WRITTEN QUESTION E-2421/99 by Sebastiano Musumeci (UEN) to the Commission. New directive on honey that penalises beekeepers.
Date: 1999-12-16
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: EU market, apiculture, directive (EU), honey, international trade, labelling, product quality

8.8.2000

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 225 E/131

(2000/C 225 E/141)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2421/99

by Sebastiano Musumeci (UEN) to the Commission

(16 December 1999)

Subject: New directive on honey that penalises beekeepers

The Commission is preparing to adopt a new directive on honey to replace Regulation No 74/409 (1). As
drafted, this directive would seriously penalise those working in the sector.

Does the Commission not consider it should postpone adoption of the provision so that it can examine
more thoroughly the justifiable demands made by Italian and European beekeepers, which focus in
particular on:

1.

2.

reconsidering the production of honey as an agricultural activity and not yielding to the lobbying of
the preserved food industry, which as always is concerned with reducing the product(cid:146)s quality
specifications and making the compulsory wording on the label obscure;

recognising individual countries(cid:146) rights to safeguard the definition of honey as a product obtained
exclusively from flower nectar and to prevent honey and mixtures from outside the Community
coming onto the European market, as often happens with the complicity of Member States?

(1) OJ L 221, 12.8.1974, p. 10.

Answer given by Mr Liikanen on behalf of the Commission

(25 January 2000)

In 1996 the Commission presented a proposal for a Directive (1) designed to simplify and replace Council
Directive 74/409/EEC of 22 July 1974 on honey (2). When drafting the proposal and in the discussions
that followed, the Commission took account (cid:129) in accordance with the conclusions of the Edinburgh
European Council (cid:129) of the Community interests of all parties concerned.

1.
The proposal for a Directive on honey defines honey and lays down certain compositional criteria
which all Community and non-Community honey must meet in order to be marketed under the name of
honey.

2.
It would therefore be against the rules governing Community and international trade to oppose the
import of honey from outside the Community when the product complies with the rules laid down in the
Directive on honey. However, after Parliament delivered its opinion in May 1999, the Commission decided
to amend its proposal to make it compulsory to indicate the country of origin of non-Community honey
on the label. At the Council meetings, some Member States raised the question of the labelling of mixtures
of Community and non-Community honey. However, this question has not yet been resolved.

(1) OJ C 378, 13.12.1996.
(2) OJ L 221, 12.8.1974.

(2000/C 225 E/142)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2428/99

by Piia-Noora Kauppi (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(16 December 1999)

Subject: Exemption of horses used in competitions and sport from rules on veterinary medicine

Horses are classified in the European Union as meat production animals which are not permitted to be
dosed with certain medicines in the interest of meat quality. The recent food scandals have put the
authorities on their guard, and the regulations on medication have to be complied with even if the
animal(cid:146)s meat is not in practice intended for human consumption.