Brussels, 25/09/2006 (Agence Europe) - To promote fairer competition conditions within the EU and to avoid misleading consumers, the European Commission has proposed setting precise sales descriptions to be used in Member States when marketing the meat from young bovine animals. In addition, the age of the animal at slaughter should be indicated on the label. France and Italy has long requested harmonisation in this area. The Commission would like the new regulation to come into force on 1st July 2007.
Within the EU, there are two major systems of veal meat production. In the first, which is used in most EU Member States (France, Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium in particular), the animals are fed largely on milk and milk products, and slaughtered before the age of eight months. In the second (practised mainly in Denmark and Spain), the animals are fed mostly on cereals (and fodder) and are slaughter at the age of ten months and over. The Commission says that the meat from these two systems can be marketed under different sales descriptions, but, as a rule, it is marketed under one sales description - “veal”. No reference is usually made to the type of feed received by the animals or their age at the time of slaughter. Experience has shown that this practice could disturb trade and encourage unfair competition. The Commission has noted ex slaughterhouse price differences of the order of €2 to €2.50 per kilo between meats produced under the two systems. This use confusion among consumers on the characteristics of the product they are buying.
Sales descriptions. The Commission proposes to establish exact sales descriptions: for meat from young bovine animals slaughtered between 0 and 8 months - “veal”; and for meat from young bovines of 8 to 12 months - “beef”.
Thus, the term “veal” or any new name deriving from the sales descriptions in the proposal will not be able to be used to refer to meat from bovines over twelve months old. Meat imported from third countries will also have to comply with these requirements.
Compulsory labelling information. At each stage of production and marketing, operators will be required to indicate on the labels: - the letter indicating the category (“X” for animals up to the age of eight months and “Y” for those between 8 and 12 months); the sales description (“veal” or “beef”) and the age of the animal at slaughter.