Circulation of compound feedingstuffs

PURPOSE: to amend Directive 2002/2/EC on the circulation of compound feedingstuffs.

LEGISLATIVE ACT: Decision adopted jointly by the European Parliament and the Council: Decision no 623/2007/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Directive 2002/2/EC amending Council Directive 79/373/EEC on the circulation of compound feedingstuffs.

CONTENT: when adopted in 2002, Directive 2002/2/EC stated that manufacturers of compound animal feedingstuffs were required to indicate, at the customer’s request, the exact composition of a feedingstuff. (Article 1 (1) (b).

The United Kingdom, Italy and the Netherlands challenged, through the European Court of Justice, the essential validity of this provision. In its court rulings, the ECJ found that Article 1 (1) (b) was, on the principle of proportionality, invalid. As such, and based on Treaty requirements, the institutions are required to comply with the ECJ judgements.

The purpose of this Decision, therefore is to delete Article 1 (1) (b) requiring manufactures of compound animal feedingstuffs to indicate, upon a customer’s requires, the exact composition of a feedingstuff.

On the basis of the Commission’s simplification programme, the Commission has promised to draw up, by mid-2007, proposals to overhaul the EU’s feed legislation. The Decision, therefore, also specifies that by November 2006, the Commission will submit a report to the European Parliament and the Council on the indication of quantities, in the form of percentage by weight, of feed materials on the labelling of compound feedingstuffs, including the permitted tolerance. This report is to be accompanied by proposals designed to improve these measures should it be deemed necessary. The review will take account of both farmers’ interests on being provided with precise, detailed information on feed materials contained in feedingstuffs, and industry’s interest in ensuring that business secrets are adequately protected.

ENTRY INTO FORCE: 15 June 2007.