Fear for market disruption as result of French mandatory origin labelling

The Dutch Dairy Association regrets the decision taken by the European Commission to accept a French law that promotes protectionism and disrupts the European market. The law obliges French producing and processing companies to mention the origin of milk and dairy products on the labels for a period of two years. By this a distinction is made between French products and products coming from other European countries.

One of the reasons for approving the French initiative is that it involves a pilot for a duration of two years to be started on 1 January 2017. However, it is not known on the basis of which criteria the French initiative can be called successful.

Mandatory origin labelling expected

It is expected that following this French initiative other European countries will implement laws promoting the application of protectionist measures as well. Italy already submitted a similar law to the European Commission for assessment in June. According to the Dutch Dairy Association other national initiatives can be assessed only after the French pilot has ended. This type of legislation endangers the free movement of goods, which is one of the basic principles of the European Union. The Dutch Dairy Association will continue to commit itself to a free operation of market forces within Europe.