Commission Mid-day Express, 25 January 2010
As of today, all EU Member States will step up their border controls on a number of pre-listed products -ranging from peanuts to fruit and vegetables- originating from outside the EU in an effort to limit possible harm to human and animal health.
These controls are foreseen in Regulation (EC) No. 669/2009 which enters into application today and provides, for the first time ever, for a set of common rules for official controls on imports of certain feed and food of non-animal origin. As a result, checks on documents accompanying the consignments will be carried out systematically on these products at EU borders, while physical checks will be performed at a lower frequency. The increased level of checks is to ascertain the possible presence of a number of substances that may pose a risk to human and animal health, such as aflatoxins in nuts and pesticides in fruits and vegetables. The Commission intends to monitor regularly the implementation of this Regulation by Member States.
With the experience acquired at national level and by relying on the most recent available science, the Commission will proceed to quarterly reviews of the list of concerned products to ensure that a high level of consumer and health protection is guaranteed throughout the EU. See also: http://ec.europa.eu/food/food/controls/foodfeed/legisl_en.htm