EN    EN  
 EUROPEAN 
COMMISSION  
Brussels, XXX   
[…](2013) XXX  draft 
  
COMMISSION IMPLEMENTING REGULATION (EU) No …/.. 
of XXX  
laying down rules for the application of Re gulation (EU) No 1169/ 2011 of the European 
Parliament and of the Council as re gards the indication of the countr y of ori gin or place 
of provenance for fresh, chilled and frozen  meat of swine, sheep, goats and poultry  
EN 1   EN COMMISSION IMPLEMENTING REGULATION (EU) No …/.. 
of XXX  
laying down rules for the application of Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011 of the European 
Parliament and of the Council as regards the indi cation of the country of origin or place of 
provenance for fresh, chilled and frozen meat of swine, sheep, goats and poultry 
THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION, 
Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, Having regard to Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011 of th e European Parliament and of the Council of 
25 October 2011 on the provision of f ood information to consumers, amending Regulations (EC) No 
1924/2006 and (EC) No 1925/2006 of the European Parliament and of the Council, and repealing 
Commission Directive 87/250/EEC, Council Di rective 90/496/EEC, Commission Directive 
1999/10/EC, Directive 2000/13/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council, Commission 
Directives 2002/67/EC and 2008/5/EC a nd Commission Regulati on (EC) No 608/2004
1, and in 
particular Article 26(8) thereof,  
Whereas: (1) Article 26(2) of Regulation (EU)  No 1169/2011 sets out the obliga tion to indicate the country 
of origin or place of provenance on the la bel of meat falling within the Combined 
Nomenclature codes listed in Annex XI to that  Regulation, i.e. fresh, chilled and frozen meat 
of swine, sheep or goats and poultry. The rules fo r the application of point (b) of Article 26(2) 
of that Regulation should be laid down  as regards that mandatory indication. 
(2) A balance needs to be struck between the expect ations of the consumers to be informed and 
the cost of the administrative burden for th e operators and national authorities which is 
related to the provision of that information to  consumers and which would finally have an 
impact on the cost of the end products cons umers buy. In the context of the impact 
assessment which preceded the adoption of this  Regulation, in a study commissioned by the 
Commission the options for the modalities of i ndicating the country of origin or place of 
provenance were analysed with respect to the determining stages of the life of the animals 
and that analysis included an assessment of the in terests of the consumers, the industry and 
the authorities in the case of each of the options  identified and its cost. The results of the 
study thus show that consumers require fore most the information on the place where the 
animal was reared. At the same time, providi ng information on the place of birth of the 
animal would require establishment of new tr aceability systems at farm level with the 
respective costs stemming therefro m, while labelling the place of slaughter does not generate 
extra costs for the food chain a nd gives valuable information to  the consumer. As regards the 
geographical level for providing  information about the place of rearing and the place of 
slaughter, the results of  the study show that the Member St ate or third country would be the 
most relevant geographical level to consumer s. Therefore, it is appropriate to inform 
consumers, as regards all types of meat con cerned, about the Member State or third country 
where the animal has been reared and where it has been slaughtered.  
                                                
 
1 OJ L 304, 22.11.2011, p. 18.  
EN 2   EN (3) Given that an animal may have been reared in  several Member States  or third countries, a 
choice needs to be made as to which of thos e Member States or third countries should be 
indicated as place of rearing on the label so that the consumer needs are better met and 
unnecessary complexity of the label is avoided. In view of that, crit eria should be provided 
for indicating the Member State or third country  which would have the main relevance for the 
rearing of the animal and thus would be of the greatest importance for consumers. Both in 
terms of the characteristics of the finished anim al and its meat and in terms of value added in 
the production process, the most relevant period  of rearing for the species concerned is the 
fattening. Therefore, according to  those criteria the place of rearing to be indicated on the 
label should be the Member Stat e or third country where the anim als have been last reared for 
a certain period of time before slaughter, diffe rentiated for the differe nt types of animals on 
the basis of the rearing practices and the charac teristics of the species concerned. However, in 
some rare cases it may occur that the require ment of the minimum r earing period would not 
be met for any of the rearing places, or it may be  that the whole life of the animal has been 
finally shorter than the minimum rearing period. It is therefore necessary to lay down specific 
rules on the basis of which the Member State or the third country most relevant in such circumstances for the rearing stage should be determined.  
(4) It is possible that food busines s operators decide to supplemen t the compulsory information 
on the label provided for in this Regulation, on a voluntary base, with additional information 
related to the provenance of the meat, incl uding the place of birth or more detailed 
geographical level of provenance. The additona l information should not be contradictory to 
nor introduce ambiguity in relation to the compul sory labelling as provided in this Regulation 
and should respect the generalapp licable requirements set in Ar ticle 36 of Regulation (EU) 
No 1169/2011. 
(5) In the interests of simplification of the labell ing, in case animals have been reared in the 
Member State or third country in which they are slaughtered, operators should be given the 
possibility to apply a simplified approach by re ferring only once to the Member State or third 
country in which rearing and slaughtering took place . In addition, rules should be laid down 
for packages containing cuts of meat of the same or different species, derived from animals 
reared and slaughtered in different Member States or third countries.  
(6) In order to be possible to indicate on the la bel the Member States a nd third countries where 
the rearing and slaughtering took place, it is nece ssary to provide for traceability rules at all 
stages of production and distri bution of the meat, from sla ugthering until packaging. Such 
traceability rules would have as a final aim to ensure the link between the labelled meat and 
the animal or group of animals from which that meat has been obtained and should be applied by all operators in the food chain within the resp ective stages at which they operate. In that 
context, where the meat can be identified by refe rence to a group of animals rather than to a 
concrete animal, a provision should be laid down for defining the size of such a group of animals in order to ensure the traceability of the meat as re gards that group of animals. The 
link between each single pack of meat offered at  the end of the food chain and the traceability 
system needs to be ensured by the indicat ion on the label of a reference code.  
(7) 
Derogation should be provided fo r meat imported from third countries in case when not all 
the information required for labelling may be av ailable to a third country operator. In that 
case it should be provided for the minimum in formation which should be indicated on the 
label.  
(8) In addition, as regards minced meat and trimmings, given the char acteristics of their 
production processes generaly us ed, operators should be allowe d to indicate rearing and  
EN 3   EN slaughtering by referring to EU, non-EU, or EU  and non-EU, as appropriate, for the sake of 
providing clear and non complex information to  consumers and for a voiding overcomplexity 
of the traceability systems that the industry would need to put in place.  
(9) As the relevant provisions of Regulati on (EU) No 1169/2011 are applicable from 13 
December 2014, and Article 47 thereof provides for application of the implementing rules 
under that Regulation as from 1 April in each calendar year, this Regulation should start to 
apply on 1 April 2015. 
(10) The measures provided for in this Regulation are in accordance with the opinion of the 
Committee on the Food Chain and Animal Health, 
HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION: 
Article 1 
Subject matter and scope  
This Regulation lays down rules on the indication of the country of origin or place of provenance on 
the label of pre-packed fresh, chille d and frozen meat of swine, meat  of sheep or goats and meat of 
poultry, falling within the respective Combined  Nomenclature codes listed in Annex XI to 
Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011.  
Article 2 
Definitions 
1. For the purposes of this Regulation, the defini tions laid down in Article 2 (1) and (2) of 
Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011, th e definition of ‘food business operator’ in point (3) of 
Article 3 of Regulation (EC) No 178/2002 of the European Parliament and of the Council2, 
the definition of ‘establishment’ in point (c) of Article 2(1) of Regulation (EC) No 852/2004 
of the European Parliament and of the Council3, as well as the definitions of ‘minced meat’, 
‘slaughterhouse’ and ‘cutting plant’ laid down in points 1.13, 1.16 a nd 1.17 of Annex I to 
Regulation (EC) No 853/2004 of the Eur opean Parliament and of the Council4 shall apply.  
2. The following definitions shall also apply: 
(a) ‘trimmings’ means small pieces of meat, falling within the Combined Nomenclature 
codes listed in Annex XI to Regulati on (EU) No 1169/2011, recognised as fit for 
human consumption and produced exclus ively during trimming operations, when 
boning of carcases or when cutting up of meat; 
(b) ‘batch’ means meat, falling within the Combined Nomenclature codes listed in Annex 
XI to Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011, obtained from a single sp ecies, with or without 
bone, whether or not cut or minced, packed  together under practically identical 
conditions. 
                                                 
2 Regulation (EC) No 178/2002 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 28 January 2002 laying down 
the general principles and requirements of food law, establishing the European Food Safety Authority and 
laying down procedures in matters of food safety (OJ L 31, 1.2.2002, p. 1). 
3 Regulation (EC) No 852/2004 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 29 April 2004 on the hygiene of 
foodstuffs (OJ L 139, 30.4.2004, p. 1). 
4 Regulation (EC) No 853/2004 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 29 April 2004 laying down 
specific hygiene rules for food of animal origin (OJ L 139, 30.4.2004, p. 55).  
EN 4   EN Article 3 
Traceability  
1. Food business operators shall es tablish and use an identificati on and registration system at 
each of their various stages of production and di stribution of the meat referred to in Article 
1. 
2. That system shall be applied in such a way as to ensure: 
(a) the link between the meat and the animal or group of animals from which the meat has 
been obtained, the first link be tween the meat and the animal  or group of animals from 
which the meat has been obtained being th e responsibility of the slaughterhouse; and 
(b) the transmission of the information relating to the indications referred to in Articles 5, 
6 and 7, as appropriate, together with the meat to the operators at the subsequent 
stages of producti on and distribution. 
Each food business operator shall be responsible for the application of the identification and 
registration system, as laid down in the firs t subparagraph, within the stage of production 
and distribution at which it operates. 
The food business operator who packs the meat a nd/or labels it in accordance with Articles 
5, 6 or 7 shall ensure the correla tion between the reference code  referred to in point (c) of 
Article 5(1) and point (b) of Article 5(3) and the relevant batch or batches of meat from 
which the pack is constituted. 
3. The system referred to in paragraph 1 shall record, in particular, the arrival at and the 
departure from the establishment of the food busin ess operator, of animals, carcases or cuts, 
as appropriate, and ensure a correlat ion between arrivals and departures. 
Article 4 
Group of animals  
1. The size of the group of animals referred to  in Articles 3 and 5 shall be defined by: 
(a) the number of carcases cut together and c onstituting one batch for the cutting plant 
concerned in case of cutting of carcases; 
(b) the number of carcases whose meat constitu tes one batch for the cutting or mincing 
plant concerned in  case of further cutting or mincing. 
2. The size of a batch shall not exceed the producti on of one day in a single establishment. 
3. Except the case where Article 7 applies, when constituting the batches, the establishments in 
which meat is cut or minced shall ensure th at all carcasses in a batch come from animals 
reared in only one Member State or third count ry and have been slaughtered in only one 
Member State or third country. 
Article 5  
Labelling of meat  
1. The label of meat referred to in Article 1 intended for supplying to the fi nal consumer or to 
mass caterers shall contain the following indications:  
EN 5   EN (a) the Member State or third country in which the last period of rearing of at least two 
months for swine, sheep and goats and one month for poultry took pl ace, indicated as 
‘Reared in: (name of the Member State or  third country)’. If th e minimum period of 
rearing has not been met, that indication shall refer to the Member State or third 
country in which the animal or group of anim als were last reared before the period of 
15 days preceding the day of the slaughter for swine, sheep and goats, and before the 
period of 5 days preceding the day of the slaughter for poultry;  
(b) the Member State or third country in which slaughter took place indicated as 
‘Slaughtered in: (name of the Member State or third country)’; 
(c) a reference code ensuring the link between th e meat to which the label refers and the 
relevant batch of meat in the identifica tion and registration system referred to in 
Article 3 of the operator who p acks and/or labels the meat. 
2. Where the application of point s (a) and (b) of paragraph 1 re sults in providing indications 
that refer to the same Member State or the same third country, thos e indications may be 
replaced by ‘Reared and slaughtered in: (n ame of Member State or third country)’. 
3. Where several cuts of meat of  the same or of different species, obtained from animals reared 
and slaughtered in different Member States or third countries, are pack ed in the same pack, 
the label shall indicate: 
(a) the list of Member States or  third countries of rearing and slaughtering, in accordance 
with points (a) and (b) of paragraph 1, for each species; 
(b) a reference code ensuring the link between th e meat of each species and the relevant 
batches of meat in the identification and registration system referred to in Article 3 of the operator who packs and/or labels the meat. 
Article 6  
Derogation for meat from third countries 
By way of derogation from points (a) and (b) of Article 5(1), the label of meat referred to in Article 1 
imported for placing on the Union market, and fo r which not all the info rmation provided for in 
points (a) and (b) of Artic le 5(1) is available, shall contain the indicati on ‘Reared in: non-EU’ and 
‘Slaughtered in: (Name of the third country where the anim als were slaughtered)’.  
Article 7  
Derogations for minced meat and trimmings 
By way of derogation from points (a ) and (b) of Article 5(1) and fr om Article 6, as regards minced 
meat and trimmings, the following indications may be applied: 
(a) ‘Reared and slaughtered in: EU’, where minced meat or trimmings are produced 
exclusively from meat obtained from anim als reared and slaughtered in different 
Member States; 
(b) ‘Reared and slaughtered in: non-EU’, where minced meat or trimmings are produced 
exclusively from meat im ported into the Union; 
(c) ‘Reared in: non-EU’ and ‘Slaugh tered in: (Name of the Member State)’ where minced 
meat or trimmings are produced exclusiv ely from meat obtained from animals 
imported into the Union as animals for sla ughter and slaughtered in a Member State;  
EN 6   EN (d) ‘Reared and slaughtered in: EU and non-EU ’ where minced meat or trimmings are 
produced from meat obtained from animal s reared and slaughtered in different 
Member States and from meat imported in to the Union or from  meat obtained from 
animals imported into the Union and sl aughtered in different Member States. 
Article 8  
Entry into force and application 
This Regulation shall enter into force on the third day following that of its publication in the Official 
Journal of the European Union .  
It shall apply from 1 April 2015. It  shall not apply to meat which ha s been lawfully placed on the 
Union market before 1 April 2015 until the stocks are exhausted.  
It shall be binding in its entirety and di rectly applicable in all Member States. 
Done at Brussels, 
 For the Commission 
 The President  José Manuel BARROSO