Regulation 2012/1151 - Quality schemes for agricultural products and foodstuffs - Main contents

SUMMARY OF:

Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012 on quality schemes for agricultural products and foodstuffs

WHAT IS THE AIM OF THE REGULATION?

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

KEY POINTS

The regulation’s main features are:

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  it groups in a single regulation rules for registering products as Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) , Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) and Traditional Speciality Guaranteed (TSG);
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  it lays down a single set of rules for PDO, PGI and TSG as regards procedures and the role of producers;
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  it strengthens and simplifies the PDO, PGI and TSG schemes;
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  it reinforces and clarifies the level of protection of registered names and the common EU symbols;
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  it shortens and simplifies the procedure to register names (PDO, PGI and TSG);
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  it requires EU products registered and marketed as PDO, PGI or TSG in line with this regulation to have labels showing the European Union symbol and the name of the product (since 4 January 2016);
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  it introduces a new framework to develop optional quality terms, providing consumers with extra information. This includes the new term mountain product.

Amending legislation

In 2017, Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012 was amended by Regulation (EU) 2017/625 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 and plant protection products (see summary).

The amended text requires that verification of compliance with product specifications before placing products on the market be carried out by:

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  the competent authorities designated in accordance with amending Regulation (EU) 2017/625 (Article 4); or
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  delegated bodies (as defined in Article 3(5) of amending Regulation (EU) 2017/625).

Delegated bodies performing controls in non-EU countries must be accredited to the relevant harmonised standard for ‘conformity assessment – requirements for bodies certifying products, processes and services’. These bodies may be accredited either by a national accreditation body outside the EU, in accordance with Regulation (EC) No 765/2008 (see summary), or by an accreditation body outside the EU that is a signatory of a multilateral recognition arrangement under the auspices of the International Accreditation Forum.

FROM WHEN DOES THE REGULATION APPLY?

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  Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012 has applied since 3 January 2013, although Article 12(3) and Article 23(3) have applied since 4 January 2016, without prejudice to products already placed on the market before that date.
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  Amending Regulation (EU) 2017/625 has applied since 14 December 2019.

BACKGROUND

For more information, see:

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  Aims of EU quality schemes (European Commission).

MAIN DOCUMENT

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 (OJ L 343, 14.12.2012, pp. 1–29).

Successive amendments to Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012 have been incorporated into the original text. This consolidated version is of documentary value only.

last update 14.10.2021

This summary has been adopted from EUR-Lex.