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

Article 65 Suspicion of non-compliance and intensified official controls

1. In the event of suspicion of non-compliance of consignments of the categories of animals and goods referred to in Articles 44(1) and 47(1) with the rules referred to in Article 1(2), the competent authorities shall perform official controls in order to confirm or to eliminate that suspicion.

2. Consignments of animals and goods which are not declared by operators to consist of the categories of animals and goods referred to in Article 47(1), shall be subject to official controls by the competent authorities where there is reason to believe that such categories of animals or goods are present in the consignment.

3. The competent authorities shall place the consignments referred to in paragraphs 1 and 2 under official detention pending the outcome of the official controls provided for in those paragraphs.

Where appropriate, those consignments shall be isolated or quarantined and animals shall be sheltered, fed, watered and as necessary treated, pending the outcome of the official controls.

4. Where the competent authorities have reasons to suspect fraudulent or deceptive practices by an operator responsible for the consignment or the official controls give grounds to believe that the rules referred to in Article 1(2) have been seriously or repeatedly infringed, they shall, where appropriate, and in addition to the measures provided for in Article 66(3), intensify as appropriate official controls on consignments with the same origin or use.

5. The competent authorities shall notify the Commission and the Member States through the IMSOC of their decision to perform intensified official controls, as provided for in paragraph 4 of this Article, indicating the reasons for their decision.

6. The Commission shall, by means of implementing acts, lay down rules on the procedures for the coordinated performance by competent authorities of the intensified official controls referred to in paragraphs 4 and 5 of this Article. Those implementing acts shall be adopted in accordance with the examination procedure referred to in Article 145(2).