This Commission Delegated Regulation supplements Regulation (EU) 2017/625 of the European Parliament and of the Council on official controls with rules on the cases and conditions under which organic products and in-conversion products are exempted from official controls at border control posts, instead of official controls for these products. It also amends Commission Delegated Regulations (EU) 2019/2123 and (EU) 2019/2124 .

Background

Regulation (EU) 2018/848 of the European Parliament and of the Council lays down the principles of organic production and rules on:

- organic production, related certification and the use of indications referring to organic production in labelling and advertising;

- conditions and measures applicable to the import into the Union of products for the purpose of placing them on the market within the Union as organic or in-conversion products;

- controls additional to the rules laid down in Regulation (EU) 2017/625 of the European Parliament and of the Council on official controls.

This delegated Regulation builds on the possibility provided for in Article 48(h) of Regulation (EU) 2017/625 to exempt from official controls at border control posts categories of animals and goods that pose a low risk or no specific risk to human, animal or plant health, animal welfare or the environment.

In accordance with Article 77(1)(k) of Regulation (EU) 2017/625, detailed rules for specific official controls may be laid down in delegated acts for animals and goods exempted from official controls at border control posts.

Content

The delegated Regulation, which will apply from 1 January 2022, lays down in a single act the rules concerning:

- the cases where and the conditions under which certain organic products and in-conversion products entering the Union which pose a low risk or no specific risk to human, animal or plant health, animal welfare or to the environment, are exempted from official controls at border control posts performed for the verification of compliance with the rules on organic production and labelling of organic products;

- the place where the official controls for these exempted products are to be carried out . These checks will be carried out at the point of release for free circulation in the Union. Member States should inform the Commission of the points of release for free circulation where such controls are carried out. The Commission should maintain the list of points of release for free circulation in the integrated computerised veterinary system (Traces).

The act also amends delegated Regulations (EU) 2019/2123 and (EU) 2019/2124 to clarify that they apply to plants, plant products and other objects currently within their scope, including where such goods are organic products subject to controls at border control posts under Regulation (EU) 2018/848 of the European Parliament and of the Council on organic production and labelling of organic products.