diff --git a/doc/configuration.txt b/doc/configuration.txt
index bd2de33f4..9a50ef41d 100644
--- a/doc/configuration.txt
+++ b/doc/configuration.txt
@@ -1375,6 +1375,7 @@ description                               -          X         X         X
 disabled                                  X          X         X         X
 dispatch                                  -          -         X         X
 email-alert from                          X          X         X         X
+email-alert level                         X          X         X         X
 email-alert mailers                       X          X         X         X
 email-alert myhostname                    X          X         X         X
 email-alert to                            X          X         X         X
@@ -2697,7 +2698,30 @@ email-alert from <emailaddr>
   Also requires "email-alert mailers" and "email-alert to" to be set
   and if so sending email alerts is enabled for the proxy.
 
-  See also : "email-alert mailers", "email-alert myhostname", "email-alert to",
+  See also : "email-alert level", "email-alert mailers",
+             "email-alert myhostname", "email-alert to", section 3.6 about mailers.
+
+
+email-alert level <level>
+  Declare the maximum log level of messages for which email alerts will be
+  sent. This acts as a filter on the sending of email alerts.
+  May be used in sections:    defaults | frontend | listen | backend
+                                 yes   |    yes   |   yes  |   yes
+
+  Arguments :
+
+    <level> One of the 8 syslog levels:
+              emerg alert crit err warning notice info  debug
+            The above syslog levels are ordered from lowest to highest.
+
+  By default level is alert
+
+  Also requires "email-alert from", "email-alert mailers" and
+  "email-alert to" to be set and if so sending email alerts is enabled
+  for the proxy.
+
+  See also : "email-alert from", "email-alert mailers",
+             "email-alert myhostname", "email-alert to",
              section 3.6 about mailers.
 
 
@@ -2713,8 +2737,8 @@ email-alert mailers <mailersect>
   Also requires "email-alert from" and "email-alert to" to be set
   and if so sending email alerts is enabled for the proxy.
 
-  See also : "email-alert from", "email-alert myhostname", "email-alert to",
-             section 3.6 about mailers.
+  See also : "email-alert from", "email-alert level", "email-alert myhostname",
+             "email-alert to", section 3.6 about mailers.
 
 
 email-alert myhostname <hostname>
@@ -2733,8 +2757,8 @@ email-alert myhostname <hostname>
   "email-alert to" to be set and if so sending email alerts is enabled
   for the proxy.
 
-  See also : "email-alert from", "email-alert mailers", "email-alert to",
-             section 3.6 about mailers.
+  See also : "email-alert from", "email-alert level", "email-alert mailers",
+             "email-alert to", section 3.6 about mailers.
 
 
 email-alert to <emailaddr>
@@ -2750,7 +2774,7 @@ email-alert to <emailaddr>
   Also requires "email-alert mailers" and "email-alert to" to be set
   and if so sending email alerts is enabled for the proxy.
 
-  See also : "email-alert from", "email-alert mailers",
+  See also : "email-alert from", "email-alert level", "email-alert mailers",
              "email-alert myhostname", section 3.6 about mailers.
 
 
diff --git a/include/proto/checks.h b/include/proto/checks.h
index b4faed071..67d659fb5 100644
--- a/include/proto/checks.h
+++ b/include/proto/checks.h
@@ -47,8 +47,8 @@ static inline void health_adjust(struct server *s, short status)
 const char *init_check(struct check *check, int type);
 void free_check(struct check *check);
 
-void send_email_alert(struct server *s, const char *format, ...)
-	__attribute__ ((format(printf, 2, 3)));
+void send_email_alert(struct server *s, int priority, const char *format, ...)
+	__attribute__ ((format(printf, 3, 4)));
 #endif /* _PROTO_CHECKS_H */
 
 /*
diff --git a/include/types/proxy.h b/include/types/proxy.h
index 230b8040e..968946070 100644
--- a/include/types/proxy.h
+++ b/include/types/proxy.h
@@ -402,6 +402,9 @@ struct proxy {
 		char *from;			/* Address to send email alerts from */
 		char *to;			/* Address(es) to send email alerts to */
 		char *myhostname;		/* Identity to use in HELO command sent to mailer */
+		int level;			/* Maximum syslog level of messages to send
+						 * email alerts for */
+		int set;			/* True if email_alert settings are present */
 		struct email_alertq *queues;	/* per-mailer alerts queues */
 	} email_alert;
 };
diff --git a/src/cfgparse.c b/src/cfgparse.c
index 3af0449e4..ba07794c4 100644
--- a/src/cfgparse.c
+++ b/src/cfgparse.c
@@ -1618,6 +1618,8 @@ void init_default_instance()
 	defproxy.defsrv.onerror = DEF_HANA_ONERR;
 	defproxy.defsrv.consecutive_errors_limit = DEF_HANA_ERRLIMIT;
 	defproxy.defsrv.uweight = defproxy.defsrv.iweight = 1;
+
+	defproxy.email_alert.level = LOG_ALERT;
 }
 
 
@@ -2372,6 +2374,7 @@ int cfg_parse_listen(const char *file, int linenum, char **args, int kwm)
 			curproxy->email_alert.to = strdup(defproxy.email_alert.to);
 		if (defproxy.email_alert.myhostname)
 			curproxy->email_alert.myhostname = strdup(defproxy.email_alert.myhostname);
+		curproxy->email_alert.level = defproxy.email_alert.level;
 
 		goto out;
 	}
@@ -2930,6 +2933,15 @@ int cfg_parse_listen(const char *file, int linenum, char **args, int kwm)
 			free(curproxy->email_alert.myhostname);
 			curproxy->email_alert.myhostname = strdup(args[2]);
 		}
+		else if (!strcmp(args[1], "level")) {
+			curproxy->email_alert.level = get_log_level(args[2]);
+			if (curproxy->email_alert.level < 0) {
+				Alert("parsing [%s:%d] : unknown log level '%s' after '%s'\n",
+				      file, linenum, args[1], args[2]);
+				err_code |= ERR_ALERT | ERR_FATAL;
+				goto out;
+			}
+		}
 		else if (!strcmp(args[1], "to")) {
 			if (*(args[1]) == 0) {
 				Alert("parsing [%s:%d] : missing argument after '%s'.\n",
@@ -2946,6 +2958,8 @@ int cfg_parse_listen(const char *file, int linenum, char **args, int kwm)
 			err_code |= ERR_ALERT | ERR_FATAL;
 			goto out;
 		}
+		/* Indicate that the email_alert is at least partially configured */
+		curproxy->email_alert.set = 1;
 	}/* end else if (!strcmp(args[0], "email-alert"))  */
 	else if (!strcmp(args[0], "external-check")) {
 		if (*(args[1]) == 0) {
@@ -6607,11 +6621,11 @@ int check_config_validity()
 			}
 		}
 
-		if ((curproxy->email_alert.mailers.name || curproxy->email_alert.from ||
-		     curproxy->email_alert.myhostname || curproxy->email_alert.to)) {
+		if (curproxy->email_alert.set) {
 		    if (!(curproxy->email_alert.mailers.name && curproxy->email_alert.from && curproxy->email_alert.to)) {
 			    Warning("config : 'email-alert' will be ignored for %s '%s' (the presence any of "
-				    "'email-alert from', 'email-alert mailer', 'email-alert hostname' or 'email-alert to' "
+				    "'email-alert from', 'email-alert level' 'email-alert mailer', "
+				    "'email-alert hostname', or 'email-alert to' "
 				    "requrires each of 'email-alert from', 'email-alert mailer' and 'email-alert' "
 				    "to be present).\n",
 				    proxy_type_str(curproxy), curproxy->id);
diff --git a/src/checks.c b/src/checks.c
index ea167de10..184301cc0 100644
--- a/src/checks.c
+++ b/src/checks.c
@@ -317,7 +317,7 @@ static void set_server_check_status(struct check *check, short status, const cha
 
 		Warning("%s.\n", trash.str);
 		send_log(s->proxy, LOG_NOTICE, "%s.\n", trash.str);
-		send_email_alert(s, "%s", trash.str);
+		send_email_alert(s, LOG_NOTICE, "%s", trash.str);
 	}
 }
 
@@ -3113,14 +3113,15 @@ static void enqueue_email_alert(struct proxy *p, const char *msg)
 /*
  * Send email alert if configured.
  */
-void send_email_alert(struct server *s, const char *format, ...)
+void send_email_alert(struct server *s, int level, const char *format, ...)
 {
 	va_list argp;
 	char buf[1024];
 	int len;
 	struct proxy *p = s->proxy;
 
-	if (!p->email_alert.mailers.m || format == NULL || !init_email_alert_checks(s))
+	if (!p->email_alert.mailers.m || level > p->email_alert.level ||
+	    format == NULL || !init_email_alert_checks(s))
 		return;
 
 	va_start(argp, format);
diff --git a/src/server.c b/src/server.c
index 4458642e0..118a1ed99 100644
--- a/src/server.c
+++ b/src/server.c
@@ -232,6 +232,7 @@ void srv_set_stopped(struct server *s, const char *reason)
 	struct server *srv;
 	int prev_srv_count = s->proxy->srv_bck + s->proxy->srv_act;
 	int srv_was_stopping = (s->state == SRV_ST_STOPPING);
+	int log_level;
 	int xferred;
 
 	if ((s->admin & SRV_ADMF_MAINT) || s->state == SRV_ST_STOPPED)
@@ -255,12 +256,13 @@ void srv_set_stopped(struct server *s, const char *reason)
 	             "%sServer %s/%s is DOWN", s->flags & SRV_F_BACKUP ? "Backup " : "",
 	             s->proxy->id, s->id);
 
-	send_email_alert(s, "%s", trash.str);
 	srv_append_status(&trash, s, reason, xferred, 0);
 	Warning("%s.\n", trash.str);
 
 	/* we don't send an alert if the server was previously paused */
-	send_log(s->proxy, srv_was_stopping ? LOG_NOTICE : LOG_ALERT, "%s.\n", trash.str);
+	log_level = srv_was_stopping ? LOG_NOTICE : LOG_ALERT;
+	send_log(s->proxy, log_level, "%s.\n", trash.str);
+	send_email_alert(s, log_level, "%s", trash.str);
 
 	if (prev_srv_count && s->proxy->srv_bck == 0 && s->proxy->srv_act == 0)
 		set_backend_down(s->proxy);