Regulation (EU) 2017/625 of the European Parliament and of the CouncilShow full title

Article 19 Specific rules on official controls and for action taken by the competent authorities in relation to the residues of relevant substances in food and feed

1. Official controls to verify compliance with the rules referred to in points (a) and (c) of Article 1(2) shall include official controls, to be performed at any stage of production, processing and distribution, on relevant substances including substances to be used in food contact materials, contaminants, non-authorised, prohibited and undesirable substances whose use or presence on crops or animals or to produce or process food or feed may result in residues of those substances in food or feed.

2. The Commission is empowered to adopt delegated acts in accordance with Article 144 to supplement this Regulation by laying down rules for the performance of the official controls referred to in paragraph 1 of this Article and for action to be taken by the competent authorities following those official controls. Those delegated acts shall lay down rules on:

(a) specific requirements for the performance of official controls, including, where appropriate, the range of samples and the stage of production, processing and distribution where the samples are to be taken in compliance with the methods to be used for sampling and laboratory analyses established in accordance with points (a) and (b) of Article 34(6), having regard to the specific hazards and risks related to substances referred to in paragraph 1 of this Article;

(b) the cases where the competent authorities in relation to non-compliance or suspicion thereof are to take one or more of the measures referred to in Articles 137(2) and 138(2);

(c) the cases where the competent authorities in relation to non-compliance or suspicion thereof of animals and goods from third countries are to take one or more of the measures referred to Articles 65 to 72.

3. The Commission may, by means of implementing acts, lay down rules on uniform practical arrangements for the performance of the official controls referred to in paragraph 1 and for action to be taken by the competent authorities following those official controls, regarding:

(a) uniform minimum frequency of such official controls, having regard to the hazards and risks related to substances referred to in paragraph 1;

(b) specific additional arrangements and specific additional content to those provided for in Article 110, for the preparation of the relevant parts of the multi-annual national control plan (MANCP) provided for in Article 109(1);

(c) specific practical arrangements for the activation of the mechanism of administrative assistance provided for in Articles 102 to 108.

Those implementing acts shall be adopted in accordance with the examination procedure referred to in Article 145(2).

4. For the purpose of Article 30, the delegation of certain official control tasks, referred to in this Article, to one or more natural persons shall be allowed.