CONCLUSIONS OF WORKSHOP A: CZECH PRESIDENCY HIGH LEVEL CONFERENCE ON THE FUTURE OF AGRICULTURAL PRODUCT QUALITY POLICY Prague, 13 March 2009 CONCLUSIONS OF WORKSHOP A: Farming requirements and Marketing standards

Subtopic 1: Farming requirements Further improvements of the communication on farming requirements within the EU are necessary. Product safety and food hygiene is a basic precondition of food quality. The currently available information on farming requirements and standards are comprehensive, however producers within the EU do not always receive full recognition and wider benefits for the added value of the production.

Subtopic 1: Farming requirements The development of obligatory EU logo indicating compliance with the EU farming requirements has been discussed as an option, however the possible benefit of introducing a new logo seems to be relatively small.

Subtopic 1: Farming requirements The complex issue of mandatory indication of the place of origin for food needs to be further elaborated to address basic questions of the stakeholders interests (non – misleading of the consumers/non – creating obstacles for the free movement of goods/competitiveness).

Subtopic 2: Marketing standards The maintaining of current system of specifying product identities in marketing standards in the EU legislation would be preferable, as a guarantee of a certain level of stable environment for producers, retailers and consumers; however, further possible simplification is welcomed

Subtopic 2: Marketing standards Self-regulation in the field of marketing standards, would not fully guarantee the necessary level of implementation and control of adherence to marketing standards. The retail sale of products that meet hygiene and safety requirements but not marketing standards should be allowed under specific conditions, which need to be further elaborated.

Subtopic 2: Marketing standards Compulsory quality and size classification as an option should be further considered, especially in a connection with the transparency of such a system; a careful elaboration of respective definitions to be respected and understood on the market is necessary.  

Examples “mountain product”, “traditional product”. Subtopic 2: Marketing standards A uniform definition of general reserved terms at the EU level would be beneficial especially for unifying labelling and facilitating movement of respective products on the market. Examples “mountain product”, “traditional product”.