REPORT FROM THE COMMISSION On the overall operation of official controls carried out in EU countries (2021) to ensure the application of food and feed law, rules on animal health and welfare, plant health and plant protection products
Date: 2023-05-05
Institutions: Directorate-General for Health and Food Safety, European Commission
Subjects: animal feedingstuffs, animal welfare, food inspection, food safety, genetically modified organism, labelling, market approval, plant health control, public health, veterinary inspection

EN 

  EN 

   EUROPEAN COMMISSION  Brussels, 5.5.2023  COM(2023) 235 final  REPORT FROM THE COMMISSION On the overall operation of official controls carried out in EU countries (2021) to ensure the application of food and feed law, rules on animal health and welfare, plant health and plant protection products {SWD(2023) 131 final}  
 
 
Contents 

Executive summary ............................................................................................... 4 
Introduction ........................................................................................................... 6 

Part 1 
Official controls carried out by EU countries in 2021 ....................................... 8 

1.1 
General overview ................................................................................................... 9 

1.2 
EU countries’ annual reports .............................................................................. 13 

1.3 
Organisation and performance of official control systems ............................ 14 

1.4 
Measures taken to ensure the effective operation of the MANCP ................. 16 

1.4.1 
Actions taken to ensure business compliance .................................................. 17 

1.4.2 
Enforcement by national authorities ................................................................. 18 

1.4.3 
Actions taken to ensure the effective operation of official controls 
systems ................................................................................................................ 20 

Part 2 
Commission control activities in EU countries in 2021 ................................... 22 

2.1 
Audits and controls ............................................................................................. 23 

2.2 
Recommendations ............................................................................................... 25 

2.3 
Highlights from Commission controls carried out in 2021 .............................. 26 

2.4 
Systematic follow-up of audit recommendations ............................................ 29 

2. 4.1 

 
 
 
General follow-up audits .................................................................................... 30 

2.4.2 
Enforcement ......................................................................................................... 31 
Conclusions .......................................................................................................... 32 

2 

 
 
 
 
 
Disclaimer 

is  presenting 

The  European  Commission 
in  accordance  with  Article 114  of 
this 
Regulation (EU) 2017/625 (1).  This  report  aims  to  improve  the  public  availability  of  information  on 
official controls carried out by EU countries – and the Commission controls on them – in the areas of 
food and feed safety, animal and plant health, animal welfare, organic farming and quality schemes 
for agricultural products and foodstuffs. 

report 

Only the Court of Justice of the European Union is competent to interpret EU law.  

Our goal is to keep this information up to date and accurate. If errors are brought to our attention, we 
will try to correct them.  

The material used for this report: 

● 

● 

● 

is information of a general nature and is not intended to address the specific circumstances of 
any particular individual or entity; 

is not necessarily comprehensive, complete, accurate or up to date; and 

is partly provided by national authorities in the EU countries, over which the Commission has no 
control and for which the Commission can take no responsibility. 

Some data or information in this report may have been created or structured in files or formats that 
are not error-free. 

(1)Regulation (EU) 2017/625 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 15 March 2017 
on official control and other official activities performed to ensure the application of food 
and feed law, rules on animal health and welfare, plant health and plant protection 
products 

3 

 
 
 
 
                                                      
Executive summary 

This  report  covers  the  overall  operation  of  EU  countries’  official  controls  and  the 
Commission’s control activities in 2021. These controls aim to ensure a high level of 
health  protection  and  trust  in  the  food  chain,  from  farm  to  fork.  They  are  an 
important way to verify that businesses are complying with their legal requirements 
so that EU consumers can be confident that the food they eat is safe. They are also 
key to enabling the smooth operation of safe trade in food, animals and plants, both 
within the EU and with non-EU countries.  

National  authorities  are  responsible  for  carrying  out  official  controls.  If  businesses 
along  the  food  chain  do  not  comply  with  the  relevant  legislation,  the  national 
authorities are  required  to enforce the  requirements, ensuring that businesses meet 
their obligations.  

In  2021,  there  were  16.9  million  entities  within  the  scope  of  official  controls  and 
national  authorities  carried  out  nearly  5  million  official  controls  on  them.  Based  on 
these controls, around 1 million non-compliance issues were identified, leading to the 
application  of  nearly  500 000  administrative  sanctions  and  almost  8 000  judicial 
actions. 

The  Commission  verifies  the  EU  countries’  implementation  of  official  controls  and 
enforcement  activities.  The  reports  from  these  Commission  controls,  which  are 
published on the Commission's website, provide a clear picture of national authorities’ 
performance  and  are  a  significant  part  of  the  review  process  that  ensures  that  EU 
legislation is fit for purpose. 

The Commission’s controls show that, overall, national authorities have the necessary 
systems  in  place  to  monitor  and  ensure  that  businesses  are  implementing  EU 
requirements  and  to  act  where  there  are  non-compliance  issues.  In  some  EU 
countries, these controls identified shortcomings in official control systems, indicating 
that  there  was  room  for  improvement.  In  these  cases,  the  Commission  addresses 
recommendations to the national authorities. 

The  Commission  systematically  follows  up  on  its  recommendations  and,  where 
necessary, makes use of other enforcement tools. In addition, it supports EU countries 
by  providing  technical  assistance  and  training  through  the  Better  Training  for  Safer 
Food initiative and technical meetings of expert networks. 

Since 2020, the national authorities have been required to report the results of their 
controls  in  a  harmonised  electronic  format.  However,  not  all  EU  countries  have  yet 

4 

 
 
 
been  able  to  submit  all  their  data  in  the  format  required.  The  Commission  will 
continue  to  work  with  national  authorities  to  improve  the  completeness  of  data  for 
future annual reports. 

During 2021, the COVID-19 pandemic continued to affect the ability of the national 
authorities and the Commission to carry out their controls and audits as planned. 

5 

 
 
 
Introduction 

The EU aims to ensure a high level of health protection and trust in the areas of food 
and  feed  safety;  animal  and  plant  health;  animal  welfare;  organic  farming;  and 
geographical  origin  schemes  (protected  designation  of  origin  (PDO),  protected 
geographical indication (PGI) and traditional specialties guaranteed (TSG)). The people 
living in the EU rightly expect high standards in all these areas. 

The  EU  has  a  comprehensive  legal  framework  to  ensure  consistent  controls 
throughout the food and feed chain, from farm to fork, and appropriate monitoring, 
while  also  ensuring an effective single market and trade with non-EU countries. For 
the purposes of this report, references to EU countries and the statistical data include 
the United Kingdom in respect of Northern Ireland (2). 

One of the pillars of the EU’s integrated food safety policy from farm to fork is that 
each EU country must have an effective official control  system, based on the Official 
Controls Regulation (3), to verify and, where necessary, enforce businesses’ compliance 
with EU standards throughout the food and feed chain. EU countries have to draw up 
multiannual  national  control  plans  (MANCPs)  that  cover  all  areas  governed  by  EU 
agri-food legislation. 

The  Commission  plays  an  important  role  in  the  overall  control  framework  at  EU 
level (4) and carries out controls, including audits, in the EU countries, to verify that the 
national authorities are meeting their control obligations. 

EU  countries  must  submit  an  annual  report  to  the  Commission (5)  on  the 
implementation of their official controls in line with their MANCP.  

(2) In  accordance  with  the  Agreement  on  the  withdrawal  of  the  United  Kingdom  of  Great 
Britain  and  Northern  Ireland  from  the  European  Union  and  the  European  Atomic  Energy 
Community,  and  in  particular  Article 5(4)  of  the  Protocol  on  Ireland/Northern  Ireland  in 
conjunction with Annex 2 to that Protocol. 

(3) Regulation  (EU)  2017/625  of  the  European  Parliament  and  of  the  Council  of  15  March 
2017 on official control and other official activities performed to ensure the application 
of  food  and  feed  law,  rules  on  animal  health  and  welfare,  plant  health  and  plant 
protection products. 

(4) Article 116 of Regulation (EU) 2017/625. 

(5) Article 113(1) of Regulation (EU) 2017/625. 

6 

 
 
 
                                                      
The  Commission  produces  a  report (6)  on  the  operation  of  official  controls  in  EU 
countries, taking account of: 

● 

the  annual  reports  submitted  by  the  national  authorities  on  their  control 
activities; and 

● 

the outcome of Commission controls carried out in EU countries. 

This report covers the year 2021. It consists of a review of:  

● 

● 

● 

EU countries’ annual reports covering 2021; 

Commission control activities in EU countries in 2021; and 

Commission follow-up and enforcement actions and support provided to national 
authorities.  

It includes a compilation of the data provided by the national authorities for the year 
2021.  These  data  will  over  time  make  it  possible  to  identify  trends  in  controls  and 
non-compliance issues. 

The graphics relating to national official controls are based on the 2021 aggregated 
data from EU countries.  

As the reporting requirements changed since 2020, not all EU countries were able to 
provide all their data for 2021 in the detail required. This limits the extent to which 
the  graphics  can  be  compared  because  some  EU  countries  may  have  provided 
combined data that has not been analysed into the required sub-categories.  

This report is accompanied by a staff working document (7) which provides:  

●  more background information on the legal framework; and 

●  more detail on the controls and audits carried out by the national authorities and 
by the Commission in the areas of the food chain that fall under the Official 
Controls Regulation. 

(6) Article 114 of Regulation (EU) 2017/625. 

(7) Commission staff working document (SWD(2023) 131 final) accompanying the report from 
the Commission on the  overall operation of official  controls carried out  in EU countries 
(2021)  to  ensure  the  application  of  food  and  feed  law,  rules  on  animal  health  and 
welfare, plant health and plant protection products. 

7 

 
 
 
                                                      
Part 1 
Official controls 
carried out by EU 
countries in 2021 

8 

 
 
1.1 
General overview 

The  production  and  distribution  of  food  from  farm  to  fork  takes  place  in  various 
chains across a broad range of areas and activities (8).  

Table 1 provides an overview of the total number of entities in the food chain; official 
controls  that  were  carried  out;  non-compliance  issues  that  were  identified;  and 
administrative  sanctions  and  judicial  actions  that  were  taken  throughout  the  food 
chain at the EU level in 2021. 

Table 1: Official controls in 2021 – general figures 

Total entities in 
the food chain 

Official controls 
carried out 

Non-compliance 
issues 
identified 

Administrative 
sanctions 
applied 

Judicial actions 
taken 

16 961 311 

4 820 161 

1 112 663 

499 365 

7 903 

Figure  1  provides an overview  of the official  controls carried out by  EU countries in 
2021 from farm to fork (9). It shows the number of operators, official controls carried 
out, non-compliance issues identified and administrative sanctions applied – analysed 
by the different activities in the food chain (10). 

Table  2  shows  the  top  five  sectors  of  the  food  chain  with  absolute  figures  for  the 
number of entities, official controls carried out, non-compliance issues identified, and 
administrative  sanctions  applied.  The  staff  working  document  accompanying  this 
report provides a further breakdown of these figures across the different areas of the 
food chain. 

(8) See Eurostat – key figures of the European food chain – 2021 for a selection of data for 

the EU’s agriculture and fisheries sectors, and for the wider farm to fork chain. 

(9) This figure does not include controls related to plant health (i.e. issuing plant passports and 
applying the ISPM15 mark to wood packaging to show that it has been treated to prevent 
the spread of insects, seeds and fungi), the marketing of plant protection products and 
the sustainable use of pesticides outside agriculture. 

(10) National  authorities  do  not  have  to  report  the  number  of  entities  active  in  animal 
transport.  The  data  requested  for  official  controls  and  non-compliance  issues  for 
slaughterhouses  and  game-handling  establishments  can  be  given  as  the  number  of 
carcasses or the weight, therefore a total cannot be used. 

9 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                      
Figure 1: Official controls carried out by EU countries in 2021 

10 

 
 
 
 
 
Farming – plants 

# 

Number of operators 

Farming – animals 

Number of official controls 

Farming – mixed 

Aquaculture 

Fishing 

Hunting 

Animal feed 

Transport of animals 

Slaughterhouses and game 
handling 

Food production 

Animal by-products processing 

Food distribution 

Wholesale and retail 

Food service 

Food contact materials 
producers 

Number of non-compliance 
issues 

Number of administrative 
sanctions 

11 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Table 2: Official controls in 2021 – top five sectors 

Entities 

Official controls 

Non-compliance 
issues 

Administrative 
sanctions 

Farming 

Food wholesale 

Food service 

Food production 

Food distribution 

Food service  

Food wholesale 

Animal transport 

Food production 

Farming 

Food service 

Animal transport 

Food wholesale 

Farming 

Food production 

Food service 

Food wholesale 

Food production 

Farming 

Food distribution 

8 957 343 

3 719 383 

2 830 838 

644 126 

398 574 

1 097 087 

1 015 758 

887 003 

806 466 

533 626 

304 365 

248 382 

189 843 

180 901 

139 304 

166 515 

136 101 

102 770 

58 302 

15 441 

12 

166 515136 101102 77058 30215 441 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
1.2 
EU countries’ annual reports 

The  deadline  for  submitting  the  2021  annual  reports  was  31 August  2022.  9  EU 
countries  submitted  their  report  on  time,  15  missed  the  deadline  by  up  to  2  weeks 
and the last four reports were submitted 29, 42, 42 and 92 days late. 

The  national  authorities  were  using  the  new  reporting  format  only  for  the  second 
time. Some of them were therefore still having problems in compiling the data in the 
format required. This means that comparisons between the data submitted for 2020 
and 2021 may not be reliable. The change to the new format also makes it difficult 
to compare pre-2020 data with post-2020 data. It is therefore still too early to start 
comparing the data at EU level year on year. 

In  their  reports,  EU  countries  may  present  their  progress  towards  achieving  their 
strategic  objectives  and  the  challenges  they  face  when  implementing  their  MANCP. 
They may also include a statement on the overall level of compliance and an overall 
self-assessment  of  the  suitability  and  effectiveness  of  their  official  controls.  The 
report  format  contains  blank  text  boxes  where  they  can  present  this  information. 
However, the national authorities provided less information  for 2021 than had been 
envisaged in the guidance document (11). 

As  regards  animal  welfare  on  farms  and  during  transport,  the  Official  Controls 
Regulation  states  that  the  annual  reports  shall  include  an  analysis  of  the  most 
serious incidents of non-compliance. This analysis should be the basis for a national 
action plan to prevent or decrease their occurrence in the coming years (12). In general, 
and as was also the case for 2020, the national authorities did not provide either this 
analysis or these action plans. This makes it impossible for the Commission to provide 
the required summary on this point. 

The  national  authorities  also  provided  only  very  limited  information  on  controls 
targeting fraudulent and deceptive practices. 

(11)Commission Notice on a guidance document on how to fill in the standard model form  

(12) Articles 151, 152, 154, 156, 157 and 158 of Regulation (EU) 2017/625. 

13 

 
 
 
 
                                                      
1.3 
Organisation and performance 
of official control systems 

The EU countries have set up official control systems to verify the application of the 
legal framework by all businesses along the food chain. 

The national authorities’ MANCPs describe the set-up of their control systems and set 
out their strategic objectives.  

The  Commission’s  guidance  for  completing  the  annual  reports  invites  the  national 
authorities to: 

● 

● 

● 

describe any update to the organisation of the official control systems; 

include a table with the results of performance indicators used to measure the 
strategic objectives; and 

include a statement on the general level of compliance and the effectiveness of 
the official control systems, based on the analysis and synthesis of the results of 
the control systems, their objectives and their performance indicators. 

Some EU countries describe their control systems in the annual report (as well as in 
their MANCP). However, not all reports contain an overview of indicators and results, 
and  most  do  not  contain  statements  on  the  general  level  of  compliance  and  the 
effectiveness of the official control system.  

11 EU countries included information on their strategic objectives and 9 of these did 
so in the form of an overview of the results of their indicators. These indicators are 
sometimes limited to the number of official controls carried out and samples taken. 
Some  EU  countries’  reports  do  not  contain  information  from  all  the  authorities 
involved in the official controls along the food chain. 

Some good practices to note are as follows: 

- 

- 

the Belgian Agency for the Safety of the Food Chain uses barometers for food 
safety, animal health and plant health based on indicators; and the results of 
these barometers allow a year-on-year comparison; and 
the  Netherlands  defines  two  information  indicators  and  one  performance 
indicator: 

14 

 
 
 
o  the enforcement indicator on enforcement measures taken; 
o  the control  intensity indicator  on the number  of  businesses controlled 

in a given area (businesses or products); and 

o  the compliance indicator on the level of compliance. 

All EU countries still faced problems in implementing their full inspection programmes 
due to the restrictions put in place to contain the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Other factors with a negative impact on the inspection programmes reported by the 
national  authorities  included  insufficient  resources  (staff,  financial  and  equipment), 
the ongoing animal (African swine fever and avian influenza) and plant health issues, 
and  Brexit.  Denmark  stated  that  it  needed  to  divert  significant  human  resources  to 
the  culling  of  all  minks  on  farms  in  order  to  prevent  the  spread  of  COVID-19  to 
humans. 

Because all sectors show a growing trend in distance selling, Finland allocated  more 
resources to controls in this area. 

15 

 
 
1.4 
Measures taken to ensure the 
effective operation of the 
MANCP 

The objective of MANCPs is to ensure that official controls are carried out in a manner 
that  is  risk-based  and  efficient  across  the  entire  agri-food  chain,  and  in  compliance 
with the Official Controls Regulation.  

When  official  controls  identify  a  case  of  non-compliance,  national  authorities  are 
required to take action to ensure that the non-compliant business rectifies the issue 
to prevent any further occurrence (13).  

National authorities are also required to verify the effective operation of the official 
control system and to take the actions needed to rectify any shortcomings identified 
in their control systems (14). 

(13) Article 138 of Regulation (EU) 2017/625. 

(14) Article 12(2) and (3) of Regulation (EU) 2017/625. 

16 

 
 
 
 
                                                      
1.4.1 
Actions taken to ensure business compliance 

EU countries run public information campaigns and provide guidance and training to 
businesses to help them comply with food safety rules.  

Nine  EU  countries  provided  examples  of  actions  by  national  authorities  to  help 
businesses comply with the applicable rules. 

● 

● 

● 

The  Danish  Veterinary  and  Food  Administration  is  working  on  a  number  of 
measures  to  make  it  easier  to  understand  minimum  food  safety  requirements 
when starting a business. 

In Lithuania, the State  Plant Service  Agency’s activities give priority to advising 
businesses, providing methodological support and implementing other measures 
to  prevent  infringements  of  legislation  –  rather  than  seeking  to  achieve 
compliance only by means of sanctions or penalties. 

In  Belgium,  businesses  certified  under  the  national  validated  self-checking 
guides benefit from lower fees and a lower frequency of official controls. Tools 
are  also  available  for  sectors  for  which  such  a  validated  self-checking  guide  is 
not available. The control checklists are publicly available and contain guidance. 
Free training courses and material are also available. 

17 

 
 
 
1.4.2 
Enforcement by national authorities 

National  authorities  apply  a  range  of  enforcement  actions,  from  verbal  and  written 
warnings  through  to  the  seizure  and  destruction  of  goods  and  the  (temporary) 
removal or restriction of approvals of businesses. Administrative fines are used as a 
deterrent. Formal legal proceedings remain as a last resort.  

National  authorities  must  have  effective,  proportionate  and  dissuasive 
sanctions/penalties in place (15). 

Table  3  shows  the  number  of  administrative  sanctions  applied  across  the  different 
parts of the food chain. Table 4 shows these sanctions across the different areas and 
Table 5 shows the number of judicial actions taken across the different areas. 

Table 3: Administrative sanctions in 2021 by activity 

(15)   Articles 137, 138 and 139 of Regulation (EU) 2017/625. 

18 

FoodcontactmaterialsHuntingFishingAquacultureABPFeedAnimaltransportFooddistributionFarmingFoodproductionFoodwholesaleretailFoodservicesSanctions3914164401 1971 4997 0349 25915 44158 302102 770136 101166 515020 00040 00060 00080 000100 000120 000140 000160 000180 000 
 
 
 
                                                      
Table 4: Administrative sanctions in 2021 by area 

Table 5: Judicial actions taken in 2021 

19 

Deliberaterelease intotheenvironmentof GMOsfor thepurpose offood andfeedproductionAnimal by-products:preventionandminimisationof risks tohuman andanimalhealthProtectivemeasuresagainst pestsof plantsPlantprotectionproducts -sustainableuse ofpesticidesFeed andfeed safetyAnimalhealthAnimalwelfareUse andlabelling ofPDO/PGI/TSGFood andfood safety(includingfarming,hunting andfishing)Administrative272 9192 93814 47614 58324 13334 59749 745525 9570100 000200 000300 000400 000500 000600 000Deliberaterelease intotheenvironmentof GMOsfor thepurpose offood andfeed…Animal by-products:Preventionandminimisationof risks tohuman andanimalhealthProtectivemeasuresagainst pestsof plantsUse andlabelling ofPDO/PGI/TSGAnimalhealthFeed andfeed safetyPlantprotectionproducts -sustainableuse ofpesticidesAnimalwelfareFood andfood safety(includingfarming,hunting andfishing)Judicial235763374055829782 1283 36005001 0001 5002 0002 5003 0003 5004 000 
 
 
  
1.4.3 
Actions  taken  to  ensure  the  effective  operation  of 
official controls systems 

National  authorities  must  have  procedures  and/or  arrangements  in  place  to  ensure 
the effectiveness and appropriateness of official controls. To achieve this they must 
have or have access to: 

● 

● 

● 

a sufficient number of suitably qualified and experienced staff; 

appropriate and properly maintained facilities and equipment; and 

an adequate laboratory capacity for analysis, testing and diagnosis. 

National  authorities  must  carry  out  audits  on  their  own  control  systems  (or  have 
audits carried out on themselves) and must have control verification procedures (16) in 
place to ensure compliance and that the control systems are effective. This includes 
audits on any entity or person to whom the national authority might have delegated 
tasks. 

23 annual reports included information on one or more of these aspects. 14 included 
information on training courses provided to or followed by staff. 

The annual reports contain limited information on these audits and other verification 
activities  assessing  the  effectiveness  of  the  official  control  systems.  The  annual 
reports  of  Lithuania,  Austria  and  Sweden  refer  to  the  audits  carried  out  by  the 
Commission. 

On resources:  

● 

Bulgaria  reported  trends  that  may  impair  the  operation  of  official  control 
systems:  

■ 

■ 

■ 

a decrease in the number of staff involved in official controls;  

an increased work burden for staff, including the need to work overtime;  

an  increase  in  the  number  of  sites/businesses  subject  to  official  controls; 
and 

■ 

outdated technical equipment for official controls.  

(16) Articles 6 and 12 of Regulation (EU) 2017/625. 

20 

 
 
 
                                                      
● 

● 

The Netherlands stated that the sectors subject to control are growing faster 
than the national authority’s human resources/control capacity, but that extra 
resources had been allocated by its government. 

The  Netherlands  will  assess  whether  techniques  introduced  to  enable  controls 
during the COVID-19 pandemic, such as the use of cameras in slaughterhouses, 
can be kept and further improved; and 

●  Hungary stated that it is improving its IT systems. 

17  EU  countries  reported  changes  to  their  current  MANCP.  Reasons  given  for  these 
changes were: 

● 

● 

● 

● 

● 

● 

changes in legislation (5 EU countries); 

significant  changes  to  the  structure,  management  or  operation  of  the  national 
authorities (5); 

the outcome of the official controls carried out (4); 

the outcome of the internal audit system (1); 

the outcome of Commission controls (1); and 

other reasons, such as updated format; new analysis matrices and parameters; a 
new  period  of  validity;  including  all  the  authorities  involved;  and  the  effects  of 
the COVID-19 pandemic. 

21 

 
 
 
Part 2 
Commission 
activities 
countries in 2021 

in 

control 
EU 

22 

 
 
 
 
2.1 
Audits and controls 

 The 2021 audit and analysis programme (17) was the first under the 

2021-2025 multiannual plan and focused on: 

 
 
 

food and feed safety; 
animal diseases and plant pests; and 
the sustainability of the agri-food chain, with particular regard to 

– 
– 

the sustainable use of pesticides; and 
animal  welfare,  where  a  project  on  the  controls  on  the  welfare  of  laying 
hens started. 

We carried out 98 audits and similar checks on the official control systems of the EU 
countries in 2021. Chart 1 shows the geographical spread of these controls. Chart 2 
shows the number of audits per control area.  

(17) The work programmes are published on the Commission website. 

23 

 
 
 
                                                      
Chart 1: Commission controls in 2021 

Chart 2: Audits carried out per control area – 2021 

24 

 
 
 
 
 
 
The restrictions put in place to contain the COVID-19 pandemic meant that 83 of the 
audits  and  similar  controls  were  carried  out  entirely  remotely,  including  via 
videoconferencing.  Remote  visits  to  the  facilities  of  businesses  to  ascertain  the 
implementation  of  official  controls  were  not  possible.  8  were  performed  partially 
remotely, with a limited on-site element. 7 were performed fully on the spot. 

25 

 
 
2.2 
Recommendations 

The  controls carried  out  in  2021  resulted  in  a  total  of  407  recommendations  to  EU 
countries. Chart 3 provides an overview  of  these  by sector. The accompanying staff 
working document provides a further breakdown of the figures by the different areas 
audited. 

Chart 3: Recommendations made in 2021 by sector  

26 

 
 
 
 
2.3 
Highlights from Commission 
controls carried out in 2021 

Food 

The  audits  in  the  fisheries  sector  identified  weaknesses  in  the  registration  and 
control of small fishing vessels and a lack of controls over landing sites and related 
operations.  The audits  on ready-to-eat  fishery products confirmed an earlier finding 
on  the  requirement  to  demonstrate  that  products  meet  the  relevant  food  safety 
criteria throughout their shelf-life. A finding we also previously found in the general 
ready-to-eat products audit series. 

Our  audits  in  the  meat  sector  looked  further  into  allegations  that  cows  unfit  for 
slaughter are being slaughtered and assessed new legal requirements introduced for 
ante- and post-mortem inspections in poultry slaughterhouses. These audits identified 
gaps in the official control systems as regards training, ante-mortem inspections and 
emergency slaughtering at the farm. A specific audit assessed the progress made by 
Poland in addressing the recommendations on these topics that resulted from audits 
performed in 2019. 

In the dairy sector, we identified weaknesses in the quality control systems for non-
bovine milk; training; oversight of controls performed; and the rating and enforcement 
of incidents of non-compliance.  

On  food  of  non-animal  origin,  the  audits  on  the  microbiological  risks  in  primary 
production continued. Improvements were observed by comparison with the previous 
audit  series,  but  it  was  found  that  seeds  for  sprouting  are  still  not  adequately 
controlled  and  that  the  registration  of  primary  producers  needs  to  improve  so  that 
they  can  all  be  risk-assessed  and  included  in  the  control  system  at  an  appropriate 
frequency. 

Feed 

Audits  in  the  feed  sector  identified  problems  with  the  assessment  of  operators’ 
hazard  analysis  and  critical  control  points  (HACCP)  systems;  the  implementation  of 
sampling protocols; and the official controls on labelling of feed. 

Animal health 

27 

 
 
 
The audits focused on African swine fever. The audit results were also used to assess 
and further improve the Commission’s support to EU countries. 

Animal by-products 

Based  on  experience  from  previous  audits,  we  focused  on  the  official  controls  at 
critical points in the animal by-products chain. The audits also assessed the impact of 
the COVID-19 pandemic on the organisation of official controls. The findings of these 
audits  resulted  in  the  refinement  of  the  scope  for  further  audits  in  this  area  until 
2024. 

Animal welfare 

Further to the successful ‘end the cage age’ citizens’ initiative (18), the audit assessed 
the official control systems for the welfare of laying hens. Overstocking of animals is 
the  main  area  of  weakness.  The  lack  of  legal  welfare  requirements  specific  to 
breeding flocks and young hens means that there is no consistency in the way official 
controls are performed. 

To help improve animal welfare during sea transport, we continued to work with the 
European  Maritime  Safety  Agency  to  improve  the  system  of  official  controls  on 
livestock vessels.  

Plant health 

Our  audit  and  analysis  activities  assisted  in  the  further  improvement  of  the  timely 
reporting  of  new  outbreaks  and  updates  on  existing  ones  of  plant  pests  and  the 
assessment of information to allow rapid decision making. An audit series on import 
controls supported the national authorities to improve their control systems. 

Plant protection products 

The  preparation  for  the  update  of  the  EU’s  legislation  on  the  sustainable  use  of 
pesticides  continued.  We  published  the  updated  harmonised  indicators (19)  for  2011-
2019.  The  indicators  show  the  continuing  progress  made.  Our  audits  and  training 
series focused on the sustainable use of pesticides and integrated pest management. 

Organic production and labelling of organic products 

(18) The European Citizens' Initiative is a unique way to help shape the EU. Once an initiative 
has  reached  1  million  signatures,  the  Commission  will  decide  on  what  action  to  take. 
More information on the and the cage age citizens’ initiative. 

(19) Harmonised risk indicators are used to estimate trends in risks related to pesticide use. 

28 

 
 
                                                      
In  most  EU  countries,  private  control  bodies  certify  organic  production  and  the  use 
and  labelling  of  these  products.  The  supervision  of  these  control  bodies  by  the 
competent authorities needs further improvement. 

Protected  designation  of  origin,  protected  geographical  indications  and 
traditional specialities guaranteed  

Overall,  the  organisation  and  implementation  of  official  controls  are  effective.  Their 
effectiveness  is  higher  at  the  production  and  processing  stages  than  in  the 
downstream sector (wholesalers and retailers). 

However, official controls do not always verify whether these products comply with all 
the rules in the product specifications. 

In  addition,  market  controls  carried  out  for  the  use  of  registered  names  of  these 
products are not systematic and risk-based. They are mainly based on complaints or 
external information. 

Fraudulent and deceptive practices 

Based  on  the  results  of  fact-finding  studies  and  meetings  with  national  authorities, 
the Commission is preparing a guidance document to assist national authorities with 
their  official  controls  to  identify  fraudulent  and  deceptive  practices  in  the  agri-food 
chain. 

The  coordinated  programmes  targeting  counterfeit  and  sub-standard  foodstuffs,  as 
well as food fraud and adulteration, remain in place. 

Entry of animals and goods into the EU 

The results of the audits show that, with one exception, EU countries have continued 
to improve their systems and implementation of controls. 

Residues of veterinary medicinal products and environmental contaminants 
in animals and products of animal origin 

The results of the assessment of the residue-monitoring plans and of the five audits 
that were carried out indicate that the EU countries are compliant. 

29 

 
 
2.4 
Systematic  follow-up  of  audit 
recommendations 

30 

 
 
 
2. 4.1 
General follow-up audits 

Based on our 3-year cycle, we carried out eight general follow-up audits in 2021. 

Table 6: General follow-up audits in 2021 

General follow-up audits: 

The  systematic  review  of  actions  taken  by  Member  States  to  address  audit 
recommendations  continued  to  be  effective  in  dealing  with  most  of  the  identified 
issues.  The  results  of  the  general  follow-up  audits  have  been  published  in  the 
relevant country profiles. 

At  the  end  of  December  2021,  national  authorities  had  taken  corrective  action  or 
provided  satisfactory  commitments  to  address  most  of  the  identified  shortcomings 
within acceptable timelines. Based on a three-year rolling indicator, commitments to 
corrective  actions  had  been  made  for  90%  of  the  recommendations  resulting  from 
audits  carried  out  in  the  three-year  period  2017-2019.  All  open  recommendations 
continue to be monitored through general follow-up audits. 

31 

 
 
 
 
 
2.4.2 
Enforcement 

In  2021,  the  Commission  sent  an  additional  reasoned  opinion  to 
Czechia  on  its  obligation  to  systematically  report  the  arrival  of  certain  foodstuffs 
coming  from  another  EU  country  when  those  foodstuffs  enter  Czechia  for  the  first 
time (20). 

In  2021,  the  Commission  did  not  refer  any  cases  to  the  Court  of 

Justice of the EU in the areas subject to official controls covered by this report. 

(20) A letter of formal notice was sent in January 2019 and a reasoned opinion in July 2019. 
Given  that  Regulation (EU) 2017/625  repealed  and  replaced  the  previously  applicable 
legislation  on  official  controls  and  in  order  to  ensure  legal  certainty  regarding  the 
provisions that the Commission considered Czechia to have infringed, an additional letter 
of formal notice was sent in July 2020 and an additional reasoned opinion in September 
2021. 

32 

 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                      
Conclusions 

The  EU  countries’  annual  reports  on  official  controls  demonstrate  that  national 
authorities  continued  in  2021  to  fulfil  their  role  of  monitoring  and  verifying  that 
businesses  along  the  food  chain  comply  with  relevant  EU  requirements  and  took 
enforcement measures when this was not the case. 

National  authorities  still  need  to  complete  the  adaptation  of  their  internal  data 
systems to allow for the submission of complete and consistent data in the required 
format. Following the Commission’s guidance on completing the annual report should 
further  improve  the  comparability  of  the  information  provided  for  2022  and 
subsequent years. 

The annual reports could also be improved when national authorities have sufficient 
data  to  include  statements  on  the  overall  level  of  compliance;  the  overall 
effectiveness  of  the  official  control  systems;  and  their  suitability  for  achieving  the 
objectives of the Official Controls Regulation (21). 

Regarding the official controls on animal welfare, future annual reports must provide 
a  better  analysis  of  the  main  incidents  of  non-compliance  and  the  national  action 
plans to prevent any recurrence of such incidents of non-compliance. 

The  results  of  the  official  controls  carried  out  by  EU  countries  and  of  the  controls 
carried  out  by  the  Commission  on  the  national  authorities  show  that  the  necessary 
control systems are in place and that, overall, they provide levels of compliance that 
are  compatible  with  food  and  feed  safety  requirements  and  a  healthy  internal  EU 
market.  Commission  controls  nevertheless  identified  weaknesses  in  some  control 
systems and highlighted further room for improvement. 

The  Commission’s  systematic  follow-up  of  audit  recommendations  shows  that 
national  authorities  are  generally  taking appropriate corrective measures to address 
identified shortcomings. 

Working  in  partnership  with  the  national  authorities,  the  Commission  continues  to 
support  them  in  continuously  improving  their  official  control  systems  through  the 
networks of national experts and the Better Training for Safer Food initiative. 

During  2021,  the  restrictions  imposed  due  to  the  COVID-19  pandemic  continued  to 
make it difficult for national authorities and the Commission to carry out their control 

(21)Regulation (EU) 2017/625. 

33 

 
 
 
                                                      
plans.  Staffing  levels  and  resource  constraints  were  also  cited  as  reasons  why 
national authorities had not completely implemented their planned programmes. 

34