The European Commission has proposed a series of measures to try and simplify food to feed safety legislation.
Affected areas range from plant protection and biocidal products, to feed, official controls and animal health and welfare.
According to the EU Commission, the move could save €1 billion in compliance costs including €428 million ($502 million) annually for businesses as well as €661 million ($776 million) per year for national agencies.
The EU Commission said that while the aim is to reduce administrative costs and burdens, strict requirements for food and feed safety, health and environmental protection will be maintained.
Areas in focus
Among the key measures suggested are making renewal procedures for pesticides and biocides more targeted and efficient; simpler accreditation rules for official laboratories; and adapting bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) surveillance and risk mitigation requirements.
For example, it would allow consignments of plants and plant products to be partially cleared at the border, so the compliant part could be put on the market while controls continue on the rest. This would ease the pressure on border authorities, and limit food waste caused by spoilage of goods awaiting inspections.
Flexibility has been suggested on the requirement of mandatory accreditation for all the methods used by reference labs. Accreditation will remain in place for priority pests, feed additives, food contact materials and routinely used methods.
Currently, member states must notify draft national hygiene measures under two different legal frameworks depending on the type of action. Around 50 such measures are reported per year. The proposal requires that national measures are listed only under one directive.
Next steps: Parliament and Council
Olivér Várhelyi, Commissioner for Health and Animal Welfare, said: “This simplification package is creating a more efficient and effective agri-food system, maintaining our very high food safety standards. Where duly justified, food imports treated with the most hazardous pesticides banned in the EU will also not be allowed into our markets implementing our high safety standards and a level playing field for consumers and farmers alike.”
The legislative proposal will now be submitted to the European Parliament and European Council.
Valdis Dombrovskis, Commissioner for Economy and Productivity; Implementation and Simplification, explained the intended impact of the changes.
“For economic operators, it removes overlaps in requirements and reporting, addresses legal uncertainties and eliminates procedures that had little added value. For national authorities, it will free up resources to focus attention on controlling higher-risk areas,” Dombrovskis said.
FoodDrinkEurope said for a plan intended to simplify food and feed safety rules, it didn’t go far enough.
“While there are a few welcome measures for food and drink manufacturers, Europe’s largest manufacturing industry, the middle of the chain remains largely overlooked in this legislative package,” said the group, which represents the food and drink sector.
PAN Europe called on the European Parliament and member states to block the rollback of decades of gradual improvements in the regulation of pesticides.
