Meat Firms Against EU Origin Labelling

The mandatory EU regulations change the way nutritional information, ingredients and where the meat comes from is displayed on packaging.

This includes mandatory country of origin labelling, establishing a minimum font size on labels and the plant origin of the oil in the product.

But there are worries that this will become an added and unnecessary burden for companies and customers.

Stephen Rossides, director of the British Meat Processors Association, said of the proposed labelling changes, “It strikes us as contrary to EU principles and can add to the regulatory burdens and cost savings of businesses, which can be passed upwards to consumers. Just because we have country of origin labelling for beef, it doesn’t mean we should have it for all meat.

“Country of origin labelling would be onerous to operate and there would almost certainly be costs attached that would have to be absorbed by the industry. When mandatory labelling is implemented, it leads to other requirements for fresh meat. There is a long way to go on this discussion on what is important and what is not so important,” he added.