EUROPEAN COMMUNITY: COUNCIL REGULATION (EC) NO. 820/97 OF 21 APRIL 1997 ESTABLISHING A SYSTEM FOR THE IDENTIFICATION AND REGISTRATION OF BOVINE ANIMALS AND REGARDING THE LABELLING OF BEEF AND BEEF PRODUCTS The following notification is being circulated in accordance with Article 10.6. G/TBT/Notif.97.321. 1. Member to Agreement notifying: EUROPEAN COMMUNITY. If applicable, name of local government involved (Articles 3.2 and 7.2). 2. Agency responsible: European Commission. Agency or authority designated to handle comments regarding the notification can be indicated if different from above. 3. Notified under Article 2.9.2. 4. Products covered (HS or CCCN where applicable, otherwise national tariff heading. ICS numbers may be provided in addition, where applicable): Beef (CN Codes 0201, 0202, 0206 10 95 and 0206 29 91). 5. Title, number of pages and language(s) of the notified document: Council Regulation (EC) No. 820/97 of 21 April Establishing a System for the Identification and Registration of Bovine Animals and Regarding the Labelling of Beef and Beef Products (8 pages). 6. Description of content: Introduces a voluntary labelling scheme for beef. Before 1 January 2000, the labelling system shall be optional: operators and organizations wishing to label their beef shall do so in accordance with the present Regulation. The labelling arrangements of operators or organizations shall be accepted once a specification has been submitted to, and approved by, the competent authority. Where the production of beef takes place, in full or in part, in a third country, operators and organizations shall be entitled to label beef according to this Regulation only if, in addition to observing the requirements set out in Article 14 of the Regulation for beef produced in the EC, they have obtained approval of their specifications by the competent authority designated for that purpose by each third country concerned. The validity within the Community of any approval granted by a third country shall be subjected to prior notification by the third country to the Commission of: The competent authority which has been designed; the procedures and criteria to be followed by the competent authority when examining the specification; each operator and organization to which the competent authority has granted approval of their specification. Where, on the basis of the above notifications, the Commission reaches the conclusion that the procedures and/or criteria applied in a third country are not equivalent to the standards set out in this Regulation, the Commission shall, after consultation with the third country concerned, decide that approvals granted by the third country shall not be valid within the Community. The Regulation will enter into force on 1 July 1997. Beef labelled under existing arrangements may be sold without changing the existing label until 1 January 1998. A compulsory labelling system in accordance with the Community's international commitments will be introduced from 1 January 2000. 7. Objective and rationale: To establish a labelling system in the beef sector based on objective criteria at the marketing stage. 8. Relevant documents: Council Regulation (EC) No. 820/97 of 21 April 1997 establishing a system for the identification and registration of bovine animals and regarding the labelling of beef and beef products (8 pages). Official Journal of the European Communities, L117 of 7 May 1997, p. 1. 9. Proposed date of adoption: 21 April 1997; Proposed date of entry into force: 1 July 1997. Beef labelled under existing arrangements may be sold without changing the existing label until 1 January 1998. 10. Final date for comments: 1 September 1997. 11. Text available from: National enquiry point. (0191)

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