Health and Consumers

Smarter rules for safer food:

a review of the EU legislation for the animal, plant and food production chain

Laszlo Kuster

European Commission

Directorate-General for Health and Consumers

3 December 2013, Bilbao

1

2

The EU legislative framework

Defines EU competences

EU Treaties

Acts of the European Parliament and of the Council

Acts of the Commission Delegated or implementing acts

Legislative (‘basic’) EU acts

European Parliament

Council of the EU

European Commission

Member States

The EU in operation

implementation compliance enforcement

• common interest • right of initiative • executive • guardian of EU Treaties

political

Health and Consumers Directorate-General

• To make Europe a healthier, safer place, where consumers can be confident that their interests are protected

• Food chain: • Animal nutrition • Animal health, welfare • Plant health, reproduction • Food, alert system and training • Biotechnology (e.g. GMOs) • Chemicals, pesticides, contaminants • Food information • Food chain and animal health expenditure • International relations • Official controls, EU audits

Scope of the review package

• Four major proposals on • Animal Health, • Plant Health, • Plant Reproductive Material • and Official Controls

• A Communication • Additional proposal on EU expenditure

Legal documents • Proposals:

– COM(2013) 260 final: animal health

– COM(2013) 262 final: plant reproductive material

– COM(2013) 265 final: official controls

– COM(2013) 267 final: plant pests

– COM(2013) 327 final: expenditure

• Communication: COM(2013) 267 final

Useful further information • Supporting documents

– Impact assessments

– Executive summary of impact assessment

– Citizens` summary, etc.

• Press room – http://ec.europa.eu/dgs/health_consumer/pressroom/animal-plant-health_en.htm

• Policy web pages (e.g. for animal health) – http://ec.europa.eu/food/animal/animal-health-proposal-2013_en.htm

Overall objectives • Consolidation/simplification • Prioritisation of EU intervention • Transparency, also in view of international obligations

Which areas are we talking about? What does it mean in concrete terms for citizens, farmers, other business operators and public administrations?

Animal health • Protection: of animals, people and the economy from

transmissible animal diseases and epidemics • Lessons learned:

• Prevention is better than cure • Fewer epidemics recently • Progress/success as basis for future

• EU market: animals and products must be safe • Rules essential since decades: remain/ less burdensome

What is out of animal health? • Not in scope:

– Health and welfare of animals (pathologies)

– Food hygienie

– Feed, medicated feed

– Veterinary medicines

• In scope but specific rules remain: – TSE rules ("mad cow disease")

– Certain zoonoses (e.g. Salmonella)

Examples of plant pests • Pine wood nematode:

─ May kill 50-90% of southern Europe's pines

• Asiatic longhorn beetle

─ Big threat to broad-leaved trees

• Red palm weevil:

─ Massive death of palms in southern Europe

• Pests of potato:

─ Risk of high production losses, trade bans

• Pests of citrus:

─ Still free from citrus canker, black spot

Plant reproductive material • Material of any kind of plants (from seeds, tubers, young plants up to fully grown

trees) used for the reproduction of other plants.

• Information asymmetry for farmers:

Is this really wheat of variety 'Urho'

suited for bread production, with 99% varietal purity,

over-wintering type, no ergot fungus and with

germination rate of at least 85%?

Official controls • Horizontal framework

• For controls carried out by public authorities (veterinary, plant health, agricultural, food safety authorities)

• along the whole chain

• from production of and trade in animals and plants to processing and distribution of food and other products

Some new elements • Wider scope (Art 1)

• Other official activities (Art 2(2))

• Basis for specific control rules (Art 16, 21, 24)

• Delegation of tasks – official controls to natural persons (Art 27)

– other official activities (Art 30)

• Wider mandatory fees (Art 77)

Not only for authorities • Obligations of operators (Art 14) • Reports on controls (Art 12) • Cascade for sampling, analysis etc. (Art 33) • Second opinion (Art 34) • Importers • Fees

• Compliant operators (Art 80) • Microenterprises (Art 82)

• Consequences of non-compliances

Benefits for citizens • Animal health: protection of citizens and their animals (diseases

transmissible to humans, contribute to reduced spread of antimicrobial resistance)

• Plant health: better protection of landscapes, public and private green, reduce need to use pesticides

• Plant reproductive material: free and larger choice/ exchange of seeds between individuals and selling of seeds (niche market)

• Official controls: publication of control activities and results (possible: outcome of individual results for operators, scoring schemes)

Benefits for farmers • Animal health: fewer epidemics=fewer market disturbances,

good biosecurity=fewer diseases/costs, moving animals inside the EU easier

• Plant health: simpler and more transparent document (plant passport), more financial compensation

• Plant reproductive material: less pesticides (testing on sustainability), broader choice (organic varieties, traditional, heterogenous, niche market material)

• Official controls: majority of farmers exempted from fees

Benefits for other business operators • Animal Health: benefits for farmers plus voluntary

biosecurity and surveillance schemes • Plant Health and Plant Reproductive Material: one

registration (common operators register), one certification label (plant passport/official label combined)

• Plant Reproductive Material: faster market access and more flexibility

• Official controls: transparency on controls, results, on fees, right to second opinion, less burden for importers (unified border control system)

Benefits for public authorities • Animal Health: better disease control tools, better IT

tools • Plant Health: joint efforts: surveillance/ eradication,

financial support • Plant Reproductive Material: focus on core activities • Official Controls: better cooperation on enforcement,

standards for other official activities, modernised IT tools, secured finances

Legislative procedure • National parliaments: finished • Expenditure: already in trilogue(s) • Council

– Working Parties: ongoing

• European Parliament – COMAGRI: animal health, plant health, seeds – COMENVI: official controls – Planned plenary votes: April 2014

• EU and national stakeholder forums

Areas of attention • Level of detail:

• Basic rules: essential principles • Delegated acts: non-essential • Implementing acts: practicalities

• In official controls: • Extended scope • Fees for microenterprises • Anti-fraud measures

• Transitional measures

In summary • Benefits across the wider food chain

• Significant changes for certain areas

• Limited changes for feed sector

• Details!

• Smooth transition!

• Commission is transparent, collaborative

To make Europe a healthier, safer place

For 2014: road maps

• Medicated feed http://ec.europa.eu/governance/impact/planned_ia/docs/2010_sanco_055_medicated_feed_en.pdf

• Veterinary pharmaceuticals http://ec.europa.eu/governance/impact/planned_ia/docs/2012_sanco_002_veterinary_pharmaceutical_legislation_en.pdf

• Food hygiene package http://ec.europa.eu/governance/impact/planned_ia/docs/2011_sanco_035_composite_products_and_meat_inspection_hygiene_package_en.pdf