Commission Regulation (EC) No 1543/2001 of 27 July 2001 laying down the marketing standard for lettuces and curled-leaved and broad-leaved (Batavian) endives

Commission Regulation (EC) No 1543/2001
of 27 July 2001
laying down the marketing standard for lettuces and curled-leaved and broad-leaved (Batavian) endives
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], as last amended by Commission Regulation (EC) No 911/2001 [2], and in particular Article 2(2) thereof,
Whereas:
(1) Lettuce and curly and escarole chicory are among the products listed in Annex I to Regulation (EC) No 2200/96 for which standards must be adopted. Commission Regulation (EEC) No 79/88 of 13 January 1988 laying down quality standards for lettuces, curled-leaved endives, and broad-leaved (Batavian) endives [3], as last amended by Regulation (EC) No 1455/1999 [4], has been amended frequently and can no longer ensure legal clarity.
(2) Regulation (EC) No 79/88 should be repealed and the rules it contains recast. To that end and in the interest of preserving transparency on the world market, account should be taken of the standards for lettuces and curled-leaved and broad-leaved (Batavian) endives recommended by the Working Party on Standardisation of Perishable Produce and Quality Development of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UN/ECE).
(3) Application of this standard 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.
(4) The standard applies at all marketing stages. Long-distance transport, storage over a certain period and the various processes the products undergo may cause certain deterioration owing to the biological development of the products or their relatively perishable nature. Account should be taken of such deterioration when applying the standard at the marketing stages following dispatch.
(5) The measures provided for in this Regulation are in accordance with the opinion of the Management Committee for Fresh Fruit and Vegetables,