Evaluation of EU beef labelling rules : final report

The evaluation of the EU beef labelling rules (Title II of Regulation (EC) No 1760/2000 of the European Parliament and of the Council) shows that the compulsory labelling rules, among other measures, had a positive influence on the restoration of consumer confidence following the BSE crises. However they were not sufficient to alleviate the structural decline in demand for beef which started in 2008. A renationalisation of the markets has occurred in the retail sector coupled with an internationalisation of the markets in the catering sector. This has led to an increase in the consumption of imported beef in most of the Member States. According to a theoretical approach, the cost of compulsory labelling represents around 6% of the beef processing costs. The main issue at this stage is batch management, which is very timeconsuming. Consumer demand for beef of national origin was met through the retail channel. Compulsory labelling fulfils the expectations of consumers. Yet, consumers do not know or understand batch and plant reference numbers displayed on labels. The market share represented by products sold under voluntary labelling is significant. Voluntary labelling can also sometimes be confusing. The design of control systems complies with EU legislation. Audits conducted by the Commission have highlighted shortcomings in the implementation of traceability and labelling. It is impossible to make any firm judgement on the adequacy of the exchange of information between the Commission and the Member States. The estimates of control costs suggest that they are limited. Nevertheless, as the functioning of control systems is not fully effective, its efficiency could be improved. Beef labelling rules are coherent with all related European food labelling rules. Three recommendations are proposed: simplify beef labelling by replacing all the compulsory reference codes by a single 'traceability number', assess the effect of Regulation (EU) No. 653/2014, and enhance control procedures.