FSA Letter (OCR 087), 14 December, 2010

IMPORTS - Regulation (EC) No 669/2009 (as amended) implementing Regulation (EC) No 882/2004 as regards the increased level of official controls on imports of certain feed and food of non-animal origin (Non-POAO)

A copy of this letter, including the Commission's proposal, is available on this site. See: FSA Official Control Update - December 2010 (2)

Further to the letter of 1 December 2010 [see 1 December 2010], I am now writing to update you on developments following a Commission Working Group meeting in Brussels on 6 December at which a proposed amendment to Annex I to Regulation 669/2009 (anticipated to apply from April 2011) was discussed.

 The Commission is hoping to present a proposed draft Commission Regulation amending Annex I to Regulation (EC) No 669/2009 to the Standing Committee on the Food Chain and Animal Health (SCoFCAH) on 12 January 2011. The draft Regulation is attached at Appendix 1 and your views on this are welcome by 5 January 2011.

The main changes to the list of products at Annex I, to which increased import controls is anticipated to apply from 1 April 2011 are outlined below:

Aflatoxins controls:

• de-listing of groundnuts and derived products (feed and food) from Vietnam

Heavy metals:

• de-listing of trace elements (feed and food) from China

Sudan Dyes:

• decrease frequency for identity/physical checks on chilli, chilli products, curcuma and red palm oil (food) from all third countries from 20% to 10%

Pesticide residues:

• de-listing of mangoes (food) from the Dominican Republic

New entries:

• groundnuts, peanut butter from South Africa-frequency of identity/physical checks of 10% (aflatoxins)
• okra from India - frequency of identity/physical checks of 10% (pesticide residues)

The Commission has indicated that any de-listing from Annex I and the decreasing of any of the control frequencies will be applicable on the 20th day following the publication of the amending Regulation in the Official Journal of the European Union.

We will keep you informed of further developments.