UNITED

NATIONS

Distr.

GENERAL

TRADE/WP.7/1998/9

4 December 1998

ORIGINAL : ENGLISH

ECONOMIC COMMISSION FOR EUROPE

COMMITTEE FOR TRADE, INDUSTRY AND

ENTERPRISE DEVELOPMENT

Working Party on Standardization of

Perishable Produce and Quality Development

Fifty-fourth session, Geneva, 9 to 11 November 1998

REPORT OF ITS FIFTY-FOURTH SESSION

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Dry and Dried Produce (Fruit)

UN/ECE Recommendations on Hazelnut Kernels and Inshell Hazelnuts were adopted for a two-year trial period. A new UN/ECE standard on Dried Apples was adopted. The trial period for the Recommendations on Cashew and Walnut Kernels were extended for one year. It was agreed to review the standards on Pistachio Nuts. Work on a multi-lingual dictionary on defects continues. (paras. 8-20)

Meat

Work on a standard on bovine carcasses and cuts continues. This includes the discussion of "best practice" and research on the creation of a UN/ECE quality trade mark. (paras. 21-22)

Seed Potatoes

A revision of the UN/ECE Standard on Seed Potatoes was adopted and a discussion on the future direction

of this work was initiated and will be continued at the next session. (paras. 23-32)

Fresh Fruit and Vegetables

Revisions to the following standards were adopted: Beans, Carrots, Citrus Fruit, Garlic, Melons, Shelling Peas, Plums, Watermelons, Avocados and Broccoli. (paras. 33-34)

Future work

Future work will include a review of the working procedures of the Working Party and its Specialized Sections. A proposal will be drawn up by the United States. (paras. 51-53)

Title of standards

The proposal to change the title of the UN/ECE standards to UN standards was withdrawn. (paras. 56-61)

Homepage

The new homepage on UN/ECE's work on agricultural standards can be found at: http://www.unece.org/trade/agr/welcome.htm

GE-

Opening of the session

1.	The meeting was held in Geneva from 9 to 11 November 1998. The session was opened by the Director of the UN/ECE Trade Division, Ms. C. Cosgrove-Sacks who welcomed the delegates to Geneva. She announced that Mr. Vilchez-Barros, Chairman of the Working Party had sent apologies saying that he was unable to chair the session and that Ms. O. Vorovenci as Vice-Chairperson had offered to chair the session in his place.

2.	She outlined the events that had taken place within UN/ECE since the last session, which in her view clearly showed the commitment of UN/ECE to the work on agricultural standards:

-	Since last year the work of WP.7 and related groups is situated in the Trade Facilitation Section of the Trade Division and reports to the newly created Committee for Trade, Industry and Enterprise Development

-	At its first session (December 1997), the new committee elected the Chairman of WP.7, Mr. Vilchez-Barros (Spain), as its Vice-Chairman.

-	At its second session (June 1998), it accorded the highest priority to the work of WP.7 among its subsidiary bodies.

-	At this year's spring session, the Economic Commission for Europe confirmed the permanent mandate of the meetings of experts working under the auspices of WP.7. At the same time these groups were renamed "Specialized Section".

-	A new post allocated to the service of WP.7 and its specialized sections was created within UN/ECE and filled on a permanent basis as of 1 July 1998.

-	An additional post has been requested for the work on agricultural standards.

Participation

3.	The session was attended by delegations from the following countries: France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Poland, Romania, Russian Federation, Switzerland, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, United States of America and European Union. Mr. Ben Borrel (Canada) participated as chairman of the Meeting of Experts on Standardization of Seed Potatoes.

4.	South Africa participated under the provisions of Article 11 of the ECE Terms of Reference.

5.	The following specialized agency of the United Nations was represented: Food and Agriculture Organization, Joint FAO/WHO Food Standards Programme.

Adoption of the Agenda

Document: TRADE/WP.7/1998/1

6.	The provisional agenda was adopted with the addition of an item (3) (f) concerning the consideration to extend the trial period for the UN/ECE recommendation on walnut kernels for one additional year. Under agenda item 6 the following documents concerning the results of the Meeting of Experts on the Coordination of Standardization of Fresh Fruit and Vegetables (GE.1) were added: TRADE/WP.7/GE.1/1998/17 (Report of the 44th session), TRADE/WP.7/GE.1/1998/CRP.12, TRADE/WP.7/GE.1/1998/CRP.14, TRADE/WP.7/GE.1/1998/CRP.16 (proposed revisions to the UN/ECE standards on Shelling Peas, Beans and Citrus Fruit).

Matters of interest arising since the fifty-third session

Document: TRADE/WP.7/1998/2

7.	The Working Party took note of the relevant outcome of the second session of the Committee for Trade, Industry and Enterprise Development, of the changes in the secretariat and of the change in terminology for its meetings of experts.

Meeting of Experts on Standardization of Dry and Dried Produce (Fruit)

Document: TRADE/WP.7/GE.2/1998/14

8.	The chairman of the group Mr. W. Staub (Germany) presented the report on the forty-sixth session of the Meeting of Experts. He thanked the French authorities for hosting the meeting in Grenoble, for the excellent organization and interesting excursions. He also thanked the rapporteur from Turkey for his work on Inshell Hazelnuts and Hazelnut Kernels.

Consideration to adopt the revised standard for Inshell Hazelnuts as a UN/ECE Recommendation

Document TRADE/WP.7/1998/3

9.	The delegation of Poland entered a reservation to the table for quality tolerances in all classes to the figures for mouldy, rotten etc. as follows: "Reservation by Poland requesting 0.5% tolerance for mouldy. Any trace of damage by rodents is a disqualifying defect." The reservation was noted and the chairman invited the delegation from Poland to participate in future sessions of the group.

10.	The Working Party adopted the revision as a UN/ECE Recommendation on Inshell Hazelnuts for a two-year trial period. The recommendation will be published in an addendum to this report.

Consideration to adopt the revised standard for Hazelnut Kernels as a UN/ECE Recommendation

Document: TRADE/WP.7/1998/4

11.	There were only minor changes to this standard. The delegation of Poland entered the same reservation as for Inshell Hazelnuts.

12.	The Working Party adopted the revision as a UN/ECE Recommendation on Hazelnut Kernels for a two-year trial period. The recommendation will be published in an addendum to this report.

Consideration to adopt the revised Recommendation on Dried Apples as a new UN/ECE Standard

Document: TRADE/WP.7/1998/5

13.	The Working Party adopted the revised recommendation as a new UN/ECE Standard on Dried Apples. The new standard will be published in an addendum to this report.

Consideration to extend the trial period for the UN/ECE Recommendation on Cashew Kernels for one year

14.	Further discussion is necessary on this recommendation because no consensus could be found on the indication of the country of origin. Several countries import the raw material from different countries for processing where the kernels from different countries of origin are mixed.

15.	The Working Party agreed to extend the trial period for the UN/ECE Recommendation on Cashew Kernels for one year.

Consideration of a request to review the UN/ECE Standards on Pistachio Nuts

16.	The Meeting had requested permission to review the UN/ECE Standards on Pistachio Nuts because the present texts no longer reflect modern trade. The Working Party agreed to this request.

Consideration to extend the trial period for the UN/ECE Recommendation on Walnut Kernels for one year

17.	Further discussion is necessary on this recommendation because no consensus could be found on the using of colour for classification, which is done in Europe but not in the United States. A small working group, composed of France, Germany and the United States had been created to draw up a harmonized proposal that reflects the interest of all growers. A delegation of France had visited California during the harvest season for information and further discussions on a new colour chart.

18.	The Working Party agreed to extend the trial period for the UN/ECE Recommendation on Walnut Kernels for one year.

Other work

19.	Mr. Staub informed the Working Party of other decisions of the group:

-	Not to develop a standard on dried cherries, because the volume traded is too small.

-	To revise the standard layout (rapporteur Germany) and its annexes (rapporteur Spain).

20.	He also said that it had been decided to continue work on a multilingual dictionary of defects which had been created by Italy. This dictionary currently exists in 5 languages and it is envisaged to add other languages soon.

Meeting of Experts on Standardization of Meat (Porcine, Bovine and Poultry)

Document: TRADE/WP.7/GE.11/1998/5

21.	In addition to the Meeting of Experts in May a meeting of rapporteurs had been held in Brussels on 26 and 27 October 1998. Mr. P. Hardwick (United Kingdom) informed the Working Party on the progress made by the group on developing a standard for bovine meat. He said that in addition to the work on cuts the group also discussed "best practices" which take into account consumer concerns e.g. disease control.

22.	He explained that the group discussed having a UN/ECE trade mark which would guarantee that the provisions of the standard concerning cuts and "best practice" were complied with. This could encourage the use of the standard. The group is still at the beginning of this discussion and further information is necessary especially on the cost of the accreditation procedure.

Meeting of Experts on Standardization of Seed Potatoes

Document:	TRADE/WP.7/GE.6/1998/9

TRADE/WP.7/1998/6

23.	The chairman of the group, Mr. B. Borrel (Canada), explained the proposed revisions to the UN/ECE standard on Seed Potatoes. He gave a short introduction on the classification of seed potatoes into three classes: certified seed, basic seed and pre-basic seed. The last category had been added recently which was the reason for several amendments. In the definition of basic seed the word "maintenance programme" had been changed to "certification programme" which was thought to better reflect the current practice of producing basic seed.

24.	The EU and France reserved their position on this change. In this context it was mentioned that the EU had adopted the text of the UN/ECE standard in directive 66/403.

25.	Mr. Borrel said that in excess of 1 million tonnes of seed potatoes were traded annually internationally which means that more than 1 million acres are planted with imported potatoes. This high volume increases the risk of disseminating plant diseases with the result that seed potatoes received more attention from people dealing with plant health than those dealing with quality. In some countries diseases or pests mentioned in the UN/ECE standard are considered under plant quarantine legislation.

26.	He said that there was agreement in his group that the discussion forum offered by UN/ECE was unique and useful (facilities, secretariat assistance, composition of the group) but that the standard produced by the group was not widely recognized. One of the reasons given for this was that the provisions of the standard were not strict enough.

27.	It was mentioned that the term "regulated non-quarantine pests" (quality pests) has been approved by IPPC. This means that countries can apply measures to prevent the introduction of these pests if they regulate the same pests for their domestic produce. Therefore the introduction of stricter measures against these pests in the UN/ECE standard would be possible without creating a problem with the WTO TBT, which might make the standard more attractive. Mr. Borrel emphasized that the standard needed to be more actively promoted by the secretariat and others involved in the development of the standard.

28.	The Director of the UN/ECE Trade Division said that she agreed with Mr. Borrel but that active promotion of the standard would be difficult because of the present staffing situation. However, an additional post had been requested for this work.

29.	Mr. Borrel said he was pleased that at this years' Meeting of Experts a delegate from the United States had participated for the first time who had consequently written a favourable report on the UN/ECE meeting and encouraged the United States to participate on a regular basis. He had invited the rapporteurs to hold their meeting in Seattle. This invitation has been accepted. The meeting of rapporteurs will take place from 29 November to 2 December, followed by a symposium on seed potato standardization on 2 December and the annual National Potato Council seed seminar from 3 to 5 December.

30.	Finally Mr. Borrel raised the general question of how much regulation was needed in a standard and how much should be left to the individual country (e.g. in the present standard, countries are free to subdivide the three categories defined in the standard into classes).

31.	The delegation of Switzerland proposed that countries should consult their experts on seed potatoes to prepare a more detailed discussion at the next session and to give further guidance to the group. This was agreed by the Working Party.

32.	The Working Party adopted the revision to the UN/ECE standard on seed potatoes. The revised standard will be published in an addendum to this report.

Report of the Meeting of Experts on Coordination of Standardization of Fresh Fruit and Vegetables

Documents:	TRADE/WP.7/GE.1/1998/17

TRADE/WP.7/GE.1/1998/CRP.12, ../CRP.14, ../CRP.16

33.	The chairman of the group Mr. D. Priester (United States) presented the report of the group:

-	Revisions to the following standards were adopted: Beans, Carrots, Citrus Fruit, Garlic, Melons, Shelling Peas, Plums, Watermelons, Avocados and Broccoli.

-	Maturity requirements and sizing provisions for Citrus Fruit were discussed but will be rediscussed at the next session because no consensus could be found.

-	Principles for the inclusion of asparagus grown under certain climatic conditions were adopted. A proposal will be drawn up by the Codex and UN/ECE secretariats.

-	Informal working groups were formed on the following subjects:

-	review the proposals for amendments to the standard on Cultivated Mushrooms;

-	revision of the standard for Kiwi Fruit.

-	Several proposals made by the UN/ECE/OECD working group on Apples were adopted in principle including the revision of the list of varieties. Opinions differed on the inclusion of an alternative method for sizing. The group invited proposals and comments from delegations and will present a new proposal for the next session.

-	The usefulness of sizing provisions was discussed.

-	The new homepage on UN/ECE's work on agricultural standards was presented: http://www.unece.org/trade/agr/welcome.htm

34.	The Working Party adopted the revisions as proposed by the Meeting of Experts. The revised standards will be published in addenda to this report.

Matters of interest arising from the work of other international organizations

European Union

35.	The delegation of the EU said that the EU working group continued to take UN/ECE standards into account when discussing EU standards and to harmonize EU and UN/ECE standards. If during this work the need for amendments to UN/ECE standards arises the group proceeds as follows:

-	if the amendments are minor or less strict than the UN/ECE standard, then they are adopted by the EU working group and sent to UN/ECE for harmonisation;

-	if necessary they are first presented to UN/ECE before being adopted by the EU working group (e.g. as in the case of melons).

Codex Committee on Fresh Fruit and Vegetables

36.	The representative of FAO informed the meeting that the 45th session of the Executive Committee (CCEXEC) had:

-	assigned the revision of the Codex Standard for Fresh Fungus "Chanterelle" to the Codex Committee on Fresh Fruits and Vegetables;

-	abolished the Joint ECE/Codex Groups of Experts on the Standardization of Fruit Juices and on Quick Frozen Foods;

-	referred the consideration of the possible elaboration of proposed draft Codes of Hygenic Practice for Primary Production, Harvesting and Packaging of Fresh Produce and for Pre- Cut Fruits and Vegetables to the Codex Committee on Food Hygiene to decide whether further work was needed.

-	adopted proposed draft Codex Standards for Pineapples (Revised), Grapefruits, and Longans at Step 5;

-	approved proposals to elaborate Codex Standards for Tiquisque (Lilac and White), Yucca, Uchuva, Yellow Pitahaya and a proposed draft revised standard for Papaya (revised);

OECD

37.	The Explanatory Brochures are now available on the Scheme's web site (see http://www.oecd.org/agr/code/index.htm) and the brochure on Carrots was adopted and will be available on CD Rom following the WP.7 session 9-11 November. The colour gauge for Cauliflower will be reproduced by CTIFL.

38.	Several proposals elaborated by a working group on the future of the Scheme were adopted at the 58th Plenary meeting and are reflected in AGR/CA/FVS(98)1/Rev1:

-	A new primary objective was adopted: "to promote the establishment of one single international grade standard setting body" and in the interim continue its present activities.

-	The development and revision of explanatory material will be done by working groups outside of the Plenary Meetings.

-	Features of membership were relaxed to ensure there is no distinction between OECD member countries and participating countries.

-	The scale of contributions has been revamped and based on a two-stage system which involves a flat fee of the same amount to be paid by everyone and the second stage based on the OECD calculation method.

39.	The 9th Meeting of Heads of Control services, will be hosted by Israel from 11 to 13 October 1999.

40.	Three countries have formalized their withdrawal from the Scheme: Denmark, United Kingdom and United States.

WTO

41.	The Director of the Trade Division has been invited to make a presentation to the WTO Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade on 19 November 1998. The presentation will include UN/ECE standards for fresh and dried agricultural produce, as well as other UN/ECE work regarding standards.

Report on international workshops and training courses on standardization and quality control

42.	Information on the "Geisenheimer Tagung" was given by Germany: it will be held from 22-24 February 1999, with the theme "Harmonisation of quality control and interpretation of quality standards". Translation in English and French will be available and invitation letters will be sent out in December.

43.	Information on several training courses was given by Poland:

-	on the UN/ECE standard on asparagus (Swiecko, 8th June 1998, with lecturers from Germany);

-	on quality standards for fresh fruit and vegetables (Warsaw, 23-25 September, with lecturers from the United Kingdom);

-	on post harvest technology and quality control of fresh fruit and vegetables (Greece, 12-25 October 1998).

44.	Information on several training courses was given by the United Kingdom:

-	15-17 September 1998, on courgettes, cauliflowers, lettuce, mini products, citurs, apples, avocados, tomatoes, melons and carrots held by the Horticultural Marketing Inspectorate and attended by 43 delegates from 24 countries;

-	11-15 January 1999, course in Portugal;

-	2-13 February 1998, two inspectors from the HMI attended the USDA Terminal Market Training School;

-	September 1999, next International Training Course.

Matters of interest arising from the report of the Working Party on Transport of Perishable Foodstuffs

45.	The Working Party on the Transport of Perishable Foodstuffs held its fifty-fourth session from 2 to 5 November 1998 in Geneva.

46.	Based on a proposal by the Russian Federation the question of including requirements for the transport of fresh fruit and vegetables in the ATP agreement was discussed (see TRANS/WP.11/198 paras 53 to 63). The delegation of the Russian Federation stressed the necessity to include such requirements in ATP to solve problems of quality and undamaged condition of the products in international transport. The Spanish delegation supported the inclusion of such requirements.

47.	Some delegations were of the opinion that the transport of fresh fruit and vegetables did not give rise to any public health problems and could be regulated by the market.

48.	The French delegation said that not only public health questions but also fresh fruit and vegetables were included in the scope of ATP because these were perishable foodstuffs. He shared the feelings of other delegations concerning the difficulties of including temperature requirements for fresh fruit and vegetables and suggested to resort to bilateral or multilateral agreements to collect further experiences with such requirements.

49.	The representative of Transfrigoroute International said that some members of his organization were interested in drawing up rules for this type of transport but that no conclusive positions had been adopted in this regard.

50.	The delegation of the Russian Federation will prepare a proposal for the next session.

Programme of work

Document: TRADE/WP.7/1998/7

51.	The document presents the proposed programme of work for 1999-2000 for the consideration and approval of the Working Party.

52.	The delegation of the United States proposed to add to the programme of work an item concerning the review of the working procedures of the Working Party and its specialized sections. He said the working procedures should offer a clear outline how delegates work during the sessions and how documents should be prepared. He offered to prepare a proposal for the next session.

53.	The Working Party agreed to include this item in the programme of work. The secretariat will amend the text, taking into account the decisions of the Meeting of Experts on the Coordination of Standardization of Fresh Fruit and Vegetables. The amended text will be reproduced in annex 1 to this report.

Calendar of Meetings

54.	The tentative calendar of sessions of the Specialized Sections and the Working Party for 1999 is contained in annex 2 to this report.

Publications

55.	The secretariat informed the Working Party that all standards will be published on the Internet homepage of UN/ECE together with other relevant information on the work of WP.7 and its specialized sections.

Title of standards elaborated by the Working Party

Document: TRADE/WP.7/1998/8

56.	TRADE/WP.7/1998/8 contains the reply of the Legal Counsel of the United Nations concerning the change of the title of standards from "UN/ECE standard" to "UN standard". This change had been proposed to the Committee for Trade, Industry and Enterprise Development by the Working Party on a request from the rapporteurs on seed potatoes.

57.	In his answer the Legal Counsel states that the proposal might easily be challenged on legal grounds, because even though UN/ECE standards are "de facto" used internationally there are also "de jure" international standards agreed within the Codex Alimentarius Commission. His conclusion is that the proposal is unlikely to be approved by ECOSOC.

58.	The representative from FAO said that the legal counsel of the FAO shares that view.

59.	The Working Party decided to withdraw its proposal to the Committee for Trade, Industry and Enterprise Development to change the title of the UN/ECE standards to UN standards.

60.	The delegation of Greece said that it was a matter of fact that UN/ECE standards existed on many products and were used on a large scale. He said he was not against having several organizations in the world working on grade standards but that he was against those organisations drawing up different standards on the same products.

61.	The delegation of Romania said that ISO standards on dried apples and pears existed and that efforts should be made by the Working Party to avoid duplication of work in the future.

Acceptances of UN/ECE Standards

62.	The secretariat will prepare a new form for a survey of acceptances of UN/ECE standards. This will be sent out to all delegations and a consolidated document will be prepared for the next session.

Election of officers

63.	The Working Party elected the following bureau:

Chairperson:	Mr. M. Vilchez-Barros (Spain)

Vice-Chairperson:	Mr. D.L. Priester (United States of America)

Vice-Chairperson:	Ms. O. Vorovenci (Romania)

Adoption of the report

64.	The Working Party adopted the report of its fifty-fourth session.

ANNEX I

PROGRAMME OF WORK FOR 1999 - 2003

PROGRAMME ACTIVITY 04: TRADE FACILITATION AND AGRICULTURAL STANDARDS

04 (C)	STANDARDIZATION OF PERISHABLE PRODUCE AND QUALITY DEVELOPMENT

04 (C).1	Activities of the Working Party on Standardization of Perishable Produce and Quality Development

Description: The Working Party prepares and revises standards, recommendations and interpretative brochures for the marketing and control of commercial quality of selected perishable produce moving in international trade between and to UN/ECE member countries.

Workshops are organized:	(1)	in the form of informal meetings of rapporteurs for particular standards under elaboration or revision (seed potatoes, meat);

(2)	on harmonization of standards and control procedures in countries in transition.

Work accomplished: Several standards for fresh fruit and vegetables and the Standard layout for fresh fruit and vegetables were revised. A new standard for dried apples was adopted. Recommendations on inshell hazelnuts and hazelnut kernels were adopted for a two year trial period. The revision of the Standards for early and ware potatoes continued. The Standard for porcine carcasses and cuts was published. The work on the preparation of a draft standard for beef continued. The work on the revision of the Standard for Seed Potatoes continued.

Work to be undertaken:

(a)	Elaboration of new standards for dry and dried produce, fresh fruit and vegetables and meat.

Duration: Continuing

(b)	Revision of selected standards and recommendations: publication of revised standards for fresh fruit and vegetables, dry and dried fruit and early and ware potatoes on the World Wide Web. Review of the standard for seed potatoes. Preparation of a draft standard for beef carcasses and cuts.

Duration:	It is expected that all standards will have been published on the World Wide Web by Spring 1999. The revision and updating of standards is continuing.

(c)	Workshops on harmonization of standards and control procedures for perishable produce in countries in economic transition

Duration:	It is expected that a workshop for countries in transition will be organized for autumn 1999.

(d)	Interpretation of the provisions concerning quality tolerances in the standards for fresh fruit and vegetables

Duration: Continuing

(e)	Investigation of quality assurance systems for perishable produce

Duration: Continuing

(f)	Creation and updating of a homepage on the World Wide Web containing up to date information on the work of the Working Party.

Duration:	It is expected that a first version of this system will be accessible on the World Wide Web at the beginning of 1999. This system will then be continually enlarged and updated.

04(C).2	Activities of the specialized sections of the Working Party

04(C).2.1	Specialized Section on the Coordination of Standardization of Fresh Fruit and Vegetables

Continuing activities

Elaboration of harmonized commercial quality standards

Review and revision of existing standards

Problems of quality control, including the harmonization and overview of certification, quality control and inspections, in cooperation with the OECD Scheme on the Application of International Standards for Fruit and Vegetables.

Publication of the UN/ECE Standards, Geneva Protocol, Standard Layout and Guides on the World Wide Web.

Specific activities

Review of the status of the acceptance and application of UN/ECE Standards

Review and revision

-	Standards on Apples and Pears (including list of varieties), Asparagus, Citrus Fruit (sizing maturity requirements), Cultivated Mushrooms, Kiwi Fruit, Peaches and Nectarines (transport in bulk), Plums (list of varieties only).

Consideration to include provisions for miniature fruit and vegetables in UN/ECE standards

Application of quality control

Investigation of a quality assurance system

Interpretation of provisions concerning the application of quality tolerances

Draft Codex standards for fresh fruit and vegetables under review

-	asparagus, limes, oranges, pineapples as proposed

04(C).2.2	Specialized Section on Standardization of Dry and Dried Produce

Continuing activities

Elaboration of harmonized commercial quality standards

Review and revision of existing standards

Review of the Standard Layout for Dry and Dried Fruit

Review of a multi-lingual Dictionary of Defects

Publication of the UN/ECE standards for Dry and Dried Fruit on the Internet World Wide Web

Specific activities

Review and revision

-	Pistachio nuts, walnuts,

Recommendations under review

-	Cashew kernels, hazelnut kernels, inshell hazelnuts and walnut kernels

04(C).2.3	Specialized Section on Standardization of Meat

Elaboration of UN/ECE standard for beef carcasses and cuts and preparation of an interpretative brochure

Investigation of the possibility of creating a UN/ECE quality trade mark for meat.

For poultry meat, further consideration of methods for determining extraneous water in poultry chilled by using water. Publication of the revised standard and an interpretative brochure

04(C).2.4	Specialized Section on Standardization of Early and Ware Potatoes,

Specialized Section on Standardization of Seed Potatoes

Review of the standards for early and ware potatoes

-	Comparison of inspection and sampling methods

-	Definition of varieties of long and irregular shape (preparation of list of such varieties)

Revision of UN/ECE General Conditions of Sale for Potatoes

For seed potatoes:

-	Review of the standard;

-	review of the questionnaire on national seed potato schemes,

-	definition of the complete control procedure for the certification of seed
potatoes,

-	elaboration of a list of quality diseases for inclusion in the standard.

04(C).2.5	Standardization of eggs and egg products

Publication on the World Wide Web.

04(C).2.6	Standardization of cut flowers

Publication on the World Wide Web.

04(C).2.7	General conditions of sale for fresh fruit and vegetables and for dry and dried fruit

Note: For the above activities (04(C).2.5.-04(C).2.7) the regular Meetings of Experts have been discontinued. Review, revision and updating of existing standards and conditions of sale may require sessions in future as needed.

ANNEX II

TENTATIVE CALENDAR OF MEETINGS FOR 1999

Symbol and name	Session	Location	Date	10 week deadline for documents
GE.5:	Specialized Section on Standardization of Potatoes (Early and Ware)	14	Geneva	1-2 February	23 November 1998
GE.11:	Specialized Section on Standardization of Meat (Porcine, Bovine and Poultry)	8	Geneva	10-12 May	1 March
GE.2:	Specialized Section on Standardization of Dry and Dried Produce (Fruit)	46	Geneva	7-11 June	29 March
GE.1:	Specialized Section on Coordination of Standardization of Fresh Fruit and Vegetables	45	Geneva	25-28 October	16 August
WP.7:	Working Party on Standardization of Perishable Produce and Quality Development	55	Geneva	3-5 November	25 August