Introductory text

THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES,

Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community,

Having regard to Council Regulation (EC) No 2200/96 of 28 October 1996 on the common organisation of the market in fruit and vegetables^f1, and in particular Article 2(2) thereof,

Whereas:

Cultivated mushrooms are among the products listed in Annex I to Regulation (EC) No 2200/96 for which standards must be adopted. Commission Regulation (EC) No 982/2002 of 7 June 2002 laying down the marketing standards for cultivated mushrooms^f2 has been amended several times. For sake of clarity, Regulation (EC) No 982/2002 should therefore be repealed and replaced by a new Regulation.

To that end, and in the interest of preserving transparency on the world market, account should be taken of the UN/ECE standard FFV-24 concerning marketing and quality control of cultivated mushrooms recommended by the Working Party on Agricultural Quality Standards of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UN/ECE).

Application of the new standards should remove products of unsatisfactory quality from the market, bring production into line with consumer requirements and facilitate trade based on fair competition, thereby helping to improve profitability.

The standards are applicable at all marketing stages. Long distance transport, storage over a certain period and the various processes the products undergo may cause some degree of deterioration owing to the biological development of the products or their perishable nature. Account should be taken of such deterioration when applying the standard at the marketing stages following dispatch.

As products in the ‘Extra’ class have to be particularly carefully sorted and packaged, only lack of freshness and turgidity should be taken into account in their case.

The measures provided for in this Regulation are in accordance with the opinion of the Management Committee for Fresh Fruit and Vegetables,

HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION: