15 May 2006 - Brussels,
Belgium – The European Commission has announced
new rules regarding the trade and sale of caviar.
The new regulation will apply to all caviar made
from sturgeons, regardless whether they are wild-sourced
or farmed.
In effect, the ruling requires
that all caviar containers in the EU market are
marked with a label that contains a specific set
of information and that will allow retailers and
consumers to identify the legal source of the
product.
WWF and TRAFFIC believe this
will be an important tool to combat the illegal
trade in the rare and highly-sought after luxury
food, that has led to overexploitation and significant
population declines of sturgeon species in most
waters in Eurasia.
The EU is the first among the
major caviar consumer markets that have fully
implemented the universal caviar labelling requirements
agreed by Parties of the Convention on the International
Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and
Flora (CITES) three years ago.
The new Commission Regulation
requires that all caviar that is imported and
then re-packaged to be sold in the EU's domestic
market is labelled with a label that contains
a specific set of information such as the year
of harvest or re-packaging, the registration number
of the processing or repackaging plant and the
country of origin.
"All EU Member States need
to now ensure that the new regulations are fully
implemented and that traders are using adequate
labels," said Stephanie Theile, Acting Director
of TRAFFIC's Europe programme. "For example,
the label must seal the container so that it can
not be used more than once."
The EU is the largest importer
of caviar. Between 1998 and 2003 the EU legally,
imported 550 tonnes of caviar, corresponding to
46% of the total global trade. During that period
(1998-2003), the volumes of caviar reported in
international trade per year plummeted from 300
tonnes in 1998 to 100 tonnes in 2003. In 2004
and 2005, CITES authorized export of 121 and 97
tonnes respectively and for 2006 only 53.
"Illegal trade in caviar
in the EU is significant. Between 2000 and 2005
at least 12 tonnes of smuggled caviar were seized,"
said Theile. "However, this is only the tip
of the iceberg and actual levels of illegal caviar
trade are significantly higher."
Everybody from caviar importers
and exporters, to wholesalers and retailers in
Europe need to be aware of the new labelling requirements
as they enter into force in Mid June.
"It is now crucial that the CITES Authorities
in each Member State work closely with caviar
traders and inform the general public about the
new labelling system for caviar," Theile
added. "This will ultimately allow also consumers
to distinguish between legal and illegal caviar
products."
In support of these efforts,
the European Commission will host an international
workshop from June 27-29 June that will bring
together more than 100 government officials and
other law enforcement experts from key caviar
producing and consuming countries to discuss ways
to combat illegal trade in caviar. TRAFFIC is
assisting in the organisation of this workshop
by providing expert advice and support to the
European Commission.
The new caviar labelling rules
are part of the new Commission Regulation replacing
the existing Commission Regulation (EC) No. 1808/2001
laying down detailed rules concerning the implementation
of Council Regulation (EC) No 338/97 on the protection
of species of wild fauna and flora by regulating
trade therein that was adopted in 2001.
