Foodlaw-Reading
Dr David Jukes, The University of Reading, UK
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Council Minutes, 28 June 2016
The following is an extract from the minutes of the Agriculture and Fisheries Council meeting:
The Council was informed about the state of play of the proposed regulation on organic production, with regard to the negotiations with the European Parliament. Minister Van Dam highlighted that significant progress had been made during the Netherlands Presidency on most negotiating blocks, including the main political elements: imports, controls and non-authorised products and substances. Unsolved issues were to be found primarily in the part on specific production rules.
The proposal on organic production and labelling of organic products is aimed at revising the existing legislation on organic production and labelling of organic products so as to remove obstacles to the sustainable development of organic production in the EU. Its objectives are also to guarantee fair competition for farmers and operators, prevent fraud and unfair practices and improve consumer confidence in organic products.
The Council reached a general approach on the organic regulation on 16 June 2015 and the EP Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development (COMAGRI) voted on its report on 13 October 2015. Negotiations started in November 2015 and so far nine trilogues have taken place.
