Austria urges EU agriculture minister to introduce labeling of origin – EURACTIV.de
Austria’s Minister of Agriculture, Elisabeth Köstinger, wanted to raise the issue of an appellation of origin at this week’s informal ministerial meeting in Strasbourg. Her female counterparts, however, were less enthusiastic.
A local designation of origin for animal products is “essential,” said Köstinger on the sidelines of the meeting of EU agriculture ministers, which took place on Monday and Tuesday (7/8 February) at the initiative of French Agriculture Minister Julien Denormandie.
The Austrian minister stressed that the label for processed foods containing milk, meat or eggs must become mandatory. This is also in line with the “farm-to-fork strategy, which should form the basis of EU policy in the years to come,” she argued.
One of the goals of the EU flagship strategy for the food sector is to provide consumers with clear information about food and to ensure a high level of consumer protection.
In this context, the European Commission WILL present a draft law for EU-wide mandatory front-of-package labeling of food by the end of the year. The EU executive is also considering extending the obligation to label the country of origin of products.
According to Köstinger, she raised the issue of designation of origin in bilateral talks with the ministers of Germany and France during her stay in Strasbourg. In the run-up to a debate of all 27 ministers on Tuesday, she confirmed that she would prevent the topic from being raised.
However, when asked by EURACTIV whether the designation of origin had been discussed, the French minister for Denormandie was surprised after the meeting. “We didn’t talk about it, nor was it the subject of this morning’s discussion,” he said.
The French host had put carbon farming at the center of the agenda of the two-day meeting in order to collect a common position on this topic from the 27 member states.
According to Köstinger, Austria will introduce the labeling requirement at national level this year. This move will increase transparency for consumers and help ensure farmers get their fair share of the value chain.
“The European Commission is asked to present a legislative proposal at EU level,” she emphasized.
Denormandy also mentioned that from March France WILL introduce a leading designation of origin for meat products at national level, gilded for food served in restaurants and canteens.
With regard to an EU-wide license plate, he referred to the proposal that was drawn up by the Commission anyway.
Federal Minister of Agriculture Cem Özdemir also spoke out in favor of a European designation of origin. However, Germany wants to wait for the publication of the Commission’s proposal and then “draw our own conclusions from it.”
“We agree 100 percent with our Austrian colleague on this matter,” he said, “but first of all we want to give the Commission the chance to advance the issue.” Together with animal welfare labeling, the measure can “strengthen consumers and help manufacturers market their products,” he said.
The German government recently announced that it would introduce global animal welfare labeling at national level by the end of the year, but is aiming for an EU-wide solution for the designation of origin to stay in line with EU single market rules.
In 2020, the European Court of Justice (ECJ) ruled that the member states needed special justification for the introduction of a widespread designation of origin. These include, for example, the protection of public health and the fight against fraud.
Since the beginning of the corona pandemic, which has placed a heavy burden on cross-border supply chains, the EU Commission has warned against a protectionist change in the agricultural and food industry.
The EU executive has also promisedto ensure that any extension of the designation of origin “takes full account of the impact on the internal market”.
[Bearbeitet von Gerardo Fortuna/Alice Taylor]