Products of beekeeping. The term “mountain product” may be applied to products of beekeeping if the bees have collected the nectar and pollen only in mountain areas. By way of derogation, sugar fed to bees shall not be required to come from mountain areas. (LC)