Current EU regulation does not cover ‘loose’ product or non pre-packaged meat. Mandatory labelling would help maintain consumer confidence in food products by making the food supply chain more transparent, the MEPs say.

The motion for a resolution restates the EU Parliament's position in favour of mandatory labelling of the country of origin or place of provenance of meat in processed foods.

Milk labelling

The MEPs added that this labelling should also be made mandatory for milk and milk used as an ingredient in dairy products, for unprocessed foods, single-ingredient products and for ingredients that make up more than 50% of a food.

"The mandatory indication of the origin of milk, sold as such or used as an ingredient in dairy products, is a useful measure to protect the quality of dairy products, combat food fraud and protect employment in a sector which is going through a severe crisis," the MEPs said.

84% of EU citizens consider it necessary to indicate the origin of milk, according to a 2013 Eurobarometer survey, while 88% consider such labelling necessary for meat. More than 90% also consider such labelling important for processed foods.

The motion, co-signed by the Committee on the environment, public health and food safety, was adopted with 44 votes to 18 and will be put to a vote by the full House during the April or May plenary sessions in Strasbourg.

Country of origin - The special case of Ireland

In November, the special case of Ireland with the new country of origin rules was emphasised by a delegation of Irish farming representatives who visited the Commission's Directorate General for Health and Safety and the Directorate General for Agriculture and Rural Development. It was highlighted by the delegation that a lot of farmers are losing out due to the fact that produce born and reared on one part of Ireland and finished in another is being labelled as "mixed-origin".

Recently, Northern Ireland Minister for Agriculture Michelle O’Neill has been calling for greater effort from her counterpart in Dublin Minister Simon Coveney to get on board to develop an island of Ireland beef and presumably lamb label. She believes an “island-of-Ireland food label would solve the issue for the beef sector and other sectors that are impacted as a result of country-of-origin labelling”.

Read more

No easy answer to country of origin rules