This document is meant purely as documentation tool and the institutions do not assume any liability for its contents
"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 17.3.20011999R2561 — EN — 01.06.2001 — 001.001 — 1
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 vegetables (
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 No 58 of theCommission (
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 legal clarity.
(2) The rules in question should therefore be recast and Annex I.3 to
Regulation No 58 deleted. To that end, for reasons of trnsparency on
the world market, account should be taken of the standardrecommended for peas by the Working Party on standardisation ofperishable 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 of
unsatisfactory quality from the market, gear production to satisfyingconsumer requirements and facilitate trade relations on the basis 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 the varioushandling opeations to which the products are subjected may bring
about deterioration due to the biological development of the products
or their tendency to perish. Account should be taken of suchdeterioration when applying the standards at the marketing stageswhich follow dispatch.
(5) The measures provided for in this Regulation are in accordance with
the opinion of the Management Committee for fresh fruit and
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 relation to
the provisions of the standards, a slight lack of freshness and turgitidy, and
slight deteriorations due to their development and their tendency to perish.
Article 2
Annex I.3 to Regulation No 58 is hereby deleted.!B
(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. 11.1999R2561 — EN — 01.06.2001 — 001.001 — 2
Article 3
This Regulation shall enter into on the seventh day following its publication in
theOfficial 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.!B1999R2561 — EN — 01.06.2001 — 001.001 — 3
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 processing beingexcluded.
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 characteristic
of the variety and/or the commercial type.!
M11999R2561 — EN — 01.06.2001 — 001.001 — 4
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;
— the seeds must be:
— well formed,
— tender,
— succulent and sufficiently firm, i.e., when squeezed
between two fingers they should become flat withoutdisintegrating,
— 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 thepackage:
— 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 ofthe produce, the quality, the keeping quality and presentation inthe 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 beingaffected,
— 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,!
M11999R2561 — EN — 01.06.2001 — 001.001 — 5
— 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.
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 ofthat 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 byrotting, 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.
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.
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
Packer and/or dispatcher: name and address or officially issued or
accepted code mark. However, where a code mark is used, the reference‘packer and/or dispatcher (or equivalent abbreviations)’ has to be indicatedin close proximity to the code mark.!
M11999R2561 — EN — 01.06.2001 — 001.001 — 6
(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)!M11999R2561 — EN — 01.06.2001 — 001.001 — 7