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Beef Labelling Scheme FAQs

What is the Beef Labelling Scheme?
The Beef Labelling Scheme implements EU Regulation 820/97 whose purpose is to provide customers with reliable information about the beef they buy. Any retailer giving consumers anything more than basic information about beef must get prior approval for this. Approval is given only if the retailer has put in place arrangements to guarantee that the beef is what the label says it is. To do this, the retailer has to employ an independent third party to verify that the information on the label is true.

Who does the scheme apply to?
The scheme applies to anyone who sells fresh or frozen beef to consumers. Retail butchers, catering butchers and farm shops, for example, would need to get approval if they wanted to give their customers anything more than basic information about their beef A supermarket chain would need to ask for approval for the beef labels it intended to use throughout its network

What type of information is covered by the scheme?
All information given to consumers at the point of sale. This includes information on packaging material and on labels near the product. It would also include information given in advertisements or announcements by the retailer, and information given in leaflets linked to the product.

What information is compulsory?
Currently beef must be labelled with the country of slaughter, country of cutting and the licence numbers of the plants where this took place. From January 2002, the country of birth and country or countries of rearing must also be displayed on the label.

What information requires approval?
Any information which can not be easily checked at the point of sale, in particular, any information relating to the origin of the beef or the way in which it was produced. For example, the animal's breed, age, sex, identification number, method of production (organic, extensively reared, grass-fed).

What rules must be followed to get approval?
You need to be able to prove that the information you are providing is true, and to employ an independent third party to verify your system for ensuring this. There must be a guaranteed link between the beef and the animal or animals from which it came. In other words, there must be a system of traceability which proves the accuracy of information provided to the consumer. The independent third party must meet the European Standard EN 45011. This body must have access at all times to all premises and records and carry out regular spot checks to prove that the labelling information is accurate.

What happens to those who do not follow the rules?
Trading Standards Officers or Environmental Health Officers will carry out checks to ensure that the rules are being followed. This will include checks on retailers who have been approved under the scheme (to ensure that they are continuing to label in accordance with their approval). Anyone who is found to be in breech of the Scheme regulations could be required to remove beef from sale until it is relabelled in accordance with the rules. Serious breaches of the regulations could lead to a fine of up to £5000.

Download the Information Sheet of the Northern Ireland Beef & Lamb Farm Quality Assurance Scheme 2003 (PDF).

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