29.3.2014   

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

L 95/1

(1)

Article 53 of Regulation (EC) No 178/2002 provides for the possibility to adopt appropriate Union emergency measures for food and feed imported from a third country in order to protect public health, animal health or the environment, where the risk cannot be contained satisfactorily by means of measures taken by the Member States individually.

(2)

Following the accident at the Fukushima nuclear power station on 11 March 2011, the Commission was informed that radionuclide levels in certain food products originating in Japan exceeded the action levels in food applicable in Japan. Such contamination may constitute a threat to public and animal health in the Union and therefore Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 297/2011 (2) was adopted. That Regulation was replaced by Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 961/2011 (3) which was later replaced by Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 284/2012 (4). The latter was replaced by Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 996/2012 (5).

(3)

Implementing Regulation (EU) No 996/2012 has been amended to take into account the development of the situation. Since Implementing Regulation (EU) No 996/2012 only applies until 31 March 2014 and in order to take into account the further development of the situation, it is appropriate to adopt a new Regulation.

(4)

The existing measures have been reviewed taking into account more than 85 000 occurrence data on radioactivity in feed and food other than beef and more than 232 000 occurrence data on radioactivity in beef, provided by the Japanese authorities concerning the third growing season after the accident.

(5)

Since non-compliant or significant levels of radioactivity continue to be found in feed and food originating in the prefecture of Fukushima, it is appropriate to maintain the existing requirement of sampling and analysis before export to the Union for all feed and food originating in that prefecture. However, the general exemptions, such as for alcoholic beverages and personal consignments, should continue to apply in relation to such feed and food.

(6)

The data submitted by the Japanese authorities provide evidence that it is no longer necessary to require the sampling and analysis of feed and food originating in the prefectures of Tokyo and Kanagawa regarding the presence of radioactivity before export to the Union. On the other hand as a consequence of the finding of non-compliance in certain edible wild plants originating from the prefectures Akita, Yamagata and Nagano, it is appropriate to require sampling and analysis of those edible wild plants originating from those prefectures.

(7)

As regards the prefectures of Gunma, Ibaraki, Tochigi, Miyagi, Saitama, Iwate and Chiba, it is currently required to sample and analyse mushrooms, tea, fishery products, certain edible wild plants, certain vegetables, certain fruits, rice and soybeans and the processed and derived products thereof, before export to the Union. The same requirements apply to compound foodstuffs containing more than 50 % of those products. The occurrence data for the third growing season provide evidence that for a significant number of those feed and food commodities, it is appropriate to no longer require sampling and analysis before export to the Union.

(8)

The occurrence data from the third growing season provide evidence that it is appropriate to maintain the requirement for sampling and analysis before export to the Union for mushrooms originating from Shizuoka, Yamanashi, Nagano, Niigata and Aomori.

(9)

It is appropriate to present the provisions of this Regulation in a manner that prefectures of which the same feed and food has to be sampled and analysed before export to the Union are grouped together, in order to facilitate the application of this Regulation.

(10)

Tea from the third growing season has not been found to be contaminated by radioactivity. It is therefore appropriate to no longer require sampling and analysis of tea, originating from prefectures other than Fukushima, before export to the Union. In the prefecture Fukushima, tea is only produced in small quantities and destined for local consumption and not for export. In the very unlikely case that tea from Fukushima is exported to the Union, the Japanese authorities have provided guarantees that the relevant consignments would be sampled and analysed and accompanied by the declaration providing evidence that the consignment has been sampled and analysed and has been found in compliance with the applicable maximum levels. Consignments of tea originating from prefectures other than Fukushima should normally be accompanied by a declaration stating that the tea is originating from a prefecture other than Fukushima. Given that tea from those prefectures is regularly exported to the Union, this constitutes a considerable administrative burden. Taking into account that tea has not been found contaminated during the third growing season after the accident, the unlikely case that tea is exported from Fukushima and the guarantees provided by the Japanese authorities, it is appropriate to no longer require a declaration of origin for tea originating from prefectures other than Fukushima, in order to reduce the administrative burden.

(11)

The controls performed at import show that the special conditions provided for by Union law are correctly implemented by the Japanese authorities and non-compliance has not occurred for more than two years. Therefore, it is appropriate to further reduce the frequency of controls at import.

(12)

It is appropriate to foresee a next review of the provisions when the results of sampling and analysis on the presence of radioactivity of feed and food of the fourth growing season after the accident will be available, i.e. by 31 March 2015.

(13)

The measures provided for in this Regulation are in accordance with the opinion of the Standing Committee on the Food Chain and Animal Health,

(a)

products which left Japan before 28 March 2011;

(b)

products which have been harvested and/or processed before 11 March 2011;

(c)

alcoholic beverages falling within CN codes 2203 to 2208;

(d)

personal consignments of feed and food of animal origin which are covered by Article 2 of Commission Regulation (EC) No 206/2009 (7);

(e)

personal consignments of feed and food other than of animal origin which are non-commercial and destined to a natural person for personal consumption and use only. In case of doubt, the burden of proof lies with the recipient of the consignment.

(a)

‘transitional measures provided in the Japanese legislation’ means the transitional measures adopted by the Japanese authorities on 24 February 2012 as regards the maximum levels for the sum of caesium-134 and caesium-137 as set out in Annex III;

(b)

‘consignment’ means a quantity of any of the feed or food falling within the scope of this Regulation of the same class or description, covered by the same document(s), conveyed by the same means of transport and coming from the same prefecture(s) of Japan, within the limits set in the declaration referred to in Article 5.

(a)

attest that the products comply with the legislation in force in Japan; and

(b)

specify whether the products are falling or not under the transitional measures provided for in the Japanese legislation.

(a)

the product has been harvested and/or processed before 11 March 2011; or

(b)

the product, other than mushrooms, koshiabura, bamboo shoot, Aralia sprout, and bracken originating in the prefectures Akita, Yamagata and Nagano and other than mushrooms originating in the prefectures Yamanashi, Shizuoka, Niigata and Aomori, originates in and is consigned from a prefecture other than Fukushima, Gunma, Ibaraki, Tochigi, Miyagi, Saitama, Chiba and Iwate; or

(c)

the product originates in and is consigned from Gunma, Ibaraki, Tochigi, Miyagi, Saitama, Chiba and Iwate but is not listed in Annex IV to this Regulation; or

(d)

the product is consigned from Fukushima, Gunma, Ibaraki, Tochigi, Miyagi, Saitama, Chiba, Iwate, Akita, Yamagata, Nagano, Yamanashi, Shizuoka, Niigata and Aomori prefectures, but does not originate in one of those prefectures and has not been exposed to radioactivity during transiting; or

(e)

where the product is mushrooms, koshiabura, bamboo shoot, Aralia sprout and bracken originating in the prefectures Akita, Yamagata and Nagano or mushrooms originating in the prefectures Yamanashi, Shizuoka, Niigata and Aomori, or a derived product thereof or a compound feed or food containing more than 50 % of those products, the product is accompanied by an analytical report containing the results of sampling and analysis; or

(f)

where the product, listed in Annex IV to this Regulation, originates in Fukushima, Gunma, Ibaraki, Tochigi, Miyagi, Saitama, Chiba and Iwate prefectures, or is a derived product thereof or a compound feed or food containing more than 50 % of those products, the product is accompanied by an analytical report containing the results of sampling and analysis. The list of products in Annex IV is without prejudice to the requirements of Regulation (EC) No 258/97 of the European Parliament and of the Council (8); or

(g)

where the origin of the product or of the ingredients present at more than 50 % is unknown, the product is accompanied by an analytical report containing the results of sampling and analysis.

(a)

documentary checks on all consignments of products and for which it is required to be accompanied by the declaration referred to in Article 5;

(b)

random identity checks and random physical checks, including laboratory analysis on the presence of caesium-134 and caesium-137. The analytical result has to be available within a maximum of five working days.

(a)

they comply with Implementing Regulation (EU) No 996/2012; and

(b)

they left Japan before the entry into force of this Regulation or they left Japan after the entry into force of this Regulation but before 1 May 2014 and they are accompanied by a declaration in accordance with Implementing Regulation (EU) No 996/2012 which was issued before 1 April 2014.