13.1.2016   

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

L 8/1

(1)

Commission Regulation (EC) No 669/2009 (3) provides for an increased level of official controls on imports of certain feed and food of non-animal origin listed in Annex I to that Regulation. Groundnuts from Brazil and Capsicum annuum and nutmeg from India are already subject to such an increased level of official controls since January 2010 as regards the presence of aflatoxins. Since July 2012, nutmeg from Indonesia has also been subject to an increased level of official controls regarding aflatoxins.

(2)

The results of the official controls carried out by the Member States in pursuant to Regulation (EC) No 669/2009 on those commodities show a continuous high frequency of non-compliance with maximum levels of aflatoxins. Those results provide evidence that the import of those foods and feeds constitute a risk for animal and human health. No improvement of the situation could be observed after several years of increased frequency of controls at Union borders.

(3)

Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 884/2014 (4) imposes special conditions on the import of certain feed and food from certain third countries due to contamination risk by aflatoxins.

(4)

In order to protect human and animal health in the Union, it is necessary to provide for additional guarantees in relation to those food and feed from Brazil, India and Indonesia. All consignments of groundnuts from Brazil, Capsicum annuum from India and nutmeg from India and Indonesia should be accompanied by a health certificate stating that the products have been sampled and analysed for the presence of aflatoxins and have been found compliant with Union legislation. The results of the analytical tests should be attached to the health certificate.

(5)

Besides the exemption of consignments destined to a private person for personal consumption and use, it is also appropriate to exclude very small consignments of certain feed and food, namely not exceeding 20 kg, e.g. used for commercial exhibitions or sent as commercial samples. The requirement of a health certificate accompanied by the analytical result is for such consignments not proportionate to the low risk for public health of such consignments.

(6)

The Turkish and Iranian authorities have informed the Commission of a change of the competent authority whose authorised representative is entitled to sign the health certificate. The Brazilian authority is also competent for feed. Therefore, these changes have to be introduced accordingly.

(7)

In order to reduce unnecessary administrative burden, it is appropriate to provide that in case of a consignment in which packaging is combining several small packages/entities, it is not necessary that the identification number of the consignment is mentioned on every individual package in the consignment but sufficient on the package combining these small packages/entities.

(8)

Following problems experienced, it is appropriate to specify that the entries of the Common Entry Document related to the favourable completion of the documentary check have to be completed before authorising the transfer of the consignment to a DPI.

(9)

Regulation (EC) No 669/2009 and Implementing Regulation (EU) No 884/2014 should therefore be amended accordingly.

(10)

The measures provided for in this Regulation are in accordance with the opinion of the Standing Committee on the Plants, Animals, Food and Feed,

(1)

the following points (i), (j) and (k) are added to Article 1(1):

(2)

the following sentence is added to Article 1(3):

‘This Regulation shall also not apply to consignments of feed and food of a gross weight not exceeding 20 kg.’;

(3)

in Article 5(2), point (a) is replaced by the following:

(4)

in Article 5(2), points (d) and (e) are replaced by the following:

(5)

in Article 5(2), point (i) is added:

(6)

the following sentence is added to Article 6:

‘In case of a consignment in which packaging is combining several small packages/entities, it is sufficient that the identification number of the consignment is mentioned on the package combining these small packages/entities’;

(7)

the first sentence of Article 9(4) is replaced by the following:

‘The competent authority at the DPE shall authorise transfer of the consignment to a DPI after favourable completion of the checks referred to in paragraph 2 and the relevant entries of Part II of the CED (II.3, II.5, II.8 and II.9) are completed.’;

(8)

Annex I to Implementing Regulation (EU) No 884/2014 is amended in accordance with Annex II to this Regulation.