2005/85/EC: Commission Decision of 26 January 2005 imposing special conditions on the import of pistachios and certain products derived from pistachios originating in, or consigned from Iran (notified under document number C(2005) 117)Text with EEA relevance
Date: 2005-01-26
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: Iran, food safety, health certificate, import, nut, transport document

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Official Journal of the European Union

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COMMISSION

COMMISSION DECISION

of 26 January 2005

imposing special conditions on the import of pistachios and certain products derived from
pistachios originating in, or consigned from Iran

(notified under document number C(2005) 117)

(Text with EEA relevance)

(2005/85/EC)

THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES,

Having regard to the Treaty
Community,

establishing the European

No 852/2004 of the European Parliament and of the
Council of 29 April 2004 on the hygiene of
food-
stuffs (4). This Regulation does no longer contain the
legal basis for a safeguard measure.

Having regard to Regulation (EC) No 178/2002 of the European
Parliament and of the Council of 28 January 2002 laying down
the general principles and requirements of food law, establishing
the European Food Safety Authority
and laying down
food safety (1), and in particular
procedures in matters of
Article 53 (1)(b) thereof,

(3)

Regulation (EC) No 178/2002 provides that where it is
evident that food or feed originating in the Community
or imported from a third country is likely to constitute a
serious risk to human health, animal health and the
environment, measures are to be adopted.

Whereas:

(1)

(2)

Commission Decision 97/830/EC of 11 December 1997
repealing Commission Decision 97/613/EC and imposing
special conditions on the import of pistachios and certain
products derived from pistachios originating in, or
consigned from Iran (2) has been substantially amended
several times.

The legal basis for Decision 97/830/EC is Article 10 of
the Council Directive 93/43/EC of 14 June 1993 on the
foodstuffs (3). Directive 93/43/EEC will be
hygiene of
repealed as from 1 January 2006 by Regulation (EC)

(4)

Pistachios originating in, or consigned from Iran have
in many cases, to be contaminated with
been found,
excessive levels of Aflatoxin B1.

(5)

The Scientific Committee for Food has noted that
Aflatoxin B1 is a potent genotoxic carcinogen and,
even at extremely low doses, contributes to the risk of
liver cancer.

(1) OJ L 31, 1.2.2002, p. 1. Regulation as amended by Regulation (EC)

(6)

No 1642/2003 (OJ L 245, 29.9.2003, p. 4).

(2) OJ L 343, 13.12.1997, p. 30. Decision as last amended by Decision
2004/429/EC (OJ L 154, 30.4.2004, p. 19. Corrigendum published
in OJ L 189, 27.5.2004, p. 13).

(3) OJ L 175, 19.7.1993, p. 1. Directive as last amended by Regulation
(EC) No 1882/2003 of the European Parliament and of the Council
(OJ L 284, 31.10.2003, p. 1).

The import of pistachios from Iran therefore constitutes a
serious threat to public health within the Community
and it
is imperative to adopt protective measures at
Community level.

(4) OJ L 139, 30.4.2004, p.1. Corrigendum published in OJ L 226,

25.6.2004, p. 3.

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(7)

An examination of conditions of hygiene in Iran was
undertaken by the Commission’s Food and Veterinary
Office (FVO)
for the first time in 1997 and revealed
that improvements in hygiene practices and the trace-
ability of pistachios were required. The mission team
was unable to check all stages of
the handling of
pistachios prior
to exportation. Commitments were
received from the Iranian authorities in particular in
relation to improvements
in production, handling,
sorting, processing, packaging and transport practices. It
was
therefore appropriate to subject pistachios and
certain pistachio products from Iran to special conditions
to provide a high level of protection to public health.
Follow up missions have been organised in 1998 and
substantial
2001. Although during
improvements in hygiene practices and the traceability
have been observed,
continued need
there
imposing special conditions on pistachios and certain
pistachio products from Iran to protect public health.

these missions

is

a

(8)

Pistachios and certain pistachio products from Iran may
be imported, provided that special conditions are applied.

(9)

(10)

(11)

One of those conditions is that it is necessary to provide
that pistachios and products derived from pistachios have
been produced, sorted, handled, processed, packaged and
transported following good hygienic practices.
is
necessary to establish the levels of Aflatoxin B1 and
total Aflatoxin in samples taken from the consignment
immediately prior to leaving Iran.

It

It is furthermore necessary for documentary evidence to
be provided by the Iranian authorities to accompany each
consignment of pistachios originating in, or consigned
from Iran,
relating to the conditions of production,
sorting, handling, processing, packaging and transport
and the results of laboratory analysis of the consignment
for levels of Aflatoxin B1 and total Aflatoxin.

In the interests of public health, Member States will keep
the Commission informed through periodical reports of
all analytical results of official controls carried out in
respect of
and certain
consignments of pistachios
pistachio products from Iran. Such reports shall be in
addition to the notification obligations under the Rapid
Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF) established by
Regulation (EC) No 178/2002.

(13)

(14)

(15)

Checks carried out in 2003 and 2004 revealed that a
large number of consignments of pistachios from Iran
exceeded the maximum level of
is
therefore necessary to restrict the validity of the health
certificate in order to limit the duration of transport and
storage, when aflatoxins can be formed.

aflatoxins.

It

The operation of this Decision should be kept under
information and guarantees
review in the light of
provided by the competent authorities of Iran and of
the results of the tests carried out by Member States in
order to assess whether the special conditions provide a
sufficient level of protection of public health within the
Community and whether they are still needed.

impact on the control

in this Decision have a
The measures provided for
the
significant
Member States.
is therefore appropriate to require
that all costs resulting from sampling, analysis, storage
and all costs resulting from official measures taken as
regards non-compliant consignments are to be borne
by the importers or food business operators concerned.

resources of

It

(16) Decision 97/830/EC should accordingly be repealed.

(17)

The measures provided for
accordance with
Committee on the Food Chain and Animal Health,

in this Decision are in
Standing
the

opinion

the

of

HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION:

Article 1

1. Member States may import

— pistachios falling within CN code 0802 50 00, and

— roasted pistachios falling within CN codes 2008 19 13 and

2008 19 93,

is

accompanied by

originating in, or consigned from Iran, only where the
consignment
results of official
sampling and analysis, and the health certificate in Annex I,
the
completed, signed and verified by a representative of
Iranian Ministry of Health. The health certificate shall be valid
for import carried out no more than four months after the issue
date of the health certificate.

the

2.
Products covered by paragraph 1 may only be imported
into the Community through one of the points of entry listed in
Annex II.

(12)

It is important to ensure that the sampling and analysis
of consignments of pistachios and pistachio products
from Iran are performed in a harmonised manner
throughout the Community.

3.
Each consignment of products covered by paragraph 1
shall be identified with a code which corresponds to the code
on the sampling results of the official sampling and analysis and
health certificate referred to in paragraph 1.

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The competent authorities in each Member State shall
4.
ensure that products covered by paragraph 1 are subject to
documentary checks to ensure that the requirement for the
health certificate and sampling results referred to in paragraph
1, are complied with.

5.
The competent authorities in each Member State shall take
a sample for analysis from each consignment of products
covered by paragraph 1 for analysis of aflatoxin B1 and total
aflatoxin before release onto the market from the point of entry
into the Community.

Member States shall submit to the Commission every three
months a report of all analytical results of official controls on
consignments of products covered by paragraph 1. This report
shall be submitted during the month following each quarter
(April, July, October, and January).

Any consignment which is to be subjected to sampling
6.
and analysis should be held before release onto the market from
the point of entry into the Community for a maximum period
of 15 working days. The competent authorities of the importing
issue an accompanying official document
Member State shall
establishing that
the consignment has been subjected to
official sampling and analysis and indicating the result of the
analysis.

If a consignment is split, copies of the health certificate
7.
and accompanying official documents referred to in paragraphs
1 and 6 and certified by the competent authority of
the
Member State on whose territory the splitting has taken place,
shall accompany each part of the split consignment up to and
including the wholesale stage.

Article 2

This Decision shall be kept under review in the light of infor-
mation and guarantees provided by the competent authorities of
Iran and of the results of the tests carried out by Member States
in order to assess whether the special conditions set out in
level of protection of public
Article 1 provide a sufficient
they are still
health within the Community and whether
necessary.

Article 3

All costs resulting from sampling, analysis, storage and issuing
of accompanying official document and of copies of health
certificate and accompanying documents pursuant
to Article
to (7) shall be borne by the food business operator
1(4)
responsible for the consignment or its representative.

taken by the
related to official measures
Also all costs
competent authorities as regards non-compliant consignments
of pistachios and certain products derived from pistachios origi-
nating in or consigned from Iran shall be borne by the food
business operator responsible for the consignment or its repre-
sentative.

Article 4

Decision 97/830/EC is repealed.

Article 5

The Decision shall apply from 1 February 2005.

Member States shall take the measures necessary to comply
inform the
shall
with this Decision. They
Commission thereof.

immediately

Article 6

This Decision is addressed to the Member States.

Done at Brussels, 26 January 2005.

For the Commission

Markos KYPRIANOU
Member of the Commission

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ANNEX I

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List of points of entry through which pistachios and certain products derived from pistachios originating in or
consigned from Iran may be imported into the Community

ANNEX II

Member State

Belgium

Czech
Republic

Denmark

Germany

Estonia

Greece

Spain

France

Ireland

Italy

Point of entry

Antwerpen, Zeebrugge, Brussel/Bruxelles, Aalst

Celní úřad Praha D5

All Danish harbours and airports

HZA Lörrach — ZA Weil am Rhein — Autobahn, HZA Stuttgart — ZA Flughafen, HZA München —
ZA München — Flughafen, Bezirksamt Reinickendorf von Berlin, Abteilung Finanzen, Wirtschaft und
Kultur, Veterinär- und Lebensmittelaufsichtsamt, Grenzkontrollstelle, HZA Frankfurt (Oder) — ZA
Autobahn, HZA Cottbus — ZA Forst — Autobahn, HZA Bremen — ZA Neustädter Hafen, HZA
Bremen — ZA Bremerhaven, HZA Hamburg — Hafen — ZA Waltershof, HZA Hamburg-Stadt, HZA
Itzehoe — ZA Hamburg — Flughafen, HZA Frankfurt-am-Main-Flughafen, HZA Braunschweig —
Abfertigungsstelle, HZA Hannover Hamburger Allee, HZA Koblenz — ZA Hahn-Flughafen, HZA
Oldenburg — ZA Wilhelmshaven, HZA Bielefeld — ZA Eckendorfer Straße Bielefeld, HZA Erfurt — ZA
Eisenach, HZA Potsdam — ZA Ludwigsfelde, HZA Potsdam — ZA Berlin-Flughafen Schönefeld, HZA
Augsburg — ZA Memmingen, HZA Ulm — ZA Ulm (Donautal), HZA Karlsruhe — ZA Karlsruhe, HZA
Berlin — ZA Dreilinden, HZA Gießen — ZA Gießen, HZA Gießen — ZA Marburg, HZA Singen — ZA
Bahnhof, HZA Lörrach — ZA Weil am Rhein — Schusterinsel, HZA Hamburg-Stadt — ZA Oberelbe,
HZA Hamburg-Stadt — ZA Oberelbe — Abfertigungsstelle Billbrook, HZA Hamburg-Stadt — ZA
Oberelbe — Abfertigungsstelle Großmarkt, HZA Potsdam — ZA Berlin — Flüghafen Schönefeld, HZA
Düsseldorf — ZA Düsseldorf Nord, HZA Stralsund (HZA HST) — ZA Ludwigslust (ZA LWL)

Muuga port BIP, Paljassaare port BIP, Paldiski-Lõuna port BIP, Dirhami port BIP, Luhamaa road BIP,
Narva road BIP

Athina, Pireas, Elefsis, Aerodromio ton Athinon, Thessaloniki, Volos, Patra, Iraklion tis Kritis, Aero-
dromio tis Kritis, Euzoni, Idomeni, Ormenio, Kipi, Kakavia, Niki, Promahonas, Pithio, Igoumenitsa,
Kristalopigi

Algeciras (Puerto), Alicante (Aeropuerto, Puerto), Almeria (Aeropuerto, Puerto), Asturias (Aeropuerto),
Barcelona (Aeropuerto, Puerto, Ferrocarril), Bilbao (Aeropuerto, Puerto), Cadiz (Puerto), Cartagena
(Puerto), Castellon (Puerto), Ceuta (Puerto), Gijón (Puerto), Huelva (Puerto), Irun (Carretera), La Coruña
(Puerto), La Junquera (Carretera) Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (Aeropuerto, Puerto), Madrid (Aeropuerto,
Ferrocarril), Malaga (Aeropuerto, Puerto), Marin (Puerto), Melilla (Puerto), Murcia (Ferrocarril), Palma de
Mallorca (Aeropuerto, Puerto), Pasajes (Puerto), San Sebastián (Aeropuerto), Santa Cruz de Tenerife
(Puerto), Santander (Aeropuerto, Puerto), Santiago de Compostela (Aeropuerto), Sevilla (Aeropuerto,
Puerto), Tarragona (Puerto), Tenerife Norte (Aeropuerto), Tenerife Sur (Aeropuerto), Valencia (Aero-
puerto, Puerto), Vigo (Aeropuerto, Puerto), Villagarcia (Puerto), Vitoria (Aeropuerto), Zaragoza (Aero-
puerto)

Marseille (Bouches-du-Rhone), Le Havre (Seine-Maritime), Rungis MIN (Val-de-Marne), Lyon Chassieu
CRD (Rhône), Strasbourg CRD (Bas-Rhin), Lille CRD (Nord), Saint-Nazaire Montoir CRD (Loire-
Atlantique), Agen (Lot-et-Garonne), Port de la Pointe des Galets à la Réunion

Dublin — Port and Airport,
Cork — Port and Airport,
Shannon — Airport

Ufficio Sanità Marittima ed Aerea di Ancona
Ufficio Sanità Marittima ed Aerea di Bari
Ufficio Sanità Marittima ed Aerea di Genova
Ufficio Sanità Marittima di Livorno
Ufficio Sanità Marittima ed Aerea di Napoli
Ufficio Sanità Marittima di Ravenna
Ufficio Sanità Marittima di Salerno
Ufficio Sanità Marittima ed Aerea di Trieste
Dogana di Fernetti — Interporto Monrupino (Trieste)
Ufficio di Sanità Marittima di La Spezia
Ufficio di Sanità Marittima e Aerea di Venezia
Ufficio di Sanità Marittima e Aerea di Reggio Calabria

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Member State

Cyprus

Latvia

Lithuania

Luxembourg

Hungary

Malta

Netherlands

Austria

Poland

Portugal

Slovenia

Point of entry

Limassol Port, Larnaca Airport

Grebneva — road with Russia
Terehova — road with Russia
Pātarnieki — road with Byelorussia
Silene — road with Byelorussia
Daugavpils — railway commodity station
Rēzekne — railway commodity station
Liepāja — sea port
Ventspils — sea port
Rīga — sea port
Rīga — airport Rīga
Rīga — Latvian Post

Road: Kybartai, Lavoriškės, Medininkai, Panemunė, Šalčininkai
Airport: Vilnius
Seaport: Malkų įlankos, Molo, Pilies
Railway: Kena, Kybartai, Pagėgiai

Centre Douanier, Croix de Gasperich, Luxembourg
Administration des Douanes et Accises, Bureau Luxembourg — Aéroport, Niederanven

Ferihegy — Budapest — airport
Záhony — Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg — road
Eperjeske — Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg — railway
Nagylak — Csongrád — road
Lökösháza — Békés — railway
Röszke — Csongrád — road
Kelebia — Bács-Kiskun — railway
Letenye — Zala — road
Gyékényes — Somogy — railway
Mohács — Baranya — port

Malta Freeport, the Malta International Airport and the Grand Harbour

All harbours and airports and all border stations

HZA Feldkirch, HZA Graz, Nickelsdorf, Spielfeld, HZA Wien, ZA Wels, ZA
Kledering, ZA Flughafen Wien, HZA Salzburg, ZA Klingenbach/Zweigstelle
Sopron, ZA Karawankentunnel, ZA Villach

Bezledy — Warmińsko — Mazurskie — road border point
Kuźnica Białostocka — Podlaskie — road border point
Bobrowniki — Podlaskie — road border point
Koroszczyn — Lubelskie — road border point
Dorohusk — Lubelskie — road and railway border point
Gdynia — Pomorskie — seaport border point
Gdańsk — Pomorskie — seaport border point
Medyka-Przemyśl — Podkarpackie — railway border point
Medyka — Podkarpackie — road border point
Korczowa — Podkarpackie — road border point
Jasionka — Podkarpackie — airport border point
Szczecin — Zachodnio — Pomorskie — seaport border point
Świnoujście — Zachodnio — Pomorskie — seaport border point
Kołobrzeg — Zachodnio — Pomorskie — seaport border point

Lisboa, Leixões

Obrežje — road border crossing
Koper — port border crossing
Dobova — railway border crossing
Brnik (airport)
Jelšane (road)
Ljubljana (railway and road)
Sežana (railway and road)

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Member State

Slovakia

Finland

Sweden

United
Kingdom

Point of entry

Vyšné Nemecké — road, Čierna nad Tisou — railway

All Finnish Customs Offices

Göteborg, Stockholm, Helsingborg, Landvetter, Arlanda, Norrköping

Belfast, Dover, Felixstowe, Gatwick Airport, Goole, Grimsby, Harwich, Heathrow Airport, Hull,
Immingham, Ipswich, Leith, Liverpool, London (including Tilbury, Thamesport and Sheerness),
Manchester Airport, Manchester Containerbase, Manchester International Freight Terminal, Manchester
(including Ellesmere Port), Middlesbrough, Southampton