2000R0851 — EN — 20.05.2004 — 002.001 — 1
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►B COMMISSIONREGULATION(EC)No851/2000
of27April2000
layingdownthemarketingstandardforapricots
(OJ L 103, 28.4.2000, p. 22)
Amended by:
Official Journal
No page date
►M1Commission Regulation (EC) No 46/2003 of 10 January 2003 L 7 61 11.1.2003
►M2Commission Regulation (EC) No 907/2004 of 29 April 2004 L 163 50 30.4.2004
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COMMISSIONREGULATION(EC)No851/2000
of27April2000
layingdownthemarketingstandardforapricots
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) and Article 3(3) thereof,
Whereas:
(1)Apricots are among the products listed in Annex I to Regulation
(EC) No 2200/96 for which standards must be adopted. Commis-sion Regulation (EEC) No 1108/91 laying down qualitystandards for apricots (
3), as last amended by Regulation (EC)
No 888/97 (4), has been amended frequently and can no longer
ensure legal clarity.
(2)Regulation (EEC) No 1108/91 should be repealed and the rulesit contains redefined. To that end and in the interests of preser-ving transparency on the world market, account should be takenof the standard for apricots recommended by the Working Party
on Standardisation of Perishable Produce and Quality Develop-
ment of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe(UN/ECE).
(3)Applying these standards should result in products of unsatisfac-tory quality being removed from the market, bringing productioninto line withconsumer requirements and facilitating trade rela-tionships based on fair competition, thereby helping improve the
profitability of production.
(4)The standards apply to all marketing stages. Long-distance trans-
port, storage over a certain period and the various processeswhich the products undergo may cause certain alterations owingto the biological development of the products or to their rela-tively persishable nature. Account should be taken of suchdeterioration when applying the standards at the marketing
stages which follow dispatch. Since products in the ‘Extra’ class
must be sorted and packaged withparticular care, only lack offreshness and turgidity is to be taken into account in their case.
(5)Article 3(3) of Regulation (EC) No 2200/96 allows for anexemption from the quality standards where the fruit or vegeta-bles of a given region are sold by the retail trade of the region
for well-established traditional consumption. Certain varieties of
apricots, produced in Germany in the Süßer See region, are char-acterised by a smaller size than that required by the marketingstandards. Those apricots are traditionally marketed in theproduction region and are the subject of Regulation (EC) No1010/98 of 14 May 1998 allowing Germany an exemption from
the quality standards for apricots (
5). For clarification and simpli-
fication of the Community rules, this exemption shall beincluded in the present Regulation, and Regulation (EC) No1010/98 shall be repealed.
(6)The measures provided for in this Regulation are in accordancewith the opinion of the Management Committee for Fresh Fruitand Vegetables,2000R0851 — EN — 20.05.2004 — 002.001 — 2
(1) OJ L 297, 21.11.1996, p. 1.
(2) OJ L 160, 26.6.1999, p. 80.
(3) OJ L 110, 1.5.1991, p. 67.
(4) OJ L 126, 17.5.1997, p. 11.
(5) OJ L 145, 15.5.1998, p. 10.
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HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION:
Article 1
The marketing standard relating to apricots falling within CN code
0809 10 00 shall be as indicated in the Annex hereto.
This standard shall apply at all marketing stages, 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 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
1. As an exemption from the Annex to the present Regulation, the
minimum size of apricots produced in the Süßer See region may be5 mm smaller than the minimum size given by the marketing standard.However, suchapricots may only be marketed in Saxony-Anh alt and
Saxony.
2. For the purposes of applying paragraph 1 of the present Article,
each consignment must carry, in addition to the other required informa-tion, the following indication on the document or notice as referred toin Article 5(2) of Regulation (EC) No 2200/96: ‘Nur in Sachsen-Anhaltund Sachsen im Einzelhandel zu verkaufen’.
Article 3
Regulations (EEC) No 1108/91 and (EC) No 1010/98 are repealed.
Article 4
This Regulation shall enter into force on the seventh day following that
of its publication in the Official Journal of the European Communities .
It shall apply from the first day of the month following its entry into
force.
This Regulation shall be binding in its entirety and directly applicable
in all Member States.2000R0851 — EN — 20.05.2004 — 002.001 — 3
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ANNEX
STANDARDFORAPRICOTS
I. DEFINITION OF PRODUCE
This standard applies to apricots of varieties (cultivars) grown from Prunus
armeniaca L. to be supplied freshto th e consumer, apricots for industrial
processing being excluded.
II. PROVISIONS CONCERNING QUALITY
The purpose of the standard is to define the quality requirements of apricots
after preparation and packaging.
A.Minimumrequirements
In all classes, subject to the special provisions for each class and the tolerances
allowed, apricots must be:
— intact,
— sound; produce affected by rotting or deterioration suchas to make it unfit
for consumption is excluded,
— clean, pratically 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 apricots must have been carefully picked.
They must be sufficiently developed and display satisfactory ripeness.
The development and condition of the apricots 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
Apricots are classified in three classes defined below:
(i) ‘Extra’ class
Apricots in this class must be of superior quality. In shape, development
and colouring they must be characteristic of the variety, allowing for the
district in which the fruit is grown.
They must be free from defects with the exception of very slight superficial
defects, provided these do not affect the general appearance of the produce,
the quality, the keeping quality and presentation in the package.
(ii) Class I
Apricots in this class must be of good quality. They must be characteristic
of the variety, allowing for the district in which the fruit is grown. The
fleshmust be perfectly sound.
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 or development,
— a slight defect in colouring,— slight rubbing,— slight burning,— slight skin defects with a limit of 1 cm in length for defects of elon-
gated shape, and 0,5 cm
2of total surface area for other defects.
(iii) Class II
This class includes apricots which do not qualify for inclusion in the higher
classes but satisfy the minimum requirements specified above.2000R0851 — EN — 20.05.2004 — 002.001 — 4
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Skin defects may be allowed provided that the fruit retain their essential
characteristics as regards the quality, the keeping quality and presentation,
subject to the following limits:
— 2 cm in lengthfor defects of elongated sh ape,
—1c m2of total surface area for all other defects.
III. PROVISIONS CONCERNING SIZING
Size is determined by maximum diameter of the equatorial section. Sizing is
compulsory for classes ‘Extra’ and I.
ClassMinimum diameter
(mm)Maximum permis-
sible difference for
fruit in the same
package
(mm)
Extra 35 5
I and II (sized) 30 10II (not sized) 30 —
IV. PROVISIONS CONCERNING TOLERANCES
Tolerances in respect of quality and size shall be allowed in each package for
produce not satisfying the requirements of the class indicated.
A.Qualitytolerances
(i) ‘Extra’ Class
5 % by number or weight of apricots not satisfying the requirements of the
class, but meeting those of Class I or, exceptionally, coming within the
tolerances of that class.
(ii) Class I
10 % by number or weight of apricots not satisfying the requirements of
the class, but meeting those of Class II or, exceptionally, coming within
the tolerances of that class.
(iii) Class II
10 % by number of weight of apricots satisfying neither the requirements
of the class nor the minimum requirements, with the exception of produce
affected by rotting, marked bruising or any other deterioration rendering it
unfit for consumption.
B.Sizetolerances
For all classes: 10 % by number or weight of apricots deviating from the
minimum size or the size stated on the package, the deviation not exceeding
3 mm above or below.
V. PROVISIONS CONCERNING PRESENTATION
A.Uniformity
The contents of each package must be uniform and contain only apricots of the
same origin, variety, quality, and size (if sized) and, for ‘Extra’ class, uniform in
colour.
The visible part of the contents of the package must be representative of the
entire contents.2000R0851 — EN — 20.05.2004 — 002.001 — 5
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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, withdifferent types of freshfruit and vegetables on th e conditions
laid down by Commission Regulation (EC) No 48/2003 (1).
B.Packaging
The apricots 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.
C.Presentation
The apricots may be presented:
— in small packages,
— arranged in one or more layers separated from eachoth er,
— 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
The name and the address of the packer and/or the dispatcherThis mention may be replaced:
— for all packages with the exception of pre-packages, by the officially issued
or accepted code mark representing the packer and/or the dispatcher, indi-
cated 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.
B.Natureofproduce
— ‘Apricots’, if the contents are not visible from the outside,
— Name of the variety for classes ‘Extra’ and I.
C.Originofproduce
— Country of origin and, optionally, district where grown, or national, regional
or local place name.
D.Commercialspecifications
— Class,
— Size (if sized), expressed in minimum and maximum diameter.2000R0851 — EN — 20.05.2004 — 002.001 — 6
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E.Official controlmark (optional)
Packages need not to bear the particulars mentioned in the first subparagraph,
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.2000R0851 — EN — 20.05.2004 — 002.001 — 7
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