(1)

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

(2)

Following the accident at the Fukushima nuclear power station on 11 March 2011, the Commission was informed that radionuclide levels in certain food products originating in Japan exceeded the action levels in food applicable in Japan. Such contamination may constitute a threat to public and animal health in the Union and therefore Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 297/2011 of 25 March 2011 imposing special conditions governing the import of feed and food originating in or consigned from Japan following the accident at the Fukushima nuclear power station (2) was adopted. That Regulation was later replaced by Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 961/2011 (3).

(3)

The Japanese authorities have provided information to the Commission that in the many samples taken of sake and other spirit drinks (whiskey and shochu) no radioactivity was detected in all samples. The process of polishing, fermentation and distillation removes the radioactivity nearly completely from the spirit drink itself. The issue will be followed-up based on the continued monitoring of sake, whiskey and shochu by the Japanese authorities. It is therefore appropriate to exclude sake, whiskey and shochu from the scope of this Regulation in order to reduce the administrative burden for the Japanese authorities and the competent authorities of the importing Member States.

(4)

The Japanese authorities have adopted on 24 February 2012 new maximum levels for the sum of caesium-134 and caesium-137, to be applied as from 1 April 2012, with transitional measures foreseen for rice, beef and soybean and processed products thereof, which are lower than the maximum levels established by Council Regulation (Euratom) No 3954/87 of 22 December 1987 laying down maximum permitted levels of radioactive contamination of foodstuffs and of feedingstuffs following a nuclear accident or any other case of radiological emergency (4). The transitional measures for beef have no relevance for the import into the Union as the import of beef from Japan into the Union is not allowed for animal and public health reasons other than radioactivity. The Japanese authorities also informed the Commission that products that are not allowed to be placed on the Japanese market are also not allowed to be exported. It is therefore appropriate, although there is no need for safety reasons, in order to provide consistency between the pre-export controls performed by the Japanese authorities and the controls on the level of radionuclides performed on feed and food originating in or consigned from Japan at the entry into the Union, to apply the same maximum levels in the Union for radionuclides in feed and food from Japan as the maximum levels applicable in Japan as long as these are lower than the values established in Regulation (Euratom) No 3954/87.

(5)

Shortly after the nuclear accident, controls were required for the presence of iodine-131 and the sum of caesium-134 and caesium-137 in feed and food originating from Japan, as there was evidence that the release of radioactivity into the environment was related to a very large part to iodine-131, caesium-134 and caesium-137, and there was only very limited or no emission of the radionuclides strontium (Sr-90), plutonium (Pu-239) and americium (Am-241). Iodine-131 has a short half-life of 8 days and because there were no releases of radioactivity from the affected nuclear power plant into the environment in recent months and the affected nuclear reactor is now in a stable situation and no further releases to the environment are expected, iodine-131 is no longer present in the environment and consequently also not in feed and food from Japan. Therefore the control for the presence of iodine-131 was no longer required by Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 1371/2011 of 21 December 2011 amending Implementing Regulation (EU) No 961/2011 imposing special conditions governing the import of feed and food originating in or consigned from Japan following the accident at the Fukushima nuclear power station (5). Therefore there is no need to maintain maximum levels for iodine-131 in this Regulation.

(6)

Implementing Regulation (EU) No 961/2011 provided also maximum levels for strontium, plutonium and americium in case there would have been new releases to the environment of radioactivity including these radionuclides. Given that the affected nuclear reactor is now in a stable situation, the possibility of new releases of radioactivity to the environment is excluded or very minimal and there have been no significant releases to the environment of strontium, plutonium and americium following the nuclear power plant accident, it is evident that the control for the presence of these radionuclides in food or feed from Japan is not necessary. As a consequence there is no need to maintain maximum levels for these radionuclides in this Regulation.

(7)

Implementing Regulation (EU) No 961/2011 has been amended at two occasions to take into account the development of the situation. Given that this Regulation provides for further amendments requiring changes to several provisions of that Regulation, it is appropriate to replace Implementing Regulation (EU) No 961/2011 by a new Regulation.

(8)

The measures provided for in this Regulation are in accordance with the opinion of the Standing Committee on the Food Chain and Animal Health,

(a)

products which left Japan before 28 March 2011;

(b)

products which have been harvested and/or processed before 11 March 2011;

(c)

sake falling within CN codes ex 2206 00 39 (sparkling), ex 2206 00 59 (still, in containers holding 2 litres or less) or ex 2206 00 89 (still, in containers holding more than 2 litres);

(d)

whiskey falling within CN code 2208 30;

(e)

shochu falling within CN code ex 2208 90 56, ex 2208 90 69, ex 2208 90 77 or ex 2208 90 78.

(a)

has been duly endorsed by the competent authority at the border inspection post or designated point of entry; and

(b)

gives evidence that the official controls referred to in Article 10 have been carried out and that the results of those controls have been favourable.

(a)

the products left Japan before the entry into force of this Regulation; or

(b)

the products are accompanied by a declaration in accordance with that Regulation which was issued before 1 April 2012 and the products have left Japan before 15 April 2012.