Smarter rules for safer food and plant health

This conference, organised by the Commission with the support of the Finnish EU Presidency, will present the new rules of Regulation (EU) 2017/625 on official controls and other official activities performed to ensure the application of food and feed law, rules on animal health and welfare, plant health and plant protection products, which become applicable on 14 December 2019.

The new regulation, which repeals and extends the scope of its predecessor, Regulation (EC) 882/2004, addresses official controls and other official activities performed to ensure the application of food and feed law, rules on animal health and welfare, plant health, plant protection products, organic production.

The Conference provides an opportunity for Member States, stakeholders, third countries to share best practice on certain key issues, and a means to increase the level of awareness and preparedness among Member States, stakeholders and trading partners alike.

JRC presentation of the Impact Indicator for Priority Pests (I2P2)

In the afternoon session 'Protecting the EU Plant health in a changing world', the JRC will present its methodology for identifying the ‘Union quarantine pests’ (pests for which the measures must be adopted to prevent their introduction into and spread within the entire Union territory) which have the most relevant impact on economic, social and environmental domains, and have been designated as Priority Pests in accordance with article 6 of Regulation 2016/2031 (Plant Health Act).

The JRC developed this methodology at the request of DG SANTE, to support the implementation of the Plant Health Regulation.

The methodology and its application to a first set of 28 pests selected by DG SANTE and Member States (represented in the Expert Group on Plant Health legislation) are described in a recent JRC technical report: The Impact Indicator for Priority Pests (I2P2): a tool for ranking pests according to Regulation (EU) 2016/2031.

This report also informed the COMMISSION DELEGATED REGULATION (EU) 2019/1702 of 1 August 2019 supplementing Regulation (EU) 2016/2031 of the European Parliament and of the Council by establishing the list of priority pests, which was adopted on 11 October 2019 (See also Plant Health: prioritising the fight against 20 quarantine plant pests on the EU territory).

Following this successful collaboration, DG SANTE has requested the continued support of the JRC in extending the analysis to the remaining Union quarantine pests that will accompany the new delegated act, and in supporting market surveillance programmes under the Single Market Programme.

Venue

Brussels, BE