One year after its introduction, only one label for agricultural products has applied for state approval. While other producers are getting started, others are uncertain and cautious. It remains to be seen whether the system will prove its worth. An interim assessment.
The first attempt did not succeed. However, the fact is that the association of agricultural distillers is the first to officially attempt to have a label recognised by the state in the context of the new approval system (see infobox) – in order to keep the spirit of the Marque Nationale alive, so to speak.
More than a year ago, with the law of June 3, 2022, Luxembourg introduced state approval for quality assurance systems or for certifications of agricultural products such as flour, butter, meat or honey. Among other things, this was a reaction to the end of the Marque Nationale: the Grand Duchy had to abolish the state label for agricultural products because it was no longer compliant with European legislation. The almost 90-year-old legal basis, the law of July 2, 1932 on the standardisation of agricultural and horticultural products and the creation of a national brand, was therefore declared null and void by a large majority in parliament last year.
"The Marque Nationale was the only label we had in Luxembourg, and it had a certain importance, " explains Marc Fisch, President of the Union Nationale des Distillateurs Agricoles Luxembourgeois (Undal). Because Luxembourg distillers are "all self-marketers, " the national brand was above all an additional sales argument, for example to convince new customers of the product quality. In addition, the Luxembourg distilleries regularly entered the international competition for eaux-de-vie and liqueurs in Metz through the national brand.
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