Enhancing quality schemes for agricultural products and foodstuffs

EU Regulation 1151/2012 on quality schemes for agricultural products and foodstuffs supports farmers and consumers by strengthening, adapting and developing schemes that identify Europe’s quality products and foodstuffs.

ACT

Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 21 November 2012 on quality schemes for agricultural products and foodstuffs.

SUMMARY

EU Regulation 1151/2012 seeks to enhance Europe’s quality policy for agricultural products by increasing the coherence of various quality schemes. It includes measures to support agricultural and processing activities as well as the farming systems associated with high-quality products, in line with EU rural development policy objectives. However, the Regulation does not apply to spirit drinks, aromatised wines or grapevine products.

The Regulation’s main elements are:

• One Regulation for PDO (Protected Designation of Origin), PGI (Protected Geographical Indication) and TSG (Traditional Speciality Guaranteed).
• One set of rules for PDO, PGI and TSG as regards official controls, procedures, role of producers.
• Strengthening and simplifying the scheme for PDO, PGI and TSG.
• Reinforcement and clarification of the level of protection of registered names and the common EU symbols.
• Shortening and simplifying of the procedure to register names (PDO, PGI and TSG).
• Labels for EU products marketed under a PDO, PGI or TSG registered in line with this Regulation must show the Union symbol and name of the product (provision in force as from4.1.2016) .
• Creation of a new framework to develop optional quality terms, providing consumers with extra information. This includes the new term mountain product.

RELATED ACTS

Proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on official controls and other official activities performed to ensure the application of food and feed law, rules on animal health and welfare, plant health, plant reproductive material, plant protection products and amending Regulations (EC) No 999/2001, 1829/2003, 1831/2003, 1/2005, 396/2005, 834/2007, 1099/2009, 1069/2009, 1107/2009, Regulations (EU) No 1151/2012, [….]/2013, and Directives 98/58/EC, 1999/74/EC, 2007/43/EC, 2008/119/EC, 2008/120/EC and 2009/128/EC(Official controls Regulation) . [COM(2013)265 final of 6.5.2013 - not published in the Official Journal].

Last updated: 05.02.2014