Council Regulation (EC) No 2772/1999 of 21 December 1999 providing for the general rules for a compulsory beef labelling system
Date: 1999-12-21
Institutions: Council of the European Union
Subjects: beef, cattle, database, health control, labelling, meat product

28. 12. 1999

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

L 334/1

I

(Acts whose publication is obligatory)

COUNCIL REGULATION (EC) No 2772/1999

of 21 December 1999

providing for the general rules for a compulsory beef labelling system

THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,

Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European
Community,

Having regard to Council Regulation (EC) No 820/97 of 21
April 1997, establishing a system for the identification and
registration of bovine animals and regarding the labelling of
beef and veal products (1), and in particular Article 19 thereof,

Having regard to the proposal from the Commission,

Whereas:

(5)

(6)

(7)

Such compulsory indications should not lead to any
disruption of trade between Member States;

It is also necessary to allow operators to continue to give
voluntary indications on beef labels, as a complement to
the compulsory indications;

is important

It
to maintain the current provisions
relating to voluntary labelling; given the urgency of the
matter it is imperative to grant an exception to the
six-week period referred to in Part I, point 3 of the
Protocol on the role of national parliaments in the Euro-
pean Union, annexed to the Treaty of Amsterdam,

(1)

(2)

(3)

(4)

Article 19 of Regulation (EC) No 820/97 lays down that
a compulsory beef labelling system is to be introduced,
which is to be obligatory in all Member States, from 1
January 2000 onwards; on the basis of a Commission
proposal, the same Article also states that the general
rules for that compulsory system are to be decided
before that date;

labelling
These general rules for a compulsory beef
system should be applicable only on a provisional basis
for a maximum period of eight months to enable the
European Parliament and the Council
to come to a
decision on the proposal for a Regulation, establishing a
system for the identification and registration of bovine
animals and regarding the labelling of beef and beef
products, and repealing Regulation (EC) No 820/97,
presented by the Commission on 13 October 1999;

HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION:

Article 1

1.
Operators and organisations marketing beef within the
meaning of Article 13 of Regulation (EC) No 820/97 shall label
it in accordance with the rules referred to in the first, third and
fourth indents of the second subparagraph of Article 12(1) of
Regulation (EC) No 820/97.

However, Member States may continue to have recourse to the
possibility provided for in Article 19(4) of Regulation (EC) No
820/97 after 1 January 2000. In this case, the provisions of
Article 19(5) of Regulation (EC) No 820/97 shall continue to
apply.

It is therefore appropriate to establish simple general
rules for a compulsory beef labelling system, which all
Member States can currently fulfil; the rules should refer
to the provisions laid down in Article 12(1) of Regula-
tion (EC) No 820/97;

2.
The rules relating to the voluntary system, which applied
until 31 December 1999 in accordance with the provisions of
Article 19 of Council Regulation (EC) No 820/97, will continue
to be applicable to any voluntary indication, additional to the
obligatory labelling system referred to in paragraph 1.

Member States should also continue to have recourse to
the possibility of
imposing a compulsory labelling
system for beef from animals born, fattened and slaugh-
tered on their own territory, in accordance with Article
19(4) of Regulation (EC) No 820/97, on a provisional
basis for a maximum perod of eight months;

(1) OJ L 117, 7.5.1997, p. 1.

Article 2

This Regulation shall enter into force on the day following its
publication in the Official Journal of the European Communities.

This Regulation shall apply from 1 January 2000 until 31
August 2000.

L 334/2

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

28. 12. 1999

This Regulation shall be binding in its entirety and directly applicable in all Member States.

Done at Brussels, 21 December 1999.

For the Council

The President

T. HALONEN