Compound feedingstuffs: marketing, tracing, labelling (amend. Directive 79/373/EEC)

On 19 December 2000, the Council adopted a common postion with a view to the adoption of a Directive amending Council Directive 79/373/EEC on the circulation of compound feedingstuffs and repealing Commission Directive 91/357/EEC. Council Directive 79/373/EEC lays down rules for the circulation of compound feedingstuffs within the Community. As regards labelling, the purpose of Directive 79/373/EEC is to ensure that stock farmers are informed objectively and as accurately as possible as to the composition and use of feedingstuffs. Against this background, the main changes in the common position relate to the provisions on the detailed quantitative information that manufacturers must give regarding the composition of compound feedingstuffs for production animals. In particular, at the request of an individual customer, the manufacturer of a compound feedingstuff must provide that customer with a detailed list of all the ingredients used in the compound feedingstuff in question by percentage of weight. With regard to the amendments proposed by the European Parliament, all amendments were accepted entirely or partically except for two amendments. These two amendments relate to the time frame for the drawing up of a positive list of raw materials authorised for use in feedingstuffs and secondly, the deadlines proposed because the Council considered them too close to the date on which the future Directive would become applicable.�