Press Release: Hygiene rules: Byrne welcomes Council agreement on more flexibility particularly for traditional products

The Council reachedd a political agreement on 27 June 2002 on the Commission's proposal on the hygiene of foodstuffs presented by the European Commission on 14 July 2000. Under this proposal food operators right through the food chain will bear primary responsibility for food safety. The focus is on setting objectives while leaving business flexibility to decide the safety measures to take, rather than prescribing them in great detail. The Council followed the Commission's proposal in providing for flexibility to accommodate the needs of food businesses that are situated in regions suffering from special geographical constraints and to take account of traditional methods of food production.