The continent-wide industry body, Freshfel Europe, has questioned the new marketing standards set out by the European Commission saying they could endanger the ‘good functioning of the single market, adding costs in the chain’.

As the European Commission is due to release its Communication on Quality of agricultural products, Freshfel Europe has questioned the commission’s policy in this field, as this initiative takes place at the same time that the commission is dismantling quality standards for 26 fruit and vegetables.

The decision (Regulation 1221/2008), due to come into force on July 1, was adopted by the commission at the end of last year despite wide opposition on the matter. The new framework for marketing standards for fruit and vegetables will create confusion in the sector, endangering the good functioning of the single market and adding costs in the chain, claims Freshfel.

The commission has launched a call for tender with an €180,000 budget to conduct a study assessing the validity of the arguments against or in favour of repealing marketing standards.

The new regulation will introduce a revamped framework of marketing standards for fruit and vegetables. The new rules will only keep detailed marketing standards for the 10 leading products in terms of volume, while introducing basic conformity checks for all other fruit and vegetables.

Freshfel general delegate Philippe Binard said: “Today, different approaches are being considered across the EU to cope with the new framework, ranging from applying the basic new rules, to adhering to UN/ECE standards for all the products for which detailed rules are not in place at EU level anymore. The setting up of interprofessional agreements or the introduction of private standards are also being tabled.

“In the absence of clear EU quality guidance, the point of reference for the sector is today unclear, severely endangering the principle of free movement of goods in the EU single market.

“It is astonishing to note the commission has only now decided…to conduct such an impact assessment whose result will not be known before a year's time.

“The commission is well aware of the sector concerns - if more time is needed to reconsider the issue according to the expectations of the sector, they could easily delay the entry into force of the new framework.”

The commission widely campaigned that the new scheme would simplify legislation and cut red tape, but now Freshfel estimates new controls and paperwork will have to be introduced for up to 400 fruit and vegetables to verify that all products are safe and of marketable quality.

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