Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2020/1158 on the import of food and feed following the accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power station has been published in the Official Journal.
This Regulation repeals Regulations (EC) No 1609/2000 and (EC) No 1635/2006. Whereas Regulation (EC) No 733/2008 expired on 31 March 2020. Regulation 2020/1158 therefore is a complete replacement for the previous control regime. The Regulation applies to food, including minor food, and feed within the meaning of Article 1 of Regulation (Euratom) 2016/52. The applicable products (mushrooms and fruit of the genus Vaccinium) are listed in Annex II, and come from the countries listed in Annex I.
Exempted from the controls are products where their gross weight is less than 10kg of fresh product or 2kg of dry product of:
- trade samples, laboratory samples or as display items for exhibitions, which are not intended to be placed on the market,
- passengers’ personal luggage and are intended for personal consumption or use,
- non-commercial consignments sent to natural persons not intended to be placed on the market, and
- consignments intended for scientific purposes.
All consignments must be accompanied by the official certificate in Annex III and bear the identification code, which is also used on the Common Health Entry Document (CHED). The official certificate must be issued by the competent authority of the third country of origin or of the third country where the consignment is consigned.
The official certificate must be issued before the consignment leaves the control of the competent authority of the third country issuing the certificate. It is valid for not more than 4 months from the date of issue, but in any case, no longer than 6 months from the date of the results of the laboratory analysis.
The official certificate shall attest that the products comply with the maximum permitted levels laid down in Article 3 and must be accompanied by the results of sampling and analysis. Consignments must enter through a border control post and at control points, where they will be subjected to identity checks and physical checks, including a laboratory analysis on the presence of caesium-137, at a frequency of 20%. For a transitional period until 31 December 2020, consignments accompanied by the relevant certificates issued before 1 September 2020 in accordance with the provisions of Regulation (EC) No 1635/2006 are authorised for import.
Regulation 2020/1158 has been implemented by means of Declaration OFFC/2020/S/002 issued under Regulation 35 of the Official Feed and Food Controls (Scotland) Regulations 2009 and Declaration TARP Reg 25/077 issued under Regulation 25 of The Trade in Animals and Related Products (Scotland) Regulations 2012.
