On 9 December, the European Commission announced that it would strengthen controls at borders and in third countries on food, animal and plant products entering the EU through a series of measures .These will ensure that EU citizens continue to benefit from the highest levels of food safety, while EU producers enjoy a level playing field with their global competitors.
The measures announced are a response to the commitments made in the Vision for Agriculture and Food and consist of:
- A 50% increase in the number of audits carried out in non-EU countries over the next two years, while maintaining the same level of control in EU countries;
- A 33% increase in audits of European border control posts, to verify that Member States carry out inspections in line with EU requirements;
- Closer monitoring of non-compliant goods and countries , with increased frequency of checks as necessary;
- Commission support for Member States carrying out these additional checks;
- The establishment of a dedicated EU task force to improve the efficiency of import controls , focusing in particular on pesticide residues, food and feed safety, and animal welfare. A coordinated EU monitoring effort on specific imported products will also be considered;
- Training of around 500 staff members of national authorities on official controls, through a dedicated EU programme;
- Updated import rules for products containing traces of particularly hazardous pesticides banned in the EU, in line with recently updated international standards. (Source: https://www.ruminantia.it/ )