Brussels, 28/04/2004 (Agence Europe) - On Tuesday, the European Commission adopted a report which took stock of application of the 2000 legislation on beef and veal labelling by Member Sates. In order to avoid situations of national preference, the Commission launches the debate on the possibility of showing "EU origin" on meat labels, instead of the origin of the Member State as currently set out in the rules. According to the Commission, Community legislation gave the guarantees expected by the consumer and largely contributed to re-establishing the level of consumption in the EU. However, some professionals in the sector criticise the fact that there is a certain amount of "re-nationalisation" of the beef and veal trade, mainly for products sold directly to the end-consumer (distributors often prefer to obtain their supplies exclusively in beef and veal of national origin and it is difficult to find an outlet for meat from animals of mixed origin). The Commission therefore recommends that one should look at the possibility of indicating "EU origin" on meat labels instead of the national origin. The Commission specifies that this possibility would be limited to establishments that prepare cuts of beef and veal intended directly for the final consumer (retail sales). In this assumption, it would then be up to operators to decide whether to mention national or community origin, depending on consumer preference and the distribution sector, the report states. We recall that the current provisions for indicating the origin on the label provides for: - either the indication of "origin: name of Member State or third country" when the countries where cattle are born, raised and slaughtered are identical; - or the separate indication of the countries where the cattle are not born, raised and slaughtered in the same countries.
Furthermore, the Commission does not approve of extending the origin labelling rules to cover processed beef products, products containing beef and other ingredients or prepared meals covered by the restaurant and institutional catering sector or the fast food sector. According to the Commission, such extension "would be particularly difficult for the operators in question to apply, for both technical and commercial reasons". The report will be discussed by the Council and European Parliament. In the light of the results of discussions, the Commission will make the appropriate proposals in order to improve labelling rules.