PURPOSE : to amend certain directives on the organisation of official inspections and on undesirable products on animal nutrition in order to improve feed safety following the dioxin crisis.
COMMUNITY MEASURE : Directive 2001/46/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Council Directive 95/53/EC fixing the principles governing the organisation of official inspections in the field of animal nutrition and Directives 70/524/EEC, 96/25/EC and 99/29/EC on animal nutrition.
CONTENT : The Council approved unanimously the six amendments adopted by the European Parliament. This Directive aims to improve existing procedures in cases where a product destined for animal feed represents a grave risk to public health. It provides that Member States will draw up contingency operational plans to be implemented immediately if a product for animal feed has been found to pose a serious risk to human or animal health or to the environment. The Commission must be informed. Where there there is a suspicion of contamination, Member States are required to verify its nature and extent and make every effort to identify its origin in order to detect any other possible contamination. Member States may carry out non-discriminatory random checks at places of destination. The Commission can act on its own initiative if measures taken by a Member State prove to be insufficient. The Commission may make on-the-spot inspections in cooperation with Member States, who are obliged to render to the Commission experts all the assistance necessary. The Commission and the Member States will set up and operate a system for rapid exchange of information under a prescribed procedure in order to expedite the transmission of alerts.
DATE APPLICABLE : Member States shall adopt the laws necessary to comply with this Directive not later than 1 September 2002. They shall apply these provisions from 1 May 2003.�