EN Official Journal of the European Union CE 33/225

(2004/C 33 E/230)

WRITTEN QUESTION P-2144/03

by Michl Ebner (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(24 June 2003)

Subject: Quality standards for imports

In the European Union, quality standards in agriculture are set at a very high level. That is very much to be welcomed.

In the case of imports of agricultural products from non-EU countries, however, are the same standards genuinely complied with?

Is this regulated by the EU?

Only clear harmonisation of provisions on imports, too, can protect European consumers and ensure that European farmers are competitive.

Would the Commission comment on this?

Answer given by Mr Byrne on behalf of the Commission

(29 July 2003)

The Commission insists that food should be safe, irrespective of its origin. Therefore, as a general principle, imports of agricultural products must offer equivalent levels of safety as products of Community origin.

The key legislation in the food safety and animal health sectors include provisions to this effect. There is a range of controls in place to ensure that these provisions are respected.

These can be summarised as follows:

— third countries wishing to export live animals and animal products to the Community must be approved. The approval process includes verification of the organisation and powers of the competent authority, animal health status hygiene controls and controls on residues of veterinary medicines and banned substances, legislation etc;

— the Food and Veterinary Office of the Commission carries out periodic inspection missions in third countries, in particular in countries seeking approval to export to the Community, to verify their control systems;

— establishments in third countries wishing to export animal products to the Community must similarly be authorised by the Commission on the basis of guarantees from their competent authorities;

— all imports must be checked at the point of entry to the Community, at border inspection posts. These checks include documentary and identity and physical checks. Random checks for residues and banned substances are also carried out;

— Member States are alerted to breaches of food safety requirements from imports through the Rapid Alert System on Food and Feed and are asked to take appropriate follow-up action;

— there is a high level of harmonisation in relation to these measures. Moreover, new legislation is increasingly being enacted through the use of regulations of the Council and the Parliament rather than Directives which will ensure an even higher level of uniformity. The current proposal for a Regulation of the Parliament and the Council on food and feed controls (1) will, in particular, provide for an up-to-date regulatory framework;

— where there is evidence that imported agricultural products are unsafe, the Commission takes corrective action. This is a function of the seriousness of the situation but can extend to a requirement for 100 % testing at import for banned substances or an outright ban on imports;

— the Commission is satisfied that this framework ensures that there are equivalent levels of safety between imported agricultural products and imports. This in turn ensures that European producers are not put at a competitive disadvantage with respect to measures guaranteeing safety;

— it is a fact that very high standards for animal welfare apply within the Community. In order to safeguard the interests of the Community producer the Community proposes in the framework of the next World Trade Organisation (WTO) round to exempt compensation of additional costs to meet animal welfare standards from reduction commitments where it can be clearly shown that these costs stem directly from the adoption of higher standards and thus are not, or at most minimally, trade distorting.

(1) COM(2003) 52 final.