Suggestions from the European Commission that the European Union’s (EU) beef origin labelling scheme should be amended to allow made-in-the-EU declarations have been rejected by the EU Council of Ministers (agriculture).

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A majority of delegations opposed the idea, preferring to maintain national origin marks; proposals to allow the supply of meat from more than one Member State to minced meat production plants were also successfully opposed.


However, the Council supported harmonising voluntary labelling specifications and simplifying EU rules on beef batches. Ministers also said beef origin labelling rules should not yet be extended EU-wide to restaurants, but that member states could impose such rules nationally.

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