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Dairy trade sees lower imports due to EU plans
The import of dairy products into the EU will likely become more difficult and smaller under the measures proposed in the tenth European Omnibus on Food and Feed Safety. This is the expectation of the dairy trade association Eucolait. Imported products will then have to meet the same requirements as domestically produced products.
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In the 10e Omnibus package includes various measures suggested These measures are intended to simplify and streamline/unify food and feed policy. One of these measures is to align the maximum residue limits (MRLs) for hazardous substances in imported products with those that apply to European products. This will provide greater clarity, fairer competition, and improved safety policy. Currently, European MRLs often do not apply to imported products, whether they are grains, fruits, meat, or dairy.
Illegal
This means that cheeses, milk powders, and milk fat, for example, can still be exported to the EU without having to meet the same safety requirements. This is partly because no international treaties have agreed on these matters, and the EU would be acting "illegally" (because it would not be WTO-compliant) if it were to subject imported products to the strict EU standards. However, the European Commission wants to change this.
Efsa must step in
In the Omnibus Package, the Commission also wants to simplify and accelerate the authorization of plant protection products and pesticides. Procedures, including scientific assessments, should be shortened, and authorizations for use in Member States should be mutually recognized as much as possible. If a dossier for a particular product requires more assessment capacity than is available in a Member State, the European authorities should now also assist EFSA, according to the proposal. All this to make the procedure faster and more efficient.
No more automatic ending
The Commission also wants to abolish the automatic expiration of authorizations on fixed dates. Focus should be placed where it's most needed, namely on the most hazardous substances. These must be (re)evaluated most quickly and thoroughly. This is primarily to provide farmers with a safe and sufficiently broad range of products and consumers with access to a wide range of safe food.
The European Commission believes that the proposed set of measures could save over €1 billion in costs annually, and possibly more, while also better ensuring food safety.