1999R2561 — EN — 20.05.2004 — 003.001 — 1
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►B COMMISSION REGULATION (EC) No 2561/1999
of 3 December 1999
laying down the marketing standard for peas
(OJ L 310, 4.12.1999, p. 7)
Amended by:
Official Journal
No page date
►M1 Commission Regulation (EC) No 532/2001 of 16 March 2001 L 79 21 17.3.2001
►M2 Commission Regulation (EC) No 46/2003 of 10 January 2003 L 7 61 11.1.2003
►M3 Commission Regulation (EC) No 907/2004 of 29 April 2004 L 163 50 30.4.2004
▼B
COMMISSION REGULATION (EC) No 2561/1999
of 3 December 1999
laying down the marketing standard for peas
THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES,
Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community,
Having regard to Council Regulation (EC) No 2200/96 of 28 October
1996 on the common organisation of the market in fruit and vegeta-bles (
1), as last amended by Regulation (EC) No 1257/1999 (2), and in
particular Article 2(2) thereof,
Whereas:
(1) Peas are listed in Annex I to Regulation (EC) No 2200/96 as
products for which standards are to be adopted. Regulation No58 of the Commission (
3) laying down common quality standards
for certain products listed in Annex IB to Regulation No 23, as
last amended by Regulation (EC) No 888/97 (4), has been the
subject of multiple amendments and no longer ensures legalclarity.
(2) The rules in question should therefore be recast and Annex I.3 toRegulation No 58 deleted. To that end, for reasons of trnspar-ency on the world market, account should be taken of thestandard recommended for peas by the Working Party on stan-
dardisation of perishable produce and quality development of
the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UN/ECE).
(3) The effect of these standards must be to remove products ofunsatisfactory quality from the market, gear production to satis-fying consumer requirements and facilitate trade relations on thebasis of fair competition, thereby helping to make production
more profitable.
(4) The standards are applicable at all stages of marketing. Transport
over a great distance, storage for a certain length of time or thevarious handling opeations to which the products are subjectedmay bring about deterioration due to the biological developmentof the products or their tendency to perish. Account should betaken of such deterioration when applying the standards at the
marketing stages which follow dispatch.
(5) The measures provided for in this Regulation are in accordance
with the opinion of the Management Committee for fresh fruitand vegetables,
HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION:
Article 1
The marketing standards for peas falling within CN code 0708 10 shall
be as set out in the Annex.
The standard shall apply at all stages of marketing under the conditions
laid down in Regulation (EC) No 2200/96.
However, at stages following dispatch, the products may show, in rela-
tion to the provisions of the standards, a slight lack of freshness and
turgitidy, and slight deteriorations due to their development and theirtendency to perish.1999R2561 — EN — 20.05.2004 — 003.001 — 2
(1) OJ L 297, 21.11.1996, p. 1.
(2) OJ L 160, 26.6.1999, p. 80.
(3) OJ 56, 7.7.1962, p. 1606/62.
(4) OJ L 126, 17.5.1997, p. 11.
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Article 2
Annex I.3 to Regulation No 58 is hereby deleted.
Article 3
This Regulation shall enter into on the seventh day following its publi-
cation in the Official Journal of the European Communities .
It shall apply from the first day of the first month following the month
of its entry into force.
This Regulation shall be binding in its entirety and directly applicable
in all Member States.1999R2561 — EN — 20.05.2004 — 003.001 — 3
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ANNEX
STANDARD FOR PEAS
I. DEFINITION OF PRODUCE
This standard applies to peas of varieties (cultivars) grown from Pisum
sativum L. to be supplied fresh to the consumer, peas for industrial proces-
sing being excluded.
According to the type of consumption, peas are classified in two groups:
— shelling peas (round peas, wrinkled peas) intended for consumption
without the pod,
— mangetout peas and sugar snap peas intended for consumption with the
pod.
II. PROVISIONS CONCERNING QUALITY
The purpose of the standard is to define the quality requirements for peas
after preparation and packaging.
A.Minimum requirements
In all classes, subject to the special provisions for each class and the
tolerances allowed:
(i) the pods must be:
— intact; however mangetout and sugar snap peas that have had
their ends removed are allowed,
— sound; produce affected by rotting or deterioration such as to
make it unfit for consumption is excluded,
— clean, practically free of any visible foreign matter (including
parts of the flowers),
— free from hard filaments or films in mangetout peas and sugar
snap peas,
— practically free from pests,— practically free from damage caused by pests,— free of abnormal external moisture,— free of any foreign smell and/or taste,
(ii) the seeds must be:
— fresh,
— sound; produce affected by rotting or deterioration such as to
make it unfit for consumption is excluded,
— practically free from pests,— practically free from damage caused by pests,— free of any foreign smell and/or taste,— normally developed in shelling peas.The development and condition of peas must be such as to enable
them:
— to withstand transport and handling, and
— to arrive in satisfactory condition at the place of destination.
B.Classification
Peas are classified in two classes defined below:
(i) Class I
Peas in this class must be of good quality. They must be character-
istic of the variety and/or the commercial type.
The pods must be:
— fresh and turgid,
— free from damage caused by hail,— free from damage caused by heating.For shelling peas:
— the pods must be:
— with peduncles attached,
— well filled, containing at least five seeds;1999R2561 — EN — 20.05.2004 — 003.001 — 4
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— the seeds must be:
— well formed,
— tender,
— succulent and sufficiently firm, i.e., when squeezed between
two fingers they should become flat without disintegrating,
— at least half the full-grown size but not full grown,— non-farinaceous,
— undamaged, without cracks in the skin of the seeds;
— the following slight defects of the pod, however, may be
allowed, provided these do not affect the general appearance of
the produce, the quality, the keeping quality and presentation in
the package:
— slight skin defects, injuries and bruises,
— slight defects in shape.— slight defects in colouring.
For mangetout peas and sugar snap peas:
— the seeds if present must be small and underdeveloped,
— the following very slight defects of the pod, however, may be
allowed, provided these do not affect the general appearance of
the produce, the quality, the keeping quality and presentation in
the package:
— very slight skin defects, injuries and bruises,
— very slight defects in shape,— very slight defects in colouring.
(ii) Class II
This class includes peas which do not qualify for inclusion in class I
but satisfy the minimum requirements specified above.
For shelling peas:
— the pods must contain at least three seeds,
— they may be riper than those in class I, but over-mature peas are
excluded,
— the following defects may be allowed provided the peas retain
their essential characteristics as regards the quality, the keeping
quality and presentation:
— defects of the pods:
— skin defects, injuries and bruises provided they are not
progressive and there is no risk of the seeds being
affected,
— defects in shape,
— defects in colouring,— some loss of freshness, excluding wilted pods;
— defects of the seeds:
— a slight defect in shape,
— a slight defect in colouring,— be slightly harder,— be slightly damaged.
For mangetout peas and sugar snap peas:
— the seeds if present can be slightly more developed than in class
I,
— the following defects of the pods may be allowed provided the
peas retain their essential characteristics as regards the quality,
the keeping quality and presentation:
— slight skin defects, injuries and bruises,
— slight defects in shape, including those due to the seed
formation,
— slight defects in colouring,— some loss of freshness, excluding wilted and uncoloured
pods.1999R2561 — EN — 20.05.2004 — 003.001 — 5
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III. PROVISIONS CONCERNING SIZING
Sizing is not compulsory for peas.
IV. PROVISIONS CONCERNING TOLERANCES
Tolerances in respect of quality shall be allowed in each package for
produce not satisfying the requirements of the class indicated.
(i) Class I
10 % by weight of peas not satisfying the requirements of the class, but
meeting those of class II or, exceptionally, coming within the tolerances
of that class.
(ii) Class II
10 % by weight of peas satisfying neither the requirements of the class
nor the minimum requirements, with the exception of produce affected
by rotting, progressive diseases or any other deterioration rendering it
unfit for consumption.
V. PROVISIONS CONCERNING PRESENTATION
A.Uniformity
The contents of each package must be uniform and contain only peas of
the same origin, variety or commercial type, and quality.
The visible part of the contents of the package must be representative of
the entire contents.
Notwithstanding the preceding provisions in this point, products covered
by this Regulation may be mixed, in sales packages of a net weight of
less than three kilograms, with different types of fresh fruit and vegeta-
bles on the conditions laid down by Commission Regulation (EC) No
48/2003 (1).
B.Packaging
Peas must be packed in such a way as to protect the produce properly.
The materials used inside the package must be new, clean and of a
quality such as to avoid causing any external or internal damage to the
produce. The use of materials, particularly of paper or stamps bearing
trade specifications is allowed provided the printing or labelling has
been done with non-toxic ink or glue.
Packages must be free of all foreign matter.
Stickers individually affixed on product shall be such as, when removed,
neither to leave visible traces of glue, nor to lead to skin defects.
VI. PROVISIONS CONCERNING MARKING
Each package must bear the following particulars, in letters grouped on the
same side, legibly and indelibly marked, and visible from the outside:
(A) Identification
The name and the address of the packer and/or the dispatcher
This mention may be replaced:
— for all packages with the exception of pre-packages, by the offi-
cially issued or accepted code mark representing the packer and/or
the dispatcher, indicated in close connection with the reference
‘Packer and/or Dispatcher’ (or equivalent abbreviations);
— for pre-packages only, by the name and the address of a seller
established within the Community indicated in close connection
with the mention ‘Packed for:’ or an equivalent mention. In this
case, the labelling shall also include a code representing the packer
and/or the dispatcher. The seller shall give all information deemed
necessary by the inspection body as to the meaning of this code.1999R2561 — EN — 20.05.2004 — 003.001 — 6
(1) OJ L 7, 11.1.2003, p. 65.▼M2
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(B) Nature of produce
— ‘shelling peas’, ‘mangetout peas’, ‘sugar snap peas’, or equivalent
denominations if the contents are not visible from the outside,
— ‘trimmed’, ‘topped and tailed’ or other indications, for mangetout
or sugar snap peas that have their peduncle and/or blossom end
removed, where appropriate.
(C) Origin of produce
— Country of origin and, optionally, district where grown, or national,
regional or local place name.
(D) Commercial specifications
— Class.
(E) Official control mark (optional)
Packages need not to bear the particulars mentioned in the first subpara-
graph, when they contain sales packages, clearly visible from the outside,
and all bearing these particulars. These packages shall be free from any
indications such as could mislead. When these packages are palletised, the
particulars shall be given on a notice placed in an obvious position on at
least two sides of the pallet.1999R2561 — EN — 20.05.2004 — 003.001 — 7
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