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THE LATEST ON EU AGRI-FOOD POLICIES IMPACTING LOW- AND MIDDLE-INCOME COUNTRIES

Upcoming EU regulatory changes and opportunities for feedback: Quarterly report

  • Food safety
  • Food supplements/dietetic foods
  • Third country lists
  • Veterinary residues
  • Food safety controls
  • Official controls
  • Food contact materials
  • Packaging
  • Agricultural products
  • Product marketing standards
  • Trade
  • Trade policy

Summary

For some new policies and regulations, the EU gives the opportunity to all stakeholders (including those from non-EU countries) to provide their input and feedback. For more information on the EU consultation process, see How to provide feedback on upcoming EU policies and regulations – explained. The upcoming initiatives so far announced for early 2025 are listed here.

Overview of EU policies and regulations under development where non-EU countries can provide feedback: early 2025

Update

For some new policies and regulations, the EU gives the opportunity to all stakeholders (including those from non-EU countries) to provide their input and feedback. For more information on the EU consultation process, see How to provide feedback on upcoming EU policies and regulations – explained. The upcoming initiatives so far announced for early 2025 are listed here.

Background

The European Commission will be collecting feedback on the new agri-food policies and regulations listed below.

Once consultations are launched, all stakeholders (competent authorities, trade associations, individual exporters) may provide direct feedback via the EU’s Have your say webpages.

Participating in this process is important, and helps to ensure that the interests of low- and middle-income countries are taken into account when new policies or regulations are developed by the EU.

These consultations are part of the Commission’s commitment to greater regulatory transparency and are carried out in line with its Better Regulation Guidelines.

Impacted Products

Fish, olive oil, animal products, plant-based food, food supplements, fortified foods, food contact materials

Upcoming opportunities to give feedback

Stakeholders can provide input to public consultations or give feedback on draft proposals for the following.

Fish

Rules for fishery products frozen in brine on board vessels and for unpurified bivalve molluscs Delegated Regulation
Aim: Establish strict freezing procedures on board vessels for fish frozen in brine to allow delivery to the final consumer (and to fish processors).
Timeline: Public consultation expected soon.

Common Fisheries Policy – Evaluation
Aim: Evaluate if the Common Fisheries Policy Regulation has successfully contributed to environmentally and socially sustainable management of fisheries and aquaculture.
Timeline: Public consultation expected soon.

Sustainable imports of fishery products under the EU Autonomous Tariff Quota Regulation
Aim: Conduct an impact assessment on how to make Autonomous Tariff Quotas (ATQs) more sustainable and evaluate the functioning of the ATQ regime. Feedback to a Call for Evidence (now closed) is available to view, and a Public Consultation is planned for 2025.
Timeline: First quarter of 2025.

Food safety

Vitamins and minerals added to food (minimum and maximum levels) – Regulation
Aim: Set maximum levels for vitamins and minerals that may be added to food supplements and foods; and set minimum levels for food supplements.
Timeline: This initiative has been delayed, update expected soon.

Fruit and vegetables

Reviewing sectoral rules and modernising certain market-monitoring rules and mechanisms – Delegated and Implementing Regulations
Aim: Review and codify sectoral rules covering fruit and vegetables, and streamline certain market monitoring rules and mechanisms.
Timeline: Expected soon.

Marketing standards – addition of cider, perry and dried pulses to list of products – Delegated Regulation
Aim: Add marketing standards for cider, perry, and dried pulses that lay down conditions of production in order to take account of consumer demands and to facilitate trade relations.
Timeline: First quarter of 2025.

Animal products

Animal welfare - verifying compliance with EU welfare rules (detailed requirements) – Implementing Regulation
Aim: Reinforce controls of EU animal welfare rules during official meat inspections in slaughterhouses, such as monitoring the condition of pigs’ tails and broilers’ feet as indicators of on-farm animal welfare. Update of rules on health markings and the on-farm slaughter of animals including cattle, pigs, and ostriches.
Timeline: Expected soon.

Update on post-mortem inspection, food chain information and health marking – Implementing Regulation
Aim: Update rules on risk-based post-mortem inspection, post-mortem inspection of certain farmed game in game-handling establishments, and requirements concerning food chain information related to ungulates.
Timeline: EU consultation until 5 February 2025.

Products of animal origin – update of lists of products and their CN codes subject to official controls at borders – Implementing Regulation
Aim: Amend the list of products of animal origin subject to official controls at border control posts, including their codes from the Combined Nomenclature.
Timeline: Second quarter of 2025.

Residues

Pesticide residues in food – methods for sampling and analysis (update) – Regulation
Aim: Update pesticide maximum residue levels (MRLs) – methods for sampling and analysis: a new Implementing Regulation will replace Directive 2002/63/EC.
Timeline: First quarter of 2025.

Organic production

Organic and in-conversion products – import controls and certificates of inspection (revision) – Implementing Regulation
Aim: Revise the rules on EU import controls and inspection certificates for organic and in-conversion products that are not yet certified under EU organic legislation.
Timeline: Expected soon.

Organic production – amended list of authorised products and substances – Implementing Regulation
Aim: Amend the list of products and substances that may be used in organic production.
Timeline: First quarter of 2025.

Organic insects – detailed production methods (new rules) – Delegated Regulation
Aim: Set detailed rules for the organic production of insects (except bees) used in feed or food, including where insects should come from, how they should be fed, and how they should be kept and killed.
Timeline: Expected soon.

Pesticides

Plant protection – additional unacceptable co-formulants in Annex III to the Plant Protection Products Regulation – Regulation
Aim: List substances that are unacceptable co-formulants in Annex III to Regulation 1107/2009 on the sale, use, and control of plant protection products in the EU (according to criteria established in Regulation 2023/574).
Timeline: Third quarter of 2025.

Trade

Agricultural products – adapting rules on import licences and tariff quotas to allow the use of electronic documentsDelegated and Implementing Regulations
Aim: Replace the current templates for import and export licences with a data model that will allow the digitisation of all customs procedures related to checks on documents that accompany agricultural products.
Timeline: First quarter of 2025.

EU-Ukraine trade – further reciprocal tariff liberalisation under Art. 29 of the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement – Proposal for a decision
Aim: Propose a decision that would accelerate and broaden the elimination of customs duties under the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement. Feedback to a Call for Evidence (now closed) is available to view, and further consultation is planned for 2025.
Timeline: First quarter of 2025.

EU-Moldova trade – further reciprocal tariff liberalisation under Article 147 of the EU-Moldova Association Agreement – Proposal for a decision
Aim: Propose further liberalisation of trade in goods with Moldova under the EU-Moldova Association Agreement. Feedback to a Call for Evidence (now closed) is available to view, and further consultation is planned for 2025.
Timeline: First quarter of 2025.

Modification of the management of two tariff rate quotas for the import of poultry from Brazil – Implementing Regulation
Aim: The Regulation will amend the management of two tariff rate quotas for the import of poultry products from Brazil.
Timeline: Expected soon.

Biocidal products

Biocidal products – renewing authorisations of products subject to mutual recognition – Delegated Regulation
Aim: Clarify the scope of application of Regulation 492/2014 (which authorisations can be renewed in a group application, amendment of renewal procedures/timelines).
Timeline: Expected soon.

Biocides – Review Programme Regulation on existing biocidal active substances (update) – Delegated Regulation
Aim: Update Regulation 1062/2014, including rules governing the review programme of existing active substances under Regulation 528/2012. The main aim is to speed up progress in completing the review of biocides.
Timeline: Expected soon.

Several initiatives announced in the Farm to Fork Strategy (such as sustainable food systems, labelling, animal welfare, etc.) were planned but have been delayed (see Overview: EU Farm to Fork and Green Deal Initiatives).

Recommended Actions

Keep track of the “Have your say” timelines listed in this record, which the EU updates on a regular basis. AGRINFO provides an up-to-date list of Ongoing Consultations relevant to the agri-food sector.

If there are currently problems in accessing the EU market due to the rules referred to in the areas above, these consultations offer an opportunity to highlight existing issues. Input into consultations is always best supported by relevant supporting information and data, so it is important to start collecting information at an early stage in anticipation of a consultation.

Resources

European Commission: Better Regulation: why and how

Sources

Online resources from the European Commission:

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