1999R1168 — EN — 01.05.2004 — 003.001 — 1
This document is meant purely as a documentation tool and the institutions do not assume any liability for its contents
►B COMMISSION REGULATION (EC) No 1168/1999
of 3 June 1999
laying down marketing standards for plums
(OJ L 141, 4.6.1999, p. 5)
Amended by:
Official Journal
No page date
►M1 Commission Regulation (EC) No 848/2000 of 27 April 2000 L 103 9 28.4.2000
►M2 Commission Regulation (EC) No 46/2003 of 10 January 2003 L 7 61 11.1.2003
►M3 Commission Regulation (EC) No 537/2004 of 23 March 2004 L 86 9 24.3.2004
▼B
COMMISSION REGULATION (EC) No 1168/1999
of 3 June 1999
laying down marketing standards for plums
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 Commission Regulation (EC) No 857/
1999 (2), and in particular Article 2(2) thereof,
(1) Whereas plums are among the products listed in Annex I toRegulation (EC) No 2200/96 for which standards must be
adopted; whereas Commission Regulation (EEC) No 1591/87 of
5 June 1987 laying down marketing standards for cabbages,Brussels sprouts, ribbed celery, spinach and plums (
3), as last
amended by Regulation (EC) No 888/97 (4), has been amended
frequently and can no longer ensure legal clarity;
(2) Whereas, in the interests of clarity, the rules on plums should beseparated from those on other products under Regulation (EEC)
No 1591/87; whereas the rules in question should therefore be
recast and Annex V to Regulation (EEC) No 1591/87 on plumsdeleted; whereas, to that end and in the interests of preservingtransparency on the world market, account should be taken ofthe standard for plums recommended by the Working Party onStandardisation of Perishable Produce and Quality Development
of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UN/
ECE);
(3) Whereas the result of applying these standards should be toremove products of unsatisfactory quality from the market, tobring production into line with consumer requirements, to facil-itate trade relationships based on fair competition, and thereby tohelp make production more profitable;
(4) Whereas the standards are applicable at all stages of marketing;whereas carriage over a great distance, storage for a certain
length of time and the various handling operations which the
products undergo may bring about deterioration due to the biolo-gical development of the products or their perishability; whereasaccount should be taken of such deterioration when the standardsare applied at marketing stages following dispatch; whereas, as
products in the ‘Extra’ class have to be particularly carefully
sorted and packaged, only lack of freshness and turgidity is tobe taken into account in their case;
(5) Whereas the measures provided for in this Regulation are inaccordance with the opinion of the Management Committee forFresh Fruit and Vegetables,
HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION:
Article 1
The marketing standard for plums falling within CN code 0809 40 05
shall be as set out in the Annex.
This standard shall apply at all marketing stages, under the conditions
laid down in Regulation (EC) No 2200/96.1999R1168 — EN — 01.05.2004 — 003.001 — 2
(1) OJ L 297, 21.11.1996, p. 1.
(2) OJ L 108, 27.4.1999, p. 7.
(3) OJ L 146, 6.6.1987, p. 36.
(4) OJ L 126, 17.5.1997, p. 11.
▼B
However, at stages following dispatch, the products may show in rela-
tion to the provisions of the standard:
— a slight lack of freshness and turgidity,
— for products graded in classes other than the ‘Extra’ class, slight
deteriorations due to their development and their tendency to perish.
Article 2
Regulation (EEC) No 1591/87 is amended as follows:1. In the title, the words ‘ribbed celery, spinach and plums’ are
replaced by ‘ribbed celery and spinach’.
2. The fifth indent in the first subparagraph of Article 1 is deleted.
3. Annex V is deleted.
Article 3
This Regulation shall enter into force on the third day following its
publication in the Official Journal of the European Communities.
It shall apply from 1 July 1999.
This Regulation shall be binding in its entirety and directly applicable
in all Member States.1999R1168 — EN — 01.05.2004 — 003.001 — 3
▼B
ANNEX
STANDARD FOR PLUMS
I. DEFINITION OF PRODUCE
This standard applies to plums of varieties (cultivars) grown from:
— Prunus domestica L. ssp. domestica ,
— Prunus domestica L. ssp. insititia (L.) Schneid.,
— Prunus domestica L. ssp. italica (Borkh.) Gams,
— Prunus domestica L. ssp. syriaca (Borkh.) Janchen, and
— Prunus salicina Lindl.
to be supplied fresh to the consumer, plums for industrial processing being
excluded.
II. PROVISIONS CONCERNING QUALITY
The purpose of the standard is to define the quality requirements for plums
after preparation and packaging.
A.Minimum requirements
In all classes, subject to the special provisions for each class and the
tolerances allowed, the plums must be:
— intact,
— 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,— practically free from pests,— practically free from damage caused by pests,
— free of abnormal external moisture,
— free of any foreign smell and/or taste.
The plums must have been carefully picked. They must be sufficiently
developed and display satisfactory ripeness.
The development and condition of the plums must be such as to enable
them to:
— withstand transport and handling, and
— arrive in satisfactory condition at the place of destination.
B.Classification
Plums are classified into the three classes defined below:
(i) ‘Extra’ class
Plums in this class must be of superior quality. In shape, develop-
ment and colouring they must be characteristic of the variety. They
must be:
— practically covered by their bloom, according to variety,
— of firm flesh.They must be free from defects, with the exception of very slight
superficial defects, provided these do not affect the general appear-
ance of the produce, the quality, the keeping quality and
presentation in the package.
(ii) Class I
Plums in this class must be of good quality. They must be charac-
teristic of the variety.
The following slight defects, 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:
— a slight defect in shape,
— a slight defect in development,— slight defects in colouring,1999R1168 — EN — 01.05.2004 — 003.001 — 4
▼B
— skin defects of elongated shape must not exceed in length one
third of the maximum diameter of the fruit. In particular, healed
cracks may be allowed for ‘Golden gage’ varieties (1),
— other skin defects of which the total area affected must not
exceed one sixteenth of the whole surface.
(iii) Class II
This class includes plums which do not qualify for inclusion in the
higher classes, but satisfy the minimum requirements specified
above.
The following defects may be allowed, provided the plums retain
their essential characteristics as regards the quality, the keeping
quality and presentation:
— defects in shape,
— defects in development,
— defects in colouring,— skin defects of which the total area affected must not exceed
one quarter of the whole surface.
III. PROVISIONS CONCERNING SIZING
Size is determined by the maximum diameter of the equatorial section.Minimum sizes are fixed as follows:
‘Extra’
and I
II
Large-fruited varieties (1) 3 5m m 3 0m m
Other varieties 28 mm 25 mm
Mirabelles and Damsons 20 mm 17 mm
(1) See list annexed to this standard.
For the ‘Extra’ class, the maximum difference in diameter between fruit in
any one package is fixed at 10 mm.
IV. PROVISIONS CONCERNING TOLERANCES
Tolerances in respect of quality and size shall be allowed in each package
for produce not satisfying the requirements for the class indicated.
A.Quality tolerances
(i) ‘Extra’ class:
5 % by number or weight of plums not satisfying the requirements
of the class but meeting those of Class I or, excetionally, coming
within the tolerances for that class.
(ii) Class I
10 % by number or weight of plums not satisfying the requirements
of the class but meeting those of Class II or, exceptionally, coming
within the tolerances for that class. Within this tolerance, not more
than 2 % in total may consist of split and/or worm-eaten fruit.
(iii) Class II
10 % by number or weight of plums satisfying neither the require-
ments of the class nor the minimum requirements, with the
exception of produce affected by rotting, market bruising or any
other deterioration rendering it unfit for consumption. Within this
tolerance, not more than 4 % in total may consist of split and/or
worm-eaten fruit.
B.Size tolerances
For all classes, 10 % by number or weight of plums deviating from the
minimum size or the size stated on the package, the deviation not
exceeding 3 mm above or below.1999R1168 — EN — 01.05.2004 — 003.001 — 5
(1) Definition: gages (green apricots, dauphines, greengages) having a green skin with a
yellowish sheen.
▼B
V. PROVISIONS CONCERNING PRESENTATION
A.Uniformity
The contents of each package must be uniform and contain only plums
of the same origin, variety, quality and size (i) sized), and for the
‘Extra’ class, the contents must also be uniform in colour.
The visible part of the contents of each 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
Plums 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 that the printing or labelling
has been done with non-toxic ink or glue.
Packages must be free from all foreign matter.
C.Presentation
The plums may be presented:
— in small packages,
— arranged in one or more layers separated from each other,
— in bulk in the package, except for the ‘Extra’ class.
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, in the case where a code mark is used,
the reference ‘packer and/or dispatcher (or equivalent abbreviations)’
has to be indicated in close connection with the code mark.
B. Nature of produce
— ‘Plums’, if the contents are not visible from the outside
— name of the variety.
C. Origin of produce
Country of origin and, optionally, district where grown or national,
regional or local place name.
D. Commercial specifications
— class,
— size (if sized) expressed in minimum and maximum diameter.
E. Official control mark (optional)1999R1168 — EN — 01.05.2004 — 003.001 — 6
(1) OJ L 7, 11.1.2003, p. 65.▼M2
▼B
▼M3
Appendix
Non-exhaustive list of large-fruited varieties of Prunus domestica
Variety
Cultivar and/or commercial nameSynonyms
Aleksona
ArielAppleAveBelle de Louvain Bella di LovanioBernardinaBluefre Blue FréCacanska lepotica Belle de Cacak, Cacaks Beauty,
Cacaks Schöne
Cacanska najbolja Meilleure de Cacak, Cacaks BesteCacanska rana Précoce de Cacak, Cacaks FrüheCalifornia Blue California BluCarpatinCentenarCoe’s Golden DropDe Fraile FrailaDenniston SuperbEdimburgh
Edwards Colbus
Emma LeppermannEmpressErfdeelGiant Burbanks Giant PruneGrand Prix Grand PrizeHallHarris Monarch HarrisHeronImpérial EpineuseJanand
Jefferson Jefferson’s Gage
Jori’s PlumJubileumJuliusJune BloodKometaLiisuMagna GlaucaManns Number OneMarjorie’s SeedlingMerton Gage Merton, Mereton
Merton Gem
MonarchMonsieur hâtif Early OrleansNueva ExtremaduraOneida1999R1168 — EN — 01.05.2004 — 003.001 — 7
▼M3
Variety
Cultivar and/or commercial nameSynonyms
Ontario Ontariopflaume
Pitestean
Pond’s Seedling
President
Prince EngelbertPrince of Wales Prince de Galles
Prof. Collumbien
Prune Martin
Queen’s Crown Cox’s Emperor
Quetsche Blanche de Létricourt Quetsche Dr. Létricourt
Rausve
Regina Claudia Mostruosa
Regina d’Italia
Reine-Claude d’Althan Falso
Reine-Claude d’Oullins Oullin’s Gage
Seneca
Skalve
Staro vengrine
Sugar Prune
Sultan
Swan Gage
Tartu Punane
Tragedy
Utility Laxton’s Utility
Valor
VictoriaVision
Washington
Zimmers Frühzwetsche1999R1168 — EN — 01.05.2004 — 003.001 — 8