THE European Commission has issued proposals to boost the local information included on agricultural products in the shops.

Its latest Communication on agricultural product quality plans to extend labelling to include the place where something was farmed and look at whether it is feasible to create special terms for items, such as ‘product of mountain farming’ and ‘traditional product’.

There are also proposals to create a unique register based on where an item comes from and to improve the international protection of ‘geographical indications’.

The EC said the main impetus for the suggestions was to improve communication about the qualities of agricultural products. It also believes the changes would make the current quality labelling schemes easier for people to use and understand.

Mariann Fischer Boel, commissioner for agriculture and rural development, said: “The EU’s agri-food sector has a well-deserved reputation for high quality thanks to decades, even centuries, of commitment to excellence.

“Our farmers have to build on this reputation to sustain their competitiveness. They need to communicate better with consumers about the qualities of their products. The EU is willing to help in this effort. We have a golden opportunity to bring more coherence and simplicity to our various labelling and certification schemes.”