Commission Regulation (EC) No 214/2004 of 6 February 2004 laying down the marketing standard for cherries

Commission Regulation (EC) No 214/2004
of 6 February 2004
laying down the marketing standard for cherries
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), and in particular Article 2(2) thereof,
Whereas:
(1) Cherries are among the products listed in Annex I to Regulation (EC) No 2200/96 for which standards must be adopted. In the interest of clarity, Commission Regulation (EEC) No 899/87 of 30 March 1987 laying down quality standards for cherries(2), which has been amended several times, should be repealed and replaced by a new regulation. To that end, and in the interest of preserving transparency on the world market, account should be taken of the UN/ECE standard FFV-13 concerning marketing and quality control of cherries recommended by the Working Party on Standardisation of Perishable Produce and Quality Development of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UN/ECE).
(2) Application of these new standards should remove products of unsatisfactory quality from the market, bring production into line with consumer requirements and facilitate trade based on fair competition, thereby helping to improve profitability.
(3) The standards are applicable at all marketing stages. Long-distance transport, storage over a certain period and the various processes the products undergo may cause some degree of deterioration owing to the biological development of the products or their perishable nature. Account should be taken of such deterioration when applying the standard at the marketing stages following dispatch.
(4) As products in the "Extra" class have to be particularly carefully sorted and packaged, only lack of freshness and turgidity is to be taken into account in their case.
(5) The measures provided for in this Regulation are in accordance with the opinion of the Management Committee for Fresh Fruit and Vegetables,