Working Party on Agricultural Quality Standards REPORT Specialized Section on Standardization of Meat Ian King (Chair) Sixty-ninth session WP.7 Geneva 4-6 November 2013

Working Party on Agricultural Quality Standards Agenda Item 4 The Specialized Section on Standardization of Meat Report on Activities for 2013 Revision of Standards and references New Standards Future work

Specialized Section on Standardization of Meat It is a pleasure to report on a highly productive year with renewed interest and commitment from countries all over the world. The interest stemmed from a goal to revise one older standard and adopt three new standards in time for the texts to be considered by the Specialized Section and submitted for adoption by the Working Party.

Specialized Section on Standardization of Meat One Rapporteurs meetings were held during the year: UNECE- Meeting of Bureau and Experts (Rapporteurs) on Porcine Meat and Retail Meat Cuts, Warsaw, Poland, 4-5 July 2013 The meeting was organized immediately prior to the Specialized section meeting in Geneva to save costs for delegates. The Secretariat attended the meeting. This helped to expedite the review process by introducing efficiencies in recording, reporting and the development of recommendations.

Custodianship Responsibility Rapporteurs: review and update the Standards (revision cycle every 3 years). Specialized Section: has an important role in maintaining and updating the Standards to remain current and relevant to trading practice. The Secretariat: plays a key role in attending and recording recommendations from all Rapporteurs meetings (policy).

Specialized Section on Standardization of Meat Documentation: Report of the twenty-second session Geneva 8-10 July 2013 (ECE/TRADE/C/WP.7/GE.11/2013/2) The Specialized Section submits for adoption the revised standard for porcine meat (ECE/TRADE/C/WP.7/2012/4) –Reviewed during the year by all delegations, discussed at the rapporteurs meeting in Poland (including cut demonstrations in a processing plant) The Chair thanked the Polish delegation for organizing a successful rapporteurs meeting and study tour to a meat processing facility

UNECE Standards Future Work 2013 Activities The Specialized Section submits for adoption three new Standards: (a) Rabbit meat - Rapporteur China with collaboration of European producing countries and USA (b) Deer meat - Rapporteur Russia with collaboration of New Zealand and Australia (c)Retail meat cuts – Rapporteur USA Note: The draft standard for processed poultry meat could not be finalized by the deadline of 22 August 2013 and several delegations asked for further consultations. It will be submitted in 2014.

UNECE Standards Future Work 2013 Activities The Specialized Section adopted: the revised Codification system and Reference addresses as separate documents as a generic reference document for addresses and codification systems for all meat standards The Chair thanked GS1 for their contribution to the revised codification system document

UNECE Standards Future Work FUTURE WORK The Specialized Section continues to work on: Standard for Processed poultry meat Adding veal and lamb cuts to the new retail meat cuts standard Revising the Standards for Goose meat, Duck meat and Edible Meat Co-products (regular revision cycle)

UNECE Standards Future Work FUTURE WORK China proposed to host an expert and rapporteurs meeting on: –Beef and Ovine meat (training session for participants) –Rabbit meat (study tour and cut demonstrations) –Revision of UNECE Standards for Goose and Duck meat To educate and inform about the work of the group and broaden the scope of its work, a proposal was made to organize a 1 day meat symposium in May 2014.

Key Contacts UNECE Specialized Section on Standardization of Meat Chairman Ian King – Australia Vice-Chairman Craig Morris – United States of America UNECE Secretariat Liliana Annovazzi-Jakab