Protection of mountain products: a compromise has been found!

After 16 years of existence and nearly as much time dedicated to the promotion of mountain foods, Euromontana is proud to announce that a political compromise has been found on June 20th between the European Parliament, the European Council and the European Commission on the proposal for a regulation on EU quality schemes, and that the compromise text introduces an optional quality term "mountain product". The text says:

"The term "mountain product" is established as an optional quality term.

This term  shall only be used to describe products intended for human consumption listed in Annex I to the Treaty in respect of which:

• the raw materials and also feedstuffs for farm animals, come essentially from mountain areas.
• in the case of processed products, the processing also takes place in mountain areas."

The following points of the text, at the stage of working document, which can be downloaded here (members only) and should be approved formally in September by the Parliament and right after by the Council, specify that mountain areas are those areas delimited under article 18(1) of regulation 1257/1999 on less favoured areas (framework of the CAP).

The text then authorizes the Commission to define, via delegated acts:

• implementing rules and conditions in which derogations to the main rule can apply regarding origin of raw materials and place of processing;
• criteria regarding production methods.

European Commission DG AGRI, which assembled its advisory group on Quality wednesday 4th of July, transmitted to stakeholders the following questions:

• Would the definition laid down in paragraph 1 of article 28a jeopardise existing names, labels or products? If yes, could you please provide concrete examples that you are aware of?
• Would it be necessary to foresee derogations from the general definition, regarding the sourcing of the raw materials, the sourcing of feedstuffs or the processing of product, outside the mountain area? If yes, could you precise the kind of derogations that may be contemplated?
• Should this definition be completed with elements establishing the production method, and other criteria relevant for the application of the optional quality term "mountain product"? If yes, which would be these elements and criteria?

DG AGRI has requested answers by the 15th of September at the latest.

Euromontana members can send their responses by the 31st of August to alexia.rouby@euromontana.org for compilation early september.

In parallel to this consultative exercise, the study on mountain food supply chains, ordered by the European Commission and a part of which is currently carried out by ISARA, UHI and Euromontana is on its way. The final report is due on the 5th of September 2012.

In the mean time, any supplementary element regarding production volumes and places as well as examples of abusive use of the mountain or related terms is welcome.