REGUL ATION (EU) 2021/1756 OF THE EUR OPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL 
of 6 Oct ober 2021
amending Regulation (EU) 2017/625 as regards official controls on animals and products of animal 
origin expor ted from third countr ies to the Union in order to ensure compliance with the 
prohibition of certain uses of antimicrobials and Regulation (EC) No 853/2004 as regards the direct 
supply of meat from poultr y and lagomor phs 
(Text with EEA relevance) 
THE EUR OPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL OF THE EUR OPEAN UNION,
Havi ng regar d to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, and in particular Article 43(2), Article 114 and 
point (b) of Article 168(4) thereof,
Havi ng regar d to the proposal from the European Commission,
After transmission of the draf t legislative act to the national parliaments,
Havi ng regar d to the opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee (1),
After consulting the Committ ee of the Regions,
Acting in accordance with the ordinar y legislative procedure (2),
Whereas:
(1) Regulation (EU) 2017/625 of the European Parliament and of the Council (3)lays down the rules for the 
performa nce of offici al controls to verify compliance with, inter alia, rules on food and feed safety .
(2) Regulation (EU) 2019/6 of the European Parliament and of the Council (4)lays down rules for, inter alia, the control 
and use of veterinar y medicinal products, with a particular focus on antimicrobial resistance.
(1)OJ C 341, 24.8.2021, p. 107.
(2)Position of the European Parliament of 15 September 2021 (not yet published in the Official Jour nal) and decision of the Council of 
28 Sept ember 2021.
(3)Regulation (EU) 2017/625 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 15 March 2017 on official controls and other official 
activities perfor med to ensure the application of food and feed law, rules on animal health and welfare, plant health and plant 
prot ection products, amending Regulations (EC) No 999/2001, (EC) No 396/2005, (EC) No 1069/2009, (EC) No 1107/2009, (EU) 
No 1151/2012, (EU) No 652/2014, (EU) 2016/429 and (EU) 2016/2031 of the European Parliament and of the Council, Council 
Regulations (EC) No 1/2005 and (EC) No 1099/2009 and Council Directives 98/58/EC, 1999/74/EC, 2007/43/EC, 2008/119/EC 
and 2008/120/EC, and repealing Regulations (EC) No 854/2004 and (EC) No 882/2004 of the European Parliament and of the 
Council, Council Directives 89/608/EEC, 89/662/EEC, 90/425/EEC, 91/496/EEC, 96/23/EC, 96/93/EC and 97/78/EC and Council 
Decision 92/438/EEC (Official Controls Regulation) (OJ L 95, 7.4.2017, p. 1).
(4)Regulation (EU) 2019/6 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 December 2018 on veterinar y medicinal products and 
repealing Directive 2001/82/EC (OJ L 4, 7.1.2019, p. 43).EN Offi cial Jour nal of the European Union 8.10.2021 L 357/27  (3) In accordance with Regulation (EU) 2019/6, a more prudent and responsible use of antimicrobials in animals is 
ensured, inter alia, by way of the prohibitions on the use of antimicrobials for growth promotion and yield increase 
and on the use of antimicrobials reser ved for treatment of certain infections in humans. Under Article 118(1) of 
Regulation (EU) 2019/6, operat ors in third countr ies are required to respect those prohibitions when expor ting 
animals and products of animal origin to the Union. As highlight ed in recital (49) of that Regulation, it is impor tant 
to consider the internati onal dimension of the development of antimicrobial resistance by taking non-discr iminato ry 
and propor tionate measures, while respecting Union obligations under intern ational agreements.
(4) Article 118 of Regulation (EU) 2019/6 builds on the Commission communication of 29 June 2017 entitled ‘A 
European One Health Action Plan against antimicrobial resistance (‘AMR’)’, by enhancing the prevention and 
control of antimicrobial resistance and promoting a more prudent and responsible use of antimicrobials in animals.
(5) In order to ensure the effective implementation of the prohibition of the use of antimicrobials for growth promotion 
and yield increase and of the use of antimicrobials reser ved for treatment of certain infections in humans, official 
controls for the verification of compliance of animals and products of animal origin expor ted to the Unio n with 
Article 118(1) of Regulation (EU) 2019/6 should be included in the scope of Regulation (EU) 2017/625, again while 
respecting Unio n obligat ions under international agreements.
(6) In accordance with Article 18(7), point (g), of Regulation (EU) 2017/625, the Commission is to adopt specific rules for 
the perf ormance of official controls on criteria and conditions to deter mine, in relation to Pectinidae, mar ine 
gastropods and Holothuroidea, when production and relaying areas are not to be classified. Holothuroidea are a class 
of the phylum Echinoder mata. Echinoder ms are generally not filter -feedi ng animals. Consequently , the risk of such 
animals accumulating micro-organi sms related to faecal contamination is remote. In addition, no epidemiological 
information has been repor ted whic h could link public health risks to echi noder ms that are not filter feeders. For that 
reason, the possibility laid down in Article 18(7), point (g), of Regulation (EU) 2017/625 to derog ate from the 
requirement to classify the production and relaying areas should be extended to all echinoder ms which are not filter 
feeders, for example to those belonging to the class Echinoidea, and not be limited to Holothuroidea. For the same 
reason, it should be clarified that the conditions for the classificat ion and monitoring of classified production and 
relaying areas to be laid down by the Commission apply to live bivalve molluscs, echi noder ms, tunicate s and mar ine 
gastropods, exce pt those mar ine gastropods and echi noder ms that are not filter feeders. The term inology used in 
Article 18(6), (7) and (8) of Regulation (EU) 2017/625 should be aligned according ly.
(7) Regulation (EC) No 853/2004 of the European Parliament and of the Council (5)excl udes from its scope the direct 
supply , by the producer , of small quantities of meat from poultr y and lagomor phs slaughtered on the farm to the 
final consumer or to local retail establishments directly supplying such meat to the final consumer as fresh meat. 
Since the date of application of that Regulation, namely 1 Januar y 2006 , the excl usion had been extended several 
times to all meat from poultr y and lagomor phs as a transitional measure. The last extension of the transitional 
period, by Commission Regulation (EU) 2017/185 (6), was until 31 December 2020 . Dur ing the 15 years of the 
transitional period no signif icant food safety concer ns caused by the activities carried out in accordance with that 
extensi on were obser ved. In addition, the Commission in its communication of 20 May 2020 entitled ‘A Farm to 
Fork Strateg y for a fair, healthy and environmentally-fr iendly food system ’ underlines the impor tance of shor ter 
supply chains with a view to enhancing resilience of regional and local food systems. The extensi on of the 
derogat ion to all meat of poultr y and lagomor phs should theref ore be introduced on a permanent basis. Regulation 
(EC) No 853/2004 should be amended according ly.
(5)Regulation (EC) No 853/2004 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 29 Apr il 2004 laying down specific hygiene rules for 
food of animal origin (OJ L 139, 30.4.2004, p. 55).
(6)Commission Regulation (EU) 2017/185 of 2 Febr uary 2017 laying down transitional measures for the application of certain 
provi sions of Regulations (EC) No 853/2004 and (EC) No 854/2004 of the European Parliament and of the Council (OJ L 29, 
3.2.2017, p. 21).EN Offi cial Jour nal of the European Union L 357/28 8.10.2021  (8) In accordance with Article 47(1), point (e), of Regulation (EU) 2017/625, compet ent author ities are to perform 
official controls at the border control post of first arrival into the Union on each consignment of animals and goods 
subject to, inter alia, the emerg ency measures provided for in acts adopt ed in accordance with Article 249 of 
Regulation (EU) 2016/429 of the European Parliament and of the Council (7). However , Article 249 of Regulation 
(EU) 2016/429 does not concer n Commission emergency measures. That error should be corrected and reference 
should be made to Article 261 of Regulation (EU) 2016/429.
(9) Since the objective of this Regulation, namely to allow for official controls on the use of antimicrobials in animals 
and products of animal origin entering into the Union, cannot be sufficiently achieve d by the Member States but 
can rather be better achi eved at Union level, the Union may adopt measures, in accordance with the principle of 
subsidiar ity as set out in Article 5 of the Treaty on European Union. In accordance with the principle of 
propor tionality as set out in that Article, this Regulation does not go beyond what is necessar y in order to achieve 
that objective.
(10) Regulation (EU) 2017/625 should theref ore be amended according ly.
(11) Since Regulation (EU) 2019/6 applies from 28 Januar y 2022 , the corresponding provisions of this Regulation 
should apply from the same date,
HAVE ADOPTED THIS REGUL ATION:
Article 1
Regulation (EU) 2017/625 is amended as follo ws:
(1) in Article 1(4), point (c) is replaced by the following:
‘(c) Regulation (EU) 2019/6 of the European Parliament and of the Council (*); however , this Regulation shall apply to 
official controls for the verification of compl iance with Article 118(1) of that Regulation.
_____________
(*) Regulation (EU) 2019/6 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 December 2018 on veteri nary 
medicinal products and repealing Directive 2001/82/EC (OJ L 4, 7.1.2019, p. 43).’;
(2) Article 18 is amended as follo ws:
(a) paragraph 6 is replaced by the follo wing:
‘6. For the purposes of official controls refer red to in paragraph 1 performe d in relation to live bivalve molluscs, 
echinoder ms, tunicates and mar ine gastropods, the compet ent author ities shall classify production and relaying 
areas.’;
(b) in paragraph 7, point (g) is replaced by the followi ng:
‘(g) criteria and conditions to determine, by way of derog ation from paragraph 6, when production and relaying 
areas are not to be classified in relation to:
(i) Pectinidae; and
(ii) where they are not filter feeders: echinode rms and mar ine gastropods;’;
(7)Regulation (EU) 2016/429 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 9 March 2016 on transmissible animal diseases and 
amending and repealing certain acts in the area of animal health (‘Animal Health Law’) (OJ L 84, 31.3.2016, p. 1).EN Offi cial Jour nal of the European Union 8.10.2021 L 357/29  (c) in paragraph 8, point (b) is replaced by the following:
‘(b) the conditions for the classification and monitor ing of classif ied production and relaying areas for live bivalve 
molluscs, echi noder ms, tunicates and mar ine gastropods;’;
(3) in Article 47(1), point (e) is replaced by the following:
‘(e) animals and goods which are subject to an emergency measure provid ed for in acts adopt ed in accordance with 
Article 53 of Regulation (EC) No 178/2002, Article 261 of Regulation (EU) 2016/429, or Articles 28(1), 30(1), 
40(3), 41(3), 49(1), 53(3) and 54(3) of Regulation (EU) 2016/2031 requir ing consignments of those animals or 
goods, identified by means of their codes from the Combined Nomenclature, to be subject to official controls at 
their entr y into the Union;’ .
Article 2
In Article 1(3) of Regulation (EC) No 853/2004, point (d) is replaced by the followi ng:
‘(d) the direct supply , by the producer , of small quantities of meat from poultr y and lagomor phs slaughtered on the farm to 
the final consumer or to local retail establishments directly supplying such meat to the final consumer ;’.
Article 3
This Regulation shall enter into force on the twentieth day followi ng that of its publication in the Official Journal of the 
European Union.
It shall apply from 28 October 2021 .
However , Article 1, point (1) shall apply from 28 Januar y 2022 .
This Regulation shall be binding in its entirety and directly applicable in all Member States.
Done at Strasbourg, 6 October 2021 .
For the Europ ean Parliament
The President
D. M. SASSOL IFor the Council
The President
A. LOGAREN Offi cial Jour nal of the European Union L 357/30 8.10.2021