12 EU member states want animal-sourced food names protected
12 EU member states have supported a call for the European Commission to introduce protections on traditional animal-sourced food names so they cannot be used on plant-based food labels.
The delegation from the Czech Republic presented a paper on the issue at a meeting of agriculture ministers in the Council of the EU this week.
The Czech paper was supported by 11 other member states, including Ireland.
The document said that the food market in the EU is increasingly composed of products that consist only of plant-based ingredients and are similar in appearance, taste and consistency to products of animal origin.
These plant-based foods are very often labelled with the names belonging to meat, eggs, honey, fish, and products made from them.
However, the paper said that plant-based products differ substantially from food products of animal origin, particularly in terms of composition and nutritional value.
The Czech submission said that it is 'essential' that foods which imitate, mimic or substitute foods of animal origin do not mislead the consumer by their labelling as to their true nature.
Protection of names is already in place for products for the dairy sector. However, no other protection of food names is in place at EU level for other animal-sourced products, and some member states are considering the introduction of reserved names for other food of animal origin at national level.
The member states involved in the paper are calling for 'harmonisation of legal protection' to be provided on food names.
They are seeking a legislative proposal from the commission to protect the names of animal origin, providing them with similar protection that already exists for milk and dairy products.
The pressure on the commission to protect names of animal-sourced food has been welcomed by the Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers Association (ICMSA).
ICMSA president Denis Drennan claimed that the inclusion of terms such a 'sausage' or 'burger' in vegetarian or vegan foods 'was deliberate and cynical'.
He said that the 'hijakcing' of traditional meat and dairy terms 'actually constitutes an admissions by the corporations involved that they were unable to convince consumers other than by such camouflage'.
'Obviously, people are free to eat whatever they want but it is a matter of considerable irritation to farmers to see the very people and corporations who want to replace our naturally produced meat and dairy with their own non-meat and non-dairy products very deliberately using the terms that they know are generally understood to refer to traditional dairy and meat products,' Drennan said.
'They want to use our terminology and the acceptance borne of centuries that those terms have amongst the general public to effectively smuggle their own products past a sceptical public.'
The ICMSA president said it is 'no longer tenable to allow non-dairy and non-meat products to advertise and promote themselves using terms and language associated with the traditional foods these vegetarian and vegan products are attempting to supplant'.
'It's self-evidently wrong that products that contain not a trace of meat are being sold as 'sausage' or 'burger' and being marketed in this disingenuous way. These corporations…are quite deliberately playing on people's desire for healthy, traditional, meat-based foodstuffs while actually substituting real meal ingredients with cheaper and more processed vegetable and plant-derived elements,' Drennan said.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Irish Sun
an hour ago
- The Irish Sun
EU Commissioner in new vow to nail Kinahan gangsters amid work towards long-term deal with UAE after ‘successful' visit
MICHAEL McGrath has vowed to nail gangsters like Daniel Kinahan. The Mr McGrath is responsible for democracy, justice, the rule of law and consumer protection. And he spoke out after Kinahan member While there isn't a single EU-wide extradition treaty with Dubai, Ireland recently signed a bilateral agreement with the Speaking to READ MORE ON KINAHAN CARTEL The ex-Finance Minister added: 'I'm personally determined to extend the network of agreements that we have on judicial co-operation with third countries.' The number of extraditions to Earlier this month, footie star The ex-Ajax star was arrested at his home in Most read in Irish News Mr McGrath revealed there was a 'very successful visit to the UAE' in April. This involved Eurojust, which is 'focused on judicial co-operation on an international basis'. Will the Kinahan Cartel now step in after bloodbath double shooting in Spanish bar Mr McGrath added: 'So we work very, very closely to increase the network of third country agreements we have, and the UAE would be among the list of countries that I would like to improve the level of co-operation with.' 1 The EU Commissioner will work to ensure that thugs can be extradited from Dubai
Irish Independent
3 hours ago
- Irish Independent
The Sunday Independent's View: Ireland can take Pride in progress on gay rights
The idea that the international community is waiting on the lead of a small island in the north Atlantic is easy to mock. Ireland was certainly unable to find many allies when leaders met in Brussels last Thursday to discuss the fate of EU-Israel economic ties in light of the Gaza war. The watered-down statement that eventually emerged deplored the 'catastrophic humanitarian situation' and called again for a ceasefire. But with hundreds of Palestinians now being killed as they seek aid, Taoiseach Micheál Martin lamented that more was not being done to put pressure on Benjamin Netanyahu's government. There is, however, one issue on which Ireland has undoubtedly led the way. When he took his place on O'Connell Street at the head of yesterday's Dublin Pride march, Micheál Martin did so as the leader of the first country in the world to legalise same-sex marriage by popular vote. The 2015 referendum was carried by 62pc of voters. Ten years on, the likelihood is that the Yes vote would be even more emphatic. Ireland is a far more progressive place to live than it has ever been Irish society in past decades was always more complex and diverse than the caricature of an oppressed Catholic theocracy that persists in popular myth. What is beyond question is that the country today, while by no means perfect, is a far more open and progressive place in which to live than it has ever been. Dublin's first Pride march in 1983 took place when homosexuality was still illegal. The numbers taking part could be counted in the dozens. Yesterday saw more than 12,000 participants and up to 100,000 people line the streets to show support. Other events were held around the country, including for the first time in Kilkenny, the last county to join the party. There is no downside to these changes. Whatever else is wrong with Ireland in 2025, a tolerance of who others chose to love is not one of them. ADVERTISEMENT These advances must not be taken for granted. In his message to Dublin Pride, President Michael D Higgins paid tribute to all who 'paved the way for progress when marching was not safe, who gave voice to truths that were long silenced and who set the foundations for the inclusive Ireland that we continue to strive towards today'. He urged parade-goers to remember them 'with gratitude'. There was a grim reminder this year that many countries have still not won such freedoms. The right-wing populist government led by Viktor Orban in Hungary, a fellow member of the European Union for more than two decades, passed legislation this year banning yesterday's Budapest Pride march and has even threatened to jail organisers and use facial recognition software to identify and fine marchers. That the right to peaceful assembly is under threat again in the heart of the EU is profoundly shocking. Pride marches are a threat to no one. Irish politicians can take justifiable pride, pun intended, in the part they played in moving this country beyond such ugly battles. If only they could put the same collective energy into solving more intractable challenges to inequality — such as housing, our crumbling infrastructure and health — there would be even more to celebrate.
Irish Independent
3 hours ago
- Irish Independent
Minister hopeful of last-gasp deal with US to avoid Trump's 50pc tariffs
EU negotiators are in a race against the clock to secure an agreement with the US, which is threatening to impose 50pc tariffs. Next month's deadline looms large over Irish exporters, with the country set to be disproportionately hit should a trade war with Europe's largest trading partner ensue. Mr Burke says he understands the challenges Irish businesses face should no deal be agreed upon, but hopes the talks will bear fruit. Speaking during an Irish trade mission to Japan, he said that Maros Sefcovic, the EU's chief negotiator with the US, was trying to 'frame a landing zone' deal with Washington before time runs out. 'I do believe there are parameters for a deal,' he said. 'I was there for over a week in the US, where I met a lot of business leaders as well as some politicians. Ireland is very invested in its relationship with the US.' Mr Burke noted that Tánaiste Simon Harris had recently held a 'productive' phone call with US trade representative Jamieson Greer. He believed there was a willingness to work together and 'get a deal'. 'The critical thing is we need to ensure that the EU and US economy, which is the most integrated trading relationship on the globe, is protected,' he said. However, the minister believes some sectors will face tariffs, even if a 'landing zone' deal is agreed. The trade deal between the UK and US, which still includes a 10pc levy on most British goods, brought with it concerns. 'Critically, it sets the framework for other negotiations,' he said. 'But what we have done and the feedback we have is that we are trying to ensure in the first instance that we get as close to zero in as many sectors as possible.' Mr Burke said resolving non-tariff barriers to trade, a key frustration for the Trump administration, would also help. Peter Burke said Irish businesses were looking to diversify into new markets Washington has openly criticised many of these perceived barriers, including Ireland's move to introduce new health warning labels on alcohol products. Mr Burke recently asked Health Minister Jennifer Carroll MacNeill to consider pausing the introduction amid ongoing trade challenges. ADVERTISEMENT 'If we can make progress in that area [non-tariff barriers], I think we have a chance of getting agreement in other areas,' he said. Mr Burke said Irish businesses were looking to diversify into new markets, including Japan. Alongside Enterprise Ireland, he spent part of last week promoting Ireland's strengths in healthcare, financial services and sustainability to potential Japanese clients. Despite transatlantic trade tensions, Mr Burke said new investment was still pouring into Ireland. The IDA will be publishing a strong set of half-year results in the coming weeks, he said, which would be 'surprising for some'. Despite Mr Burke's optimism, there is increasing anxiety among European leaders about securing a positive trade deal in time. Recent reports suggest that European officials and diplomats are now resigned to the idea that the Trump administration doesn't intend to remove its 10pc baseline tariffs on EU goods. Speaking in Brussels, Taoiseach Micheál Martin said there would be no winners if the tariff dispute were to continue. 'Every effort has to be made to get a landing zone that we can live with. It's not ideal. Europe doesn't want tariffs, but we have to deal with the situation that is before us,' he said. EU leaders met in Brussels last week to discuss the US trade deal and debate how much they were willing to sacrifice to win over the US president. The Wall Street Journal reported that the EU was considering lowering tariffs on a range of US imports in a bid to clinch a 'speedy trade deal'. It stated that Germany and Italy were leading a group of countries pushing for a quick preliminary agreement that could be updated later in more detailed follow-up negotiations. The report added that EU leaders were considering additional concessions, including lowering non-tariff barriers, buying more American products and offering to cooperate with the US on its economic concerns regarding China. Europe's approach to the talks in Washington has also come in for sharp criticism. Last week, German chancellor Friedrich Merz scolded the EU's negotiation process, describing it as 'far too complicated'. Mr Merz said the bloc should focus on exemptions from the base tariffs for selected products such as cars, chemicals, machinery, steel and — crucially for Ireland — pharmaceuticals. European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen said the US had shared a new document for further negotiations, which was now being assessed. 'We are ready for a deal,' she said. Carol Lynch, partner at BDO Ireland and head of its customs and trade team, said companies should prepare for the July 9 deadline and not assume it will be delayed. Ms Lynch added there was a feeling among Irish exporters that the current 10pc tariff was here to stay, with companies planning accordingly.
