WRITTEN QUESTION E-2421/99 by Sebastiano Musumeci (UEN) to the Commission. New directive on honey that penalises beekeepers.
8. 8. 2000 EN Official Journal of the European Communities C 225 E/131 (2000/C 225 E/141) WRITTEN QUESTION E-2421/99 by Sebastiano Musumeci (UEN) to the Commission (16 December 1999) Subject: New directive on honey that penalises beekeepers The Commission is preparing to adopt a new directive on honey to replace Regulation No 74/409 (1). As drafted, this directive would seriously penalise those working in the sector. Does the Commission not consider it should postpone adoption of the provision so that it can examine more thoroughly the justifiable demands made by Italian and European beekeepers, which focus in particular on: 1. 2. reconsidering the production of honey as an agricultural activity and not yielding to the lobbying of the preserved food industry, which as always is concerned with reducing the productís quality specifications and making the compulsory wording on the label obscure; recognising individual countriesí rights to safeguard the definition of honey as a product obtained exclusively from flower nectar and to prevent honey and mixtures from outside the Community coming onto the European market, as often happens with the complicity of Member States? (1) OJ L 221, 12. 8. 1974, p. 10. Answer given by Mr Liikanen on behalf of the Commission (25 January 2000) In 1996 the Commission presented a proposal for a Directive (1) designed to simplify and replace Council Directive 74/409/EEC of 22 July 1974 on honey (2). When drafting the proposal and in the discussions that followed, the Commission took account ü in accordance with the conclusions of the Edinburgh European Council ü of the Community interests of all parties concerned. 1. The proposal for a Directive on honey defines honey and lays down certain compositional criteria which all Community and non-Community honey must meet in order to be marketed under the name of honey. 2. It would therefore be against the rules governing Community and international trade to oppose the import of honey from outside the Community when the product complies with the rules laid down in the Directive on honey. However, after Parliament delivered its opinion in May 1999, the Commission decided to amend its proposal to make it compulsory to indicate the country of origin of non-Community honey on the label. At the Council meetings, some Member States raised the question of the labelling of mixtures of Community and non-Community honey. However, this question has not yet been resolved. (1) OJ C 378, 13. 12. 1996. (2) OJ L 221, 12. 8. 1974. (2000/C 225 E/142) WRITTEN QUESTION E-2428/99 by Piia-Noora Kauppi (PPE-DE) to the Commission (16 December 1999) Subject: Exemption of horses used in competitions and sport from rules on veterinary medicine Horses are classified in the European Union as meat production animals which are not permitted to be dosed with certain medicines in the interest of meat quality. The recent food scandals have put the authorities on their guard, and the regulations on medication have to be complied with even if the animalís meat is not in practice intended for human consumption