TITLE IIU.K.Labelling of beef and beef products

Article 11U.K.

An operator or an organisation, as defined in Article 12, which:

  • is required, by virtue of Section I of this title, to label beef at all stages of marketing,

  • wishes, by virtue of Section II of this title, to label beef at the point of sale in such a way as to provide information, other than that laid down by Article 13, concerning certain characteristics or production conditions of the labelled meat or of the animal from which it derives,

shall do so in accordance with this title.

This title shall apply without prejudice to relevant [F1retained EU law], in particular on beef.

[F2Article 12U.K.

For the purposes of this Title, the following definitions apply:

(1)

‘beef’ means all products falling within CN codes 0201, 0202, 0206 10 95 and 0206 29 91;

(2)

‘labelling’ means the attachment of a label to an individual piece or pieces of meat or to their packaging material, or, in the case of non-pre-wrapped products, the supply of appropriate information in written and visible form to the consumer at the point of sale;

(3)

‘organisation’ means a group of operators from the same or different parts of the beef trade;

(4)

‘minced meat’ means any boned meat that has been minced into fragments and contains less than 1 % salt and that falls within CN codes 0201, 0202, 0206 10 95 and 0206 29 91;

(5)

‘trimmings’ means small pieces of meat recognised as fit for human consumption produced exclusively during trimming operations during the boning of carcasses and/or the cutting up of meat;

(6)

‘cut meat’ means meat which has been cut into small cubes, slices or other individual portions that do not require further cutting by an operator before being bought by the final consumer and that can be directly used by that consumer. This definition does not cover minced meat and trimmings.

(7)

[F3‘third country’ means any country or territory other than:

(a)

the United Kingdom;

(b)

the Bailiwick of Jersey;

(c)

the Bailiwick of Guernsey;

(d)

the Isle of Man.]]

SECTION IU.K.Compulsory F4... beef labelling system

Article 13U.K.General rules

1.Operators and organisations marketing beef in [F5Great Britain] shall label it in accordance with this Article.

The compulsory labelling system shall ensure a link between, on the one hand, the identification of the carcass, quarter or pieces of meat and, on the other hand, the individual animal or, where this is sufficient to enable the accuracy of the information on the label to be checked, the group of animals concerned.

2.The label shall contain the following indications:

(a)a reference number or reference code ensuring the link between the meat and the animal or animals. This number may be the identification number of the individual animal from which the beef was derived or the identification number relating to a group of animals;

(b)the approval number of the slaughterhouse at which the animal or group of animals was slaughtered and the F6... country in which the slaughterhouse is established. The indication shall read: ‘Slaughtered in (name of the F6... country) (approval number)’;

(c)the approval number of the cutting hall which performed the cutting operation on the carcass or group of carcases and the F6... country in which the hall is established. The indication shall read: ‘Cutting in: (name of the F6... country) (approval number)’.

F73.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

F74.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

5.

[F2(a)Operators and organisations shall also indicate on the labels:]

(i)

F8... country of birth;

(ii)

all F9... countries where fattening took place;

(iii)

F10... country where slaughter took place;

(b)However, where the beef is derived from animals born, raised and [F11slaughtered in the same country, the indication may be given as ‘Origin: (name of country)’].

F126.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

[F137.For the purposes of paragraphs 2 and 5, ‘country’, in relation to the United Kingdom, means the United Kingdom as a whole and does not mean England, Northern Ireland, Scotland or Wales individually.]

Textual Amendments

F5Words in Art. 13(1) substituted (31.12.2020) by S.I. 2019/822, reg. 3(5) (as substituted by The Common Organisation of the Markets in Agricultural Products (Miscellaneous Amendments) (EU Exit) (No. 2) Regulations 2020 (S.I. 2020/1453), regs. 1(2)(b), 10(3)(a))

Article 14U.K.Derogations from the compulsory labelling system

By way of derogation from Article 13(2)(b) and (c) and from Article 13(5)(a)(i) and (ii), an operator or organisation preparing minced beef shall indicate on the label the words ‘prepared (name of the F14... country)’, depending on where the meat was prepared, and ‘origin’ where the [F15country] or [F16countries] involved are not the [F15country] of preparation.

The obligation provided for in Article 13(5)(a)(iii) shall be applicable to such meat as from the date of application of this Regulation.

However, such operator or organisation may add to the label of the minced beef:

  • one or more of the indications provided for in Article 13, and/or

  • the date on which the meat was prepared.

F17...

[F18For the purposes of this Article, ‘country’, in relation to the United Kingdom, means the United Kingdom as a whole and does not mean England, Northern Ireland, Scotland or Wales individually.]

[F2Article 15U.K. Compulsory labelling of beef from third countries

By way of derogation from Article 13, beef imported into the territory of [F19Great Britain from a third country] for which not all the information provided for in Article 13 is available, shall be labelled with the indication:

‘Origin: non-[F20UK]’ and ‘Slaughtered in (name of the third country)’.]

[F21Article 15zaU.K.Transitional provisions

By way of derogation from Article 15, beef to which that Article applies that is labelled in accordance with that Article, as it had effect immediately before IP completion day, may be placed on the market until the end of the period of 21 months beginning on the day on which IP completion day falls, and may remain on the market until stocks are exhausted.]

SECTION IIU.K. [F2Voluntary labelling]

[F22Article 15aU.K. General rules

Food information other than that specified in Articles 13, 14 and 15 which is added to labels voluntarily by operators or organisations marketing beef shall be objective, verifiable by the competent authorities and comprehensible for consumers.

That information shall comply with the [F23applicable] legislation on labelling and in particular Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011 of the European Parliament and of the Council(1).

Where operators or organisations marketing beef do not respect the obligations referred to in the first and the second paragraphs, the competent authority shall apply appropriate penalties as laid down in Article 22 [F24and any other measures adopted by the appropriate authorities to ensure compliance with the provisions of this Regulation].]

F25...

F7[F7Article 16U.K. General rules

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

F7Article 17U.K. Voluntary labelling system for beef from third countries

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

F7Article 18U.K. Sanctions]

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

SECTION IIIU.K.General provisions

F7[F7Article 19U.K. Detailed rules

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

F7Article 20U.K. Designation of competent authorities]

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

F7Article 21U.K.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

(1)

[F22Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 25 October 2011 on the provision of food information to consumers, amending Regulations (EC) No 1924/2006 and (EC) No 1925/2006 of the European Parliament and of the Council, and repealing Commission Directive 87/250/EEC, Council Directive 90/496/EEC, Commission Directive 1999/10/EC, Directive 2000/13/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council, Commission Directives 2002/67/EC and 2008/5/EC and Commission Regulation (EC) No 608/2004 ( OJ L 304, 22.11.2011, p. 18 ).]