(1)

Regulation (EU) 2017/625 lays down rules for official controls and other control activities performed by the competent authorities of the Member States in order to verify compliance with Union legislation in the area of, among others, food safety at all stages of the production, processing and distribution process. In particular, it provides that consignments of certain animals and goods are only to enter the Union from a third country or region thereof which appears on a list drawn up by the Commission for that purpose.

(2)

Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2019/625 (2) supplements Regulation (EU) 2017/625 as regards the conditions for the entry into the Union of consignments of certain animals and goods intended for human consumption from third countries or regions thereof in order to ensure that they comply with the relevant requirements established in the rules referred to in Article 1(2)(a) of Regulation (EU) 2017/625 (food safety) or with requirements recognised to be at least equivalent. In particular, it identifies the animals and goods intended for human consumption that are subject to the requirement to come from a third country or region thereof listed in accordance with Article 126(2)(a) of Regulation (EU) 2017/625.

(3)

Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/626 (3) lays down the lists of third countries or regions thereof authorised for the entry into the Union of the animals and the goods identified in Article 3 of Delegated Regulation (EU) 2019/625.

(4)

In accordance with Article 127 of Regulation (EU) 2017/625, these lists include only third countries or regions thereof, which have submitted appropriate evidence and guarantees that the animals and goods concerned comply with the requirements of Union legislation in the area of food safety.

(5)

Regulation (EC) No 853/2004 of the European Parliament and of the Council (4) provides that food business operators importing products of animal origin from third countries or regions thereof are to ensure that the third country of dispatch appears on a list of third countries from which imports of such products are permitted.

(6)

In addition to complying with Union legislation in the area of food and food safety, animals and goods from third countries entering the Union are to comply with Union legislation in the area of animal health. To this end, Regulation (EU) 2016/429 of the European Parliament and of the Council (5) provides that Member States are to permit the entry into the Union of certain consignments of animals, germinal products and products of animal origin from third countries or territories only if those goods come from a third country or territory listed for that purpose.

(7)

Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/404 (6) lays down the lists of third countries or regions thereof authorised for the entry into the Union of certain animals and goods with regard to animal health requirements, in accordance with the criteria laid down in Article 230(1) of Regulation (EU) 2016/429 and with the relevant animal health requirements laid down in Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/692 (7).

(8)

Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/692 repeals, with effect from 21 April 2021, a number of Commission acts laying down lists of third countries or regions thereof authorised for the entry into the Union of consignments of certain animals, germinal products and products of animal origin. Of these lists, those established with regard to food safety requirements should be laid down in the present Regulation, with effect from 21 April 2021.

(9)

The third countries or regions thereof from which entry into the Union of consignments of certain animals and goods is permitted have already provided appropriate evidence and guarantees to ensure that the animals and goods authorised for the entry into the Union comply with requirements laid down in Article 4(a) to (e) of Delegated Regulation (EU) 2019/625. Therefore, a re-assessment of compliance with these requirements is not necessary.

(10)

Article 4(f) of Delegated Regulation (EU) 2019/625 provides that the existence, implementation and communication of a residues control programme approved by the Commission, when applicable, is a prerequisite for the inclusion of third countries or regions thereof in the list referred to in Article 126(2)(a) of Regulation (EU) 2017/625. Commission Decision 2011/163/EU (8) lays down the list of third countries whose residues control programme have been approved by the Commission.

(11)

Certain countries are currently listed in Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/626 for animals and goods, for which they are not listed in Decision 2011/163/EU, and are consequently not authorized for entry of these animals or goods into the Union. Since these countries do not fulfil the requirements of Article 4(f) of Delegated Regulation (EU) 2019/625, the countries should not be listed in the present Regulation.

(12)

Considering the numerous amendments necessary, Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/626 should be repealed and replaced by the present Regulation.

(13)

As Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/692 and Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/404 apply from 21 April 2021, this Regulation should also apply from that date.

(14)

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

(1)

‘fresh meat’ means fresh meat as defined in point 1.10 of Annex I to Regulation (EC) No 853/2004;

(2)

‘meat preparations’ means meat preparations as defined in point 1.15 of Annex I to Regulation (EC) No 853/2004;

(3)

‘domestic solipeds’ means animals of the species Equus caballus, Equus asinus and their cross-breeds;

(4)

‘wild solipeds’ means animals of the subgenus Hippotigris;

(5)

‘offal’ means offal as defined in point 1.11 of Annex I to Regulation (EC) No 853/2004;

(6)

‘meat’ means meat as defined in point 1.1 of Annex I to Regulation (EC) No 853/2004;

(7)

‘minced meat’ means minced meat as defined in point 1.13 of Annex I to Regulation (EC) No 853/2004;

(8)

‘poultry’ means poultry as defined in point 1.3 of Annex I to Regulation (EC) No 853/2004;

(9)

‘wild leporidae’ means rabbits and hares that are not kept by humans;

(10)

‘wild game’ means wild game as defined in point 1.5 of Annex I to Regulation (EC) No 853/2004;

(11)

‘farmed game’ means farmed game as defined in point 1.6. of Annex I to Regulation (EC) No 853/2004;

(12)

‘eggs’ means eggs as defined in point 5.1 of Annex I to Regulation (EC) No 853/2004;

(13)

‘egg products’ means egg products as defined in point 7.3 of Annex I to Regulation (EC) No 853/2004;

(14)

‘meat products’ means meat products as defined in point 7.1 of Annex I to Regulation (EC) No 853/2004;

(15)

‘treated stomachs, bladders and intestines’ means treated stomachs, bladders and intestines as defined in point 7.9 of Annex I to Regulation (EC) No 853/2004;

(16)

‘casings’ means casings as defined in point (45) of the second paragraph of Article 2 of Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/692;

(17)

‘rendered animal fat’ means rendered animal fat as defined in point 7.5 of Annex I to Regulation (EC) No 853/2004;

(18)

‘greaves’ means greaves as defined in point 7.6 of Annex I to Regulation (EC) No 853/2004;

(19)

‘bivalve molluscs’ means bivalve molluscs as defined in point 2.1 of Annex I to Regulation (EC) No 853/2004;

(20)

‘fishery products’ means fishery products as defined in point 3.1 of Annex I to Regulation (EC) No 853/2004;

(21)

‘raw milk’ means raw milk as defined in point 4.1 of Annex I to Regulation (EC) No 853/2004;

(22)

‘dairy products’ means dairy products as defined in point 7.2. of Annex I to Regulation (EC) No 853/2004;

(23)

‘colostrum’ means colostrum as defined in point 1 of Section IX of Annex III to Regulation (EC) No 853/2004;

(24)

‘colostrum-based products’ means colostrum-based products as defined in point 2 of Section IX of Annex III to Regulation (EC) No 853/2004;

(25)

‘frogs’ legs’ means frogs’ legs as defined in point 6.1 of Annex I to Regulation (EC) No 853/2004 and any other frogs’ legs of the genera Pelophylax from the family of Ranidae, and of the genera Limnonectes, Fejervarya and Hoplobatrachus from the family of Dicroglossidae;

(26)

‘snails’ means snails as defined in point 6.2 of Annex I to Regulation (EC) No 853/2004 and any other snails of the family of Helicidae, Hygromiidae or Sphincterochilidae;

(27)

‘gelatine’ means gelatine as defined in point 7.7 of Annex I to Regulation (EC) No 853/2004;

(28)

‘collagen’ means collagen as defined in point 7.8 of Annex I to Regulation (EC) No 853/2004;

(29)

‘honey’ means honey as defined in point 1 of Part IX of Annex II of Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council (9);

(30)

‘apiculture products’ means apiculture products as defined in point 2 of Part IX of Annex II to Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013;

(31)

‘reptile meat’ means reptile meat as defined in point (16) of Article 2 of Delegated Regulation (EU) 2019/625;

(32)

‘insects’ means insects as defined in point (17) of Article 2 of Delegated Regulation (EU) 2019/625;

(33)

‘day-old chicks’ means day-old chicks as defined in point (19) of Article 2 of Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/692;

(34)

‘hatching eggs’ means hatching eggs as defined in point (44) of Article 4 of Regulation (EU) 2016/429;

(35)

‘breeding poultry’ means breeding poultry as defined in point (17) of Article 2 of Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/692;

(36)

‘productive poultry’ means productive poultry as defined in point (18) of Article 2 of Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/692;

(37)

‘animals intended for slaughter’ means animals intended for slaughter as defined in point (13) of Article 2 of Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/692.

(a)

in the case of highly refined products derived from ungulates, the third countries or regions thereof that are listed in Annex XII;

(b)

in the case of highly refined products derived from fishery products, the third countries or regions thereof that are listed in Annex IX;

(c)

in the case of highly refined products derived from poultry, the third countries that are listed in Annex XIII.

(a)

if derived from domestic ungulates other than domestic solipeds, the third countries or regions thereof authorised for the entry of fresh meat of domestic ungulates into the Union in accordance with Annex XIII to Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/404 and listed in Decision 2011/163/EU when applicable;

(b)

if derived from domestic solipeds, the third countries that are listed in Annex I;

(c)

if derived from poultry, the third countries or regions thereof authorised for the entry of fresh poultry meat into the Union in accordance with Annex XIV to Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/404 and listed in Decision 2011/163/EU when applicable;

(d)

if derived from fishery products, the third countries or regions thereof that are listed in Annex IX;

(e)

if derived from leporidae, the third countries that are listed in Annex V;

(f)

if derived from wild land mammals other than ungulates and leporidae, the third countries that are listed in Annex VI;

(g)

if derived from more than one species, the third countries or regions thereof that are listed for each species from which the products are derived, in accordance with points (a) to (e).