Council Minutes, 24 January 2005
The following is an extract from the minutes of the Council Meeting for Agriculture and Fisheries held in Brussels on 24 January 2005
The Council adopted a Regulation on maximum residue levels of pesticides in food and feed, designed to raise the level of consumer health protection (9262/1/04, 9262/1/04 ADD 1 and 16109/04).
The aim of the new, harmonised provisions is twofold: to facilitate trade in food and feed products within the Single Market and with third countries, and to ensure a consistent level of consumer protection across the EU.
Under the Regulation, maximum residue levels will always be set at Community level. The role of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) is also defined; it will be responsible for risk assessment, based on reports from the Member States.
The proposal overhauls and streamlines pesticides legislation by replacing four Directives with a single Regulation, at the same time as amending Regulation 91/414/EEC.