The present Regulation lays down standards applicable to asparagus at all stages of marketing under the conditions laid down in Regulation (EC) No. 2200/96. Nevertheless, at stages following dispatch, the products may show in relation to the provisions of the standard a slight lack of freshness and turgidity, for products graded in classes other than the "Extra" class, slight deteriorations due to their development and their tendency to perish. The Annex attached, which contains the standards af