Considerations on COM(2022)659 - Labelling of organic pet food

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dossier COM(2022)659 - Labelling of organic pet food.
document COM(2022)659 EN
date October 18, 2023
 
(1) Regulation (EU) 2018/848 of the European Parliament and of the Council 4 lays down rules on the labelling of feed and applies both to feed for food-producing animals and to feed for pets, i.e. pet food. Under that Regulation, while non-organic ingredients of agricultural origin are authorised in the production of organic feed, a term referring to organic production cannot be used in the sales description where not all agricultural ingredients are organic, even if to a low extent. Moreover, such feed cannot bear the organic production logo of the European Union. Consequently, final consumers are not directly informed about the compliance of the product with organic production rules.

(2) Professional operators are informed about the composition and the proportion of organic, in-conversion and non-organic compounds in feed in accordance with point 2.1.2 of Annex III to Regulation (EU) 2018/848. By contrast, when feed is sold directly at retail level to final consumers, there are currently no rules concerning the provision of information on the organic compounds in the feed where not all of agricultural ingredients are organic. This is particularly relevant for pet food.

(3) Prior to the application of Regulation (EU) 2018/848, and in accordance with Article 95(5) of Commission Regulation (EC) No 889/2008 5 , certain Member States had established national rules or recognised private standards that allowed the use of a term referring to organic production in the sales description of pet food when at least 95 % of the agricultural ingredients of the product by weight were organic, mirroring the rules for organic processed food. 

(4) The labelling rules for organic pet food at Union level should therefore mirror those for organic food, given that both categories of products are mainly sold at retail level to final consumers. Information on compliance with organic production rules should be provided through the terms referring to organic production in the sales description and through the use of the organic production logo of the European Union. In order to facilitate awareness about compliance with organic production rules, the organic production logo of the European Union should be obligatory for all prepacked pet food complying with Regulation (EU) 2018/848 and this Regulation and produced within the Union, as is the case with prepacked food pursuant to Article 32(1), point (b), of Regulation (EU) 2018/848. 

(5) In order to promote the further development of the pet food sector, it is appropriate to introduce specific provisions on the labelling of organic pet food, on the use of terms referring to organic production in the sales description and in the list of ingredients, and on the use of the organic production logo of the European Union.

(6) Since the objectives of this Regulation can be better achieved at Union level through the adoption of uniform rules for the labelling of organic pet food, the Union may adopt measures, in accordance with the principle of subsidiarity as set out in Article 5 of the Treaty on European Union. In accordance with the principle of proportionality as set out in that Article, this Regulation does not go beyond what is necessary in order to achieve those objectives.