{"id":24880,"date":"2017-01-09T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2017-01-08T11:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.farmersweekly.co.nz\/french-move-labelled-a-non-tariff-barrier\/"},"modified":"2017-01-09T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2017-01-08T11:00:00","slug":"french-move-labelled-a-non-tariff-barrier","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.farmersweekly.co.nz\/news\/french-move-labelled-a-non-tariff-barrier\/","title":{"rendered":"French move labelled a non-tariff barrier"},"content":{"rendered":"Reading Time: <\/span> 2<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/span>

The trial started on January 1 and meant foodstuffs containing more than 8% meat must indicate the countries of birth, rearing and slaughter.<\/p>\n

For milk and food with dairy ingredients, the requirement was for the label to state the country where the milking was done and where the milk was transformed.<\/p>\n

That information had to appear in the list of ingredients, either immediately after the name of the relevant ingredient or at the bottom of the list.<\/p>\n

Italy, Lithuania and Portugal have adopted similar country of origin requirements for dairy products.<\/p>\n

Beef + Lamb NZ chairman James Parsons said his organisation supported country of origin labelling so long as it was not mandatory.<\/p>\n

NZ lamb sold in France was labelled accordingly and the trial would have little impact but Parsons said country of origin labelling could evolve in to a non-tariff barrier if adopted widely.<\/p>\n

Meeting the labelling requirements could disrupt processing, there were direct and auditing costs and it compromised market drivers.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur fear is this can put a cost on the supply chain without adding value,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Dairy Companies Association executive director Kimberly Crewther described it as a move in the wrong direction for trade.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey are a non-tariff barrier which has a chilling effect on trade by imposing additional costs and creating perceptions regarding quality or safety, that are not evidenced based.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mandatory labelling should be reserved for issues of food safety and consumer interests in food\u2019s country of origin can be addressed through voluntary labelling, she said.<\/p>\n

Crewther said country of origin schemes had previously been challenged through the World Trade Organisation.<\/p>\n

When the trial ends in two years, the French Ministry of Agriculture would provide a report on the trial to the European Commission but there was no suggestion it could be rolled out among the 28 member nations.<\/p>\n

The initiative would have market repercussions, according to a statement from the European lobby group FoodDrinkEurope.<\/p>\n

Last year it said it \u201cdeeply regrets\u201d the decision to impose a mandatory measure that had negative supply-chain consequences, created difficulties with labelling and would mean higher costs for producers and consumers.<\/p>\n

\u201cMoreover, of crucial importance in today\u2019s context for Europe, this protectionist measure also sets an irreversible precedent for the fragmentation of the EU single market for foods and drinks.\u201d<\/p>\n

The group said by allowing France to embark on the trial, the European Commission accepted there was a difference in quality between French produce and that produced elsewhere in the European Union.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A two-year country of origin labelling trial in France for dairy and meat in processed foods was not expected to greatly affect New Zealand but was another case of market protection.\n","protected":false},"author":25,"featured_media":11002,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_FSMCFIC_featured_image_caption":"","_FSMCFIC_featured_image_nocaption":"","_FSMCFIC_featured_image_hide":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t