All unprocessed meat sold in the EU should have to carry a label indicating its country of origin, Ireland has told the European Commission.
The Government's stance on labelling is contained in a submission by the Department of Health to the commission. However, employers' group Ibec contradicted this stance, claiming that there is no consumer demand for such labelling.
The department says country of origin labelling should apply to meat sold in shops pre-packaged or loose, but it argues that rules governing the labelling of meat sold in restaurants and catering should be left for individual governments to decide.
However, Food and Drink Ireland (FDI), an arm of Ibec, says in its submission to the commission, that country of origin labelling could confuse consumers.
Currently, shops or restaurants selling beef in Ireland and other EU countries must indicate the country of origin. However, this requirement does not apply to other meat products, and most of the poultry sold in Ireland through the catering trade comes from outside the EU. According to the department, it is common practice for imported meat to be repackaged and labelled using local brand names and a local health mark. "This gives the consumer a strong but false impression that the meat was produced in the importing country."
The department also wants compulsory country of origin labelling on all spirit products, primarily to protect whiskey against misleading non-Irish competitors. It has called for guidance from the commission on the use of marketing terms such as "pure", "original", "farmhouse" and "country-style" to ensure consumers are not misled. While supporting mandatory nutrition labelling on foods, it says this regime should not impose too great a burden on industry.
However, FDI says such labelling is of minimal use to consumers without proper education. It points out that while the US has the most stringent information rules on nutrition information, its levels of obesity are the highest in the world.
Retail Ireland, which is also affiliated to Ibec, is also opposed to proposals for mandatory country of origin labelling for non-food items. These represent "the first step in an attack by protectionist interests on free trade", it said. It says mandatory labels should include only information essential for the average consumer. "Unless the information on the label is clear, relevant and uncluttered, consumers will not use it."
Foodstuffs which are sliced or processed in store, such as cheese or salami, should not require ingredient labelling, it says, as this demand would make the service uneconomic.
It also opposes mandatory health warnings on alcohol containers, saying this would not address society's alcohol abuse problem.