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

CHAPTER I U.K. Competent authorities

Article 4 U.K. Designation of competent authorities

1. For each of the areas governed by the rules referred to in Article 1(2), Member States shall designate the competent authority or authorities on which they confer the responsibility to organise or perform official controls and other official activities.

2. Where, for the same area, a Member State confers the responsibility to organise or perform official controls or other official activities on more than one competent authority, at national, regional or local level, or where the competent authorities designated in accordance with paragraph 1 are allowed by that designation to transfer specific responsibilities for official controls or other official activities to other public authorities, the Member State shall:

(a) ensure efficient and effective coordination between all authorities involved, and the consistency and effectiveness of official controls or other official activities across its territory; and

(b) designate a single authority, in conformity with Member States’ constitutional requirements, responsible for coordinating the cooperation and the contacts with the Commission and with other Member States in relation to the official controls and other official activities performed in each of the areas governed by the rules referred to in Article 1(2).

3. Competent authorities responsible for the verification of compliance with the rules referred to in point (i) of Article 1(2) may confer certain responsibilities related to official controls or other official activities to one or more organic control authorities. In such cases, they shall attribute a code number to each of them.

4. Member States shall ensure that the Commission is informed of the contact details and of any changes regarding:

(a) the competent authorities designated in accordance with paragraph 1;

(b) the single authorities designated in accordance with point (b) of paragraph 2;

(c) the organic control authorities referred to in paragraph 3;

(d) the delegated bodies referred to in Article 28(1).

The information referred to in the first subparagraph shall also be made available by Member States to the public, including on the internet.

Article 5 U.K. General obligations concerning the competent authorities and the organic control authorities

1. The competent authorities and the organic control authorities shall:

(a) have procedures and/or arrangements in place to ensure the effectiveness and appropriateness of official controls and other official activities;

(b) have procedures and/or arrangements in place to ensure the impartiality, quality and consistency of official controls and other official activities at all levels;

(c) have procedures and/or arrangements in place to ensure that staff performing official controls and other official activities are free from any conflict of interest;

(d) have, or have access to, an adequate laboratory capacity for analysis, testing and diagnosis;

(e) have, or have access to, a sufficient number of suitably qualified and experienced staff so that official controls and other official activities can be performed efficiently and effectively;

(f) have appropriate and properly maintained facilities and equipment to ensure that staff can perform official controls and other official activities efficiently and effectively;

(g) have the legal powers to perform official controls and other official activities and to take the action provided for in this Regulation and in the rules referred to in Article 1(2);

(h) have legal procedures in place in order to ensure that staff have access to the premises of, and documents kept by, operators so as to be able to accomplish their tasks properly;

(i) have contingency plans in place, and be prepared to operate such plans in the event of an emergency, where appropriate, in accordance with the rules referred to in Article 1(2).

2. Any appointment of an official veterinarian shall be in writing and shall set out the official controls and the other official activities and related tasks for which the appointment has been made. Requirements imposed on staff of competent authorities that are provided for in this Regulation, including the requirement on freedom from any conflict of interest, shall apply to all official veterinarians.

3. Any appointment of an official plant health officer shall be in writing and shall set out the official controls and the other official activities and related tasks for which the appointment has been made. Requirements imposed on staff of competent authorities that are provided for in this Regulation, including the requirement on freedom from any conflict of interest, shall apply to all official plant health officers.

4. Staff performing official controls and other official activities shall:

(a) receive, for their area of competence, appropriate training enabling them to undertake their duties competently and to perform official controls and other official activities in a consistent manner;

(b) keep up-to-date in their area of competence and receive regular additional training as necessary; and

(c) receive training in the subject matters set out in Chapter I of Annex II and on the obligations of the competent authorities resulting from this Regulation, as appropriate.

Competent authorities, organic control authorities and delegated bodies shall develop and implement training programmes for the purpose of ensuring that staff performing official controls and other official activities receive the training referred to in points (a), (b) and (c).

5. When, within the services of a competent authority, more than one unit is competent to perform official controls or other official activities, efficient and effective coordination and cooperation shall be ensured between the different units.

Article 6 U.K. Audits of the competent authorities

1. To ensure their compliance with this Regulation, the competent authorities shall carry out internal audits or have audits carried out on themselves and shall take appropriate measures in the light of the results of those audits.

2. The audits referred to in paragraph 1 shall be subject to independent scrutiny and carried out in a transparent manner.

Article 7 U.K. Right of appeal

The decisions taken by the competent authorities in accordance with Article 55, Article 66(3) and (6), Article 67, point (b) of Article 137(3), and Article 138(1) and (2), concerning natural or legal persons shall be subject to such persons’ right of appeal in accordance with national law.

The right of appeal shall not affect the obligation of competent authorities to take prompt action to eliminate or contain the risks to human, animal or plant health, to animal welfare or, as regards GMOs and plant protection products, also to the environment, in accordance with this Regulation and with the rules referred to in Article 1(2).

Article 8 U.K. Confidentiality obligations of the competent authorities

1. Competent authorities shall ensure that, subject to paragraph 3, information acquired when performing their duties in the context of official controls and other official activities is not disclosed to third parties where, under national or Union legislation, that information is, by its nature, covered by professional secrecy.

For that purpose, Member States shall ensure that appropriate confidentiality obligations are established for staff and other individuals employed during official controls and other official activities.

2. Paragraph 1 shall also apply to organic control authorities, delegated bodies and natural persons to which specific official control tasks have been delegated and to official laboratories.

3. Unless there is an overriding public interest in the disclosure of information covered by professional secrecy as referred to in paragraph 1, and without prejudice to situations where disclosure is required by Union or national legislation, such information shall include information whose disclosure would undermine:

(a) the purpose of inspections, investigations or audits;

(b) the protection of commercial interests of an operator or any other natural or legal person; or

(c) the protection of court proceedings and legal advice.

4. The competent authorities, when determining whether there is an overriding public interest in the disclosure of information covered by professional secrecy as referred to in paragraph 1, shall take into account inter alia the possible risks to human, animal or plant health, or to the environment, and the nature, severity and extent of such risks.

5. The confidentiality obligations provided for in this Article shall not prevent the competent authorities from publishing or making otherwise available to the public information about the outcome of official controls regarding individual operators, provided, without prejudice to situations where disclosure is required by Union or national legislation, that the following conditions are met:

(a) the operator concerned is given the opportunity to comment on the information that the competent authority intends to publish or make otherwise available to the public, prior to its publication or release, taking into account the urgency of the situation; and

(b) the information which is published or made otherwise available to the public takes into account the comments expressed by the operator concerned or is published or released together with such comments.