The question of the obligation to indicate the country of origin of meat
4.2.2015
Question for written answer E-001799-15
to the Commission
Rule 130
Norbert Erdős (PPE)
The EP Environment Committee would like the EP to adopt a political statement that would require the European Commission to adopt legislation about the obligatory indication of the country of origin or place of provenance for meat products.
This question raises serious economic and internal market concerns. The impact study of the Commission shows that 80% of the consumers would not support the indication of the country of origin, if it meant an increase of the consumer price of meat products. The obligation to indicate the country of origin would increase the costs of the meat industry processors by 30%. The processors would pass the total additional cost (according to the Commission, 90% of these costs) to the consumers; therefore, the impact study indicates a 6‐9% increase in consumer prices.
Finally, I have to stress that the ‘horse meat scandal’ of last year could not have been prevented, despite the obligation to indicate the country of origin in the case of cattle meat since the bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) crisis in 2000.
Therefore, I implore the Commission, regardless of the opinion of the EP, not to introduce the obligatory indication of the country of origin. I state the following questions:
- 1.In the opinion of the Commission, does the obligatory indication of the country of origin fit the objective of simplification and the principle of proportionality?
- 2.Does the Commission agree that more frequent inspection by Member States and bettercooperation between the authorities would be sufficient to detect food-related frauds inthe current legal environment?