Foodlaw-Reading
Dr David Jukes, The University of Reading, UK
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Commission consultation, 17 April 2023
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Commission consultation: Public health import conditions for food – amendment A copy of the consultation document is available on this site (click on image). |
The consultation is open until the 15 May 2023. For more details, see the consultation page: Public health import conditions for food – amendment. The following is the opening section of the consultation document:
1. CONTEXT OF THE DELEGATED ACT
Regulation (EU) 2017/625 of the European Parliament and of the Council lays down rules for the performance of official controls and other official activities by the competent authorities of the Member States, in particular to ensure that consignments of animals and goods from third countries comply with the requirements for their uentry into the Union.
Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2022/2292 supplements the requirements laid down in Regulation (EU) 2017/625 as regards the identification of foodproducing animals and certain goods subject to the requirements for the inclusion of the third country or region thereof or the establishment in a list and to the issuance of official certificates or the presentation of a private attestation, and the specific conditions for entry in the Union of those animals and those goods.
Honey and other apiculture products intended for human consumption are commodities that are regularly reported as being the subject of fraudulent practices. The results of a recent Union coordinated action have shown that a significant part of honey and apiculture products imported into the Union are adulterated. The most common type of adulteration is the addition of extraneous sugars remain undetected and present on the Union market. Of the samples taken at EU Union borders during this EU that Union coordinated action, 46 % were suspected of being non-compliant. In total, 57% of exporters in third countries that were controlled were flagged as having exported honey consignments suspected of being adulterated with extraneous sugars The results of that Union coordinated action showed that two-thirds of importers implicated imported at least one suspicious consignment.
In order to organise reinforced checks on consignments of honey and apiculture products presented at Union border control posts for their import into the Union, it is necessary that third country establishments exporting honey to the Union are listed on a list drawn up and kept up to date in accordance with Article 127(3) points (e)(ii) and (iii), of Regulation (EU) 2017/625.
Therefore, this Delegated Regulation amends Delegated Regulation (EU) 2022/2292 in order to require that honey and other apicultural products intended for human consumption imported into the Union from third countries and that are intended to be placed on the Union market be dispatched from, and obtained or prepared in, establishments that appear on lists drawn up and kept up to date in accordance with Article 127(3), points (e)(ii) and (iii), of Regulation (EU) 2017/625. A transitional period of twelve months will be established for third countries to establish such lists to facilitate a smooth transition while not disrupting trade.
Delegated Regulation (EU) 2022/2292 was adopted on 6 September 2022. Since thenMember States and stakeholders’ organisations have signalled the need to amend some provisions. These amendments intend to:
A few substantial errors are also corrected. They concern:
