(1)

The Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASSF) has been notified on 23 April 2008 that sunflower oil originating from Ukraine was found contaminated with high levels of mineral oil. This contamination by mineral oil was later confirmed in several consignments of crude sunflower oil originating from Ukraine imported in recent months in the Community. Sunflower oil containing high levels of mineral oil is unfit for human consumption and therefore deemed to be unsafe. The source of contamination is not yet known.

(2)

The European Commission has repeatedly urged the Ukrainian authorities to provide information on the origin of the contamination and on the measures taken to prevent it in future. Assurances were also sought from the Ukrainian authorities as to the establishment of effective measures aimed at guaranteeing the appropriate sampling and analysis on the presence of mineral oil in consignments of sunflower oil leaving Ukraine with destination the European Community.

(3)

Investigations aimed at identifying the source of contamination are ongoing in Ukraine. The Ukrainian authorities also committed to the establishment of an appropriate control system that will ensure that all consignments of sunflower oil to be exported to the European Union are certified as not containing levels of mineral oil making the sunflower oil unfit for human consumption. However, the details of this control system have still to be provided to the Commission. The Commission should assess the control and certification system in order to verify the accuracy and the reliability to guarantee that the sunflower oil exported to the Community does not contain levels of mineral oil, making the sunflower oil unfit for human consumption. It has to be ensured that no exports of sunflower oil to the Community will take place until such control and certification system is put in place and assessed and accepted by the Commission. The assessment of the control and certification system will be performed on the basis of detailed information provided by the Ukrainian authorities.

(4)

Given the level of risk, Member States should control the consignments of sunflower oil for the presence of mineral oil at import in order to provide additional guarantees for the accuracy and reliability of the control and certification system put in place by the Ukrainian authorities.

(5)

Article 53 of Regulation (EC) No 178/2002 provides for the possibility to adopt appropriate Community emergency measures for food and feed imported from a third country in order to protect human health, animal health or the environment, where the risk cannot be contained satisfactorily by means of measures taken by the Member States individually.

(6)

Pending the assessment and acceptance of the control and certification system to be put in place by the Ukrainian authorities, no imports of sunflower oil originating in or consigned from Ukraine should take place due to the risk of contamination with mineral oil.

(7)

Member States have been informed of the contamination incident and have taken the appropriate measures to withdraw the contaminated sunflower oil and food products containing contaminated sunflower already placed on the market, as recommended by the European Commission via the RASFF.

(8)

Given the urgency, pending the meeting of the Standing Committee on the Food Chain and Animal Health, and after having informed the authorities of Ukraine, it is appropriate to adopt these interim protection measures in accordance with the procedure laid down in Article 53(2), first subparagraph of Regulation (EC) No 178/2002.

(9)

This Decision shall be reviewed in accordance with the procedure laid down in Article 52 (2), second subparagraph of Regulation (EC) No 178/2002,