The European Commission is pushing to simplify food and feed safety laws. This initiative aims to cover areas like plant protection, biocides, feed, and animal welfare. By streamlining these regulations, the commission estimates it could save around €1 billion in compliance costs. This includes about €428 million annually for businesses and €661 million for national agencies.
The goal is to cut red tape while keeping strict safety standards in place. Proposed changes include more efficient procedures for renewing pesticides and biocides and simpler rules for official labs. For instance, the new measures would let border authority inspect parts of plant shipments separately. This would reduce waste from perishable goods stuck in inspection queues.
Currently, countries must report hygiene measures under different laws, totaling around 50 each year. The new approach would streamline this by requiring actions to be reported under a single directive.
Olivér Várhelyi, the Commissioner for Health and Animal Welfare, emphasized that this move aims to balance efficiency with safety. He assured that hazardous pesticide-treated food imports would still be barred, upholding EU safety standards.
Valdis Dombrovskis, the Commissioner for Economy and Productivity, noted that these changes are expected to alleviate unnecessary overlap in regulations. This way, national authorities can focus on higher-risk areas.
However, reactions are mixed. FoodDrinkEurope, representing the food sector, argues that the package doesn’t go far enough in simplifying regulations for manufacturers. Meanwhile, PAN Europe is concerned that the changes could undermine past progress in pesticide regulations.
According to a recent survey by Food Safety News, around 75% of stakeholders in the food industry support simplifying regulations but worry about maintaining safety standards. This reflects a broader trend where businesses seek efficiency without compromising quality.
As these proposals move to the European Parliament and Council for consideration, the discussion continues around finding the right balance between safety, efficiency, and sustainability in Europe’s food systems.
For more information on food safety regulations, check out the EU Commission’s official document.
