As reported by press on Wednesday, the Council of State rejected the deferment request made by the Flemish deli meat producer, TerBeke-Pluma, currently fighting a decision which requires it to have 'produced outside the Ardennes region' written on the packaging of its sausages...its Ardennes sausages! In 2010, the Walloon government decided to recognize the designation "Ardennes sausage" as a 'protected geographical indication'. Ter Beke and another Flemish firm consequently challenged the decision before the Council of State, but their claim was rejected.
Last April, the Walloon Government granted a conditional period of adjustment for both companies, but Ter Beke again challenged these conditions before the Council of State, which led to the current request for deferment being denied.
It quotes, "the applicant firm has failed to provide factual proof of how being forced to specify the words 'produced outside the Ardennes region', or specifying where the product was produced, on product packaging, will adversely affect it."
As to the case it put forward of having to "change all product packaging concerned" and "adapt its business strategy", it deems neither to be "anything out of the ordinary for a typical business to deal with."
(Source: Belga)
