Food of animal origin that is manufactured in a facility that is approved according to EU Regulation 853/2004 must be labelled with the identification mark, oval in shape. The mark must contain information about the EU country in which the facility is located and its approval number. If the facility is located within the EU, this must also be stated. Until now, the regulation has referred to the European Community instead of the European Union.
Now the regulation has been changed so that it instead refers to the European Union "EU".
Abbreviations of the identification mark which refer to the ‘European Union’ should therefore replace references to the ‘European Community’.
The EU Commission is aware that this is associated with an administrative burden for companies, which is why the transition period is relatively long. The abbreviation for the European Community may continue to be used until 31 December 2028, and the products of animal origin with such identification marks applied before that date may remain on the market.
The amendment was introduced by EU Regulation No. 2024/1141
Amends EU Regulation No 853/2004