Beef Labelling revision promised

The European Commission initiated a High Level Group of Independent Stakeholders on Administrative Burdens to reduce these administrative burdens in the European Union. UEAPME welcomes very much this approach. Especially UEAPME welcomes the proposal for a revision of Regulation (EC) No 1760/2000 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 17 July 2000 establishing a system for the identification and registration of bovine animals and regarding the labelling of beef and beef products and repealing Council Regulation (EC) No 820/97.

Operators or organisations marketing beef may include information complementary to what is required in their labelling.

Articles 16, 17 and 18 of Regulation (EC) No 1760/2000 define an approval procedure for voluntary labelling.

To this end, they must send a specification for approval to the responsible authority of the Member State in which the beef in question is produced or sold. The specification must include – the information to be displayed on the label;
– the measures to be taken to guarantee that the information is accurate;
– the checks applicable at all stages of production and sale, including those to be carried out by independent bodies recognised by the responsible authority; and
– the penalties to be applied, in the case of organisations, to members who fail to comply with the specifications.

Members of UEAPME are of the serious opinion that a deletion of articles 16-18 of Regulation (EC) No 1760/2000 would lead to a considerable reduction of unnecessary administrative burdens.
Brussels, 30 April 2010