On Monday 26 January, the European Agriculture Ministers were divided over the draft delegated regulation on marketing standards for poultry meat (see EUROPE 13724/10).
Germany felt that the current rules were outdated, particularly with regard to maximum water content and the labelling of farming methods. The German Minister called for greater flexibility in the use of free-range poultry and a review of water content thresholds. Several Member States – including the Netherlands, Denmark, Austria, Finland, Poland, Croatia and the Czech Republic – supported these proposals, stressing the need to adapt standards to modern farming practices and animal welfare.
On the other hand, France and Italy have opposed any reopening of negotiations. Annie Genevard, the French Minister, judged the text to be balanced and sufficient, pointing out that national regulations already allow specific labelling of farming methods. The Italian delegation warned against market distortions and control difficulties that could result from modifications being made too quickly or poorly calibrated.
The European Commission pointed out that the current draft represents a compromise reached after lengthy discussions. It said it was prepared to consider revising the water content thresholds only on the basis of robust scientific data, in conjunction with a pilot project by the Joint Research Centre (JRC) to collect a representative sample of chicken meat. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)