Friday 4th October 2024
EU Judgment in Case C-240/23 Herbaria Kräuterparadies II
(Agriculture and Fisheries)
The request for a preliminary ruling of the Federal Administrative Court, Germany concerns the interpretation of different articles of Regulation (EU) 2018/848 on organic production and labelling of organic products as well as of Article 20 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union.
This reference for a preliminary ruling is made in proceedings between Herbaria
Kräuterparadies GmbH, a company incorporated under German law (‘Herbaria’), and the Land of Bavaria, Germany, concerning the possibility of using the organic production method in the labelling, advertising and marketing of a mixture of fruit juices and herbal extracts.
Herbaria is the manufacturer of ‘Blutquick’, a blend of fruit juices and herbal extracts containing, in addition to organic plant products, non-organic vitamins and iron gluconate. Blutquick is presented and marketed as a food supplement. Its packaging contains the organic production logo of the European Union, the national organic label and a reference to the origin of the ingredients from ‘controlled organic cultivation’.
Since 2012, Herbaria has disputed the decision of the Land of Bavaria prohibiting it from using the reference to the organic production method in the labelling, advertising and marketing of a mixture of fruit juice and herb extracts which contains, in addition to the organic products, non-plant vitamins and ferrous gluconate not coming from organic farming.
A first judgment of the Court of Justice confirmed the Land of Bavaria’s interpretation that the organic production logo of the European Union and any reference to organic production could not be used in such a situation (C-137/13).
Herbaria accepted that decision and relies on a breach of equality between its product and a similar American product to which non-organic non-plant vitamins and ferrous gluconate are added, but which is recognised as originating from organic production in the United States of America and which, on that basis, may be marketed on the territory of the European Union with the organic production logo of the European Union by reason of the recognition of the United States as a non-EU country whose rules on production and control are equivalent.
The request by the referring court will allow the Court to clarify the use that must be made of the organic production logo of the European Union in the event of imports of products originating from organic farming.
Freitag, 4. Oktober 2024
Urteil des Gerichtshofs (Große Kammer) in der Rechtssache C‑240/23 Herbaria Kräuterparadies II
EU-Logo für ökologische/biologische Produktion
Seit 2012 wehrt sich die Herbaria Kräuterparadies GmbH gegen die Entscheidung des Freistaats Bayern, mit der ihr untersagt wurde, den Hinweis auf den ökologischen Landbau in der Etikettierung, Kennzeichnung, Werbung und Vermarktung einer Fruchtsaftmischung mit Kräuterauszügen zu verwenden, die neben biologischen/ökologischen Produkten auch Vitamine nicht pflanzlichen Ursprungs und Eisengluconat enthält, die nicht mittels biologischer Landwirtschaft erzeugt werden.
Ein erstes Urteil des Gerichtshofs hat die Auslegung des Freistaats Bayern bestätigt, dass das Logo der Europäischen Union für ökologische/biologische Produktion sowie der Hinweis auf den ökologischen Landbau in einem solchen Fall nicht verwendet werden können (Urteil vom 5. November 2014, Herbaria Kräuterparadies, C‑137/13).
Herbaria beruft sich nunmehr auf eine Ungleichbehandlung ihres Produkts gegenüber einem vergleichbaren US-amerikanischen Produkt. Auch diesem seien pflanzliche Vitamine und Eisengluconat aus nicht ökologischer/nicht biologischer Herstellung beigefügt. Dennoch sei es als aus US-amerikanischer ökologischer/biologischer Produktion stammendes Produkt anerkannt und dürfe aus diesem Grund in der EU mit deren Logo für ökologische/biologische Produktion vermarktet werden. Die Vereinigten Staaten seien nämlich als Drittland mit gleichwertigen Produktions- und Kontrollvorschriften anerkannt.
Das Bundesverwaltungsgericht hat den Gerichtshof um Vorabentscheidung hierzu ersucht.
Generalanwalt Richard de la Tour hat in seinen Schlussanträgen vom 18. Juni 2024 die Ansicht vertreten, dass eine etwaige Ungleichbehandlung jedenfalls gerechtfertigt sei.
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