PURPOSE: to include in existing legislation official controls to verify the compliance of exports of animals and animal products to the EU to ensure compliance with the prohibition of certain uses of antimicrobials.
PROPOSED ACT: Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council.
ROLE OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT: the European Parliament decides in accordance with the ordinary legislative procedure and on an equal footing with the Council.
BACKGROUND: Regulation (EU) 2017/625 of the European Parliament and of the Council lays down the rules for the performance of official controls to verify compliance with, inter alia, rules on food and feed safety.
Under Article 118(1) of Regulation (EU) 2019/6 on veterinary medicinal products, third country operators exporting animals and products of animal origin to the Union are required to respect the prohibition of the use of antimicrobials for growth promotion and yield increase, as well as the prohibition of the use of antimicrobials reserved for treatment of certain infections in humans in order to preserve the efficacy of those antimicrobials.
Building on the One Health approach, Regulation (EU) 2019/6 provides for a wide range of concrete measures that will apply to EU operators in order to enhance the fight against antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and promote a more prudent and responsible use of antimicrobials in animals. This objective is also reflected in the Commission’s Farm to Fork Strategy, in which the Commission has set the ambitious target of reducing by 50% overall EU sales of antimicrobials used for farmed animals and in aquaculture by 2030.
CONTENT: in order to ensure an effective implementation of the prohibition of the use of antimicrobials for growth promotion and yield increase and of the use of antimicrobials reserved for treatment of certain infections in humans, the Commission proposes to include official controls for the verification of compliance of animals and products of animal origin exported to the Union with Article 118(1) of Regulation (EU) 2019/6 in the scope of Regulation (EU) 2017/625 which is a key element in the fight against antimicrobial resistance.