Chapter 12: Food Safety, Veterinary and Phytosanitary Policy

EU Policy on Food Safety, Veterinary and Phytosanitary Policy

The basic principle of the EU’s food safety policy is to ensure food safety from the “farm to fork”. Based on this principle, an integrated approach has been adopted, which involves the control of every stage of the production chain. Within the scope of this policy, various areas such as animal and plant health, feed safety, food additives, labelling, and hygiene criteria are regulated by several specific legislation from primary production to the final product.

The key legislation related to Chapter 12 are: Regulation (EC) 178/2002 known as the General Food Law, Regulation (EU) 2016/429 known as the Animal Health Law, Regulation (EU) 2016/2031 known as the Plant Health Law and Regulation (EU) 2017/625 on official controls.

The content of the Chapter

This chapter consists of three sub-titles:

• Food safety policy:  

The food safety acquis covers legislation on the protection of consumers, hygiene and presentation rules, mechanisms ensuring food safety and official controls. In addition, it covers the processing and placing on the market of food, and food hygiene criteria, which are stricter for animal products.

• Veterinary policy:

Veterinary legislation, which is an important part of the EU acquis in the agricultural field, mainly covers legislation concerning the intra-union trade of live animals and animal products, the control and eradication of animal diseases, technical and administrative rules applicable to imports from third countries, and controls on products of animal origin.

Moreover, the EU veterinary legislation also covers the notification of animal diseases, the administrative structure and mechanisms required for the identification and registration of farm animals and the monitoring of their movements.

The legislation laying down detailed rules on the import of livestock and animal products requires the entry of imports from specific and specially equipped border control points.

• Phytosanitary policy:

This sub-title covers rules on the control of harmful organisms, use of plant passports in trade, authorization of pesticides, quarantine measures, residues of pesticides in products of plant origin, quality of seeds and seedlings and the marketing of these products.

For further information on the scope of Chapter 12 and national harmonization efforts:

Please click here for the Leaflet on Chapter 12: Food Safety, Veterinary and Phytosanitary Policy.

Please click here for the Brochure on Chapter 12: Food Safety, Veterinary and Phytosanitary Policy.

Sub-Committee No.1 on Agriculture and Fisheries

One of the eight sub-committees established pursuant to the decision dated 11 April 2000 and numbered 3/2000 under the Turkey-European Community Association Council is Sub-Committee No.1 on Agriculture and Fisheries. The regularly held sub-committee meetings host exchange of information and discussions on the harmonization of the EU Acquis under chapters 11, 12 and 13, developments regarding the opening and closing benchmarks, and planned future activities within the scope of the National Programme and Accession Partnership Document.

The Directorate for EU Affairs is the responsible body for the coordination of studies under the framework of the sub-committee.

Within the framework of the sub-committee, three working groups, namely, the “Working Group on Animal Health”, “Working Group on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Trade Issues” and “Working Group on Veterinary Health Certificates” are operational. These working groups convene when necessary.

RELEVANT INSTITUTIONS AND USEFUL LINKS UNDER CHAPTER 12

For information on the EU policy:

Directorate General for Health and Food Safety (DG SANTE): https://ec.europa.eu/info/departments/health-and-food-safety_en

European Food Safety Agency (EFSA): http://www.efsa.europa.eu/

World Animal Health Organization (OIE): https://www.oie.int/

For information regarding the national policy:

Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry- General Directorate of Food and Control: https://www.tarimOrman.gov.tr/GKGM

Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry- General Directorate of Livestock

https://www.tarimOrman.gov.tr/HAYGEM

Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry- General Directorate of Plant Production

https://www.tarimOrman.gov.tr/BUGEM

PROGRESS ACHIEVED IN THE NEGOTIATION PROCESS

The explanatory screening meetings for this chapter were held on 9-10 and 13-15 March 2006. The detailed screening meeting was held on 24-28 April 2006. The Screening Report was approved by the Council and six opening benchmarks were introduced on 13 July 2007. After the fulfillment of these opening benchmarks, the Negotiation Position Document was submitted to the Spanish Presidency on 25 June 2010. The 9th Turkey-EU Accession Conference was held on 30 June 2010 in Brussels and this chapter was opened to negotiations.

Opening Benchmarks

Six opening benchmarks were determined for the starting of negotiations:

1.         Turkey adopts the food, feed and veterinary framework legislation, which complies with the EU acquis and makes provisions for a clear assignment of responsibilities, in particular for the controlling bodies.

2.         Turkey presents to the Commission a detailed strategy, which will serve as a basis for transposition, implementation and enforcement of the EU acquis, including relevant international standards and World Organization on Animal Health recommendations, for food safety, veterinary and phytosanitary policy. This strategy will include plans for the development of the relevant administrative and laboratory capacities and an estimation of financial resources required. It should also take into account the need to have the capacity to ensure cooperation with the EU in accordance with the acquis, in addressing risks in the animal health area.

3.         Turkey starts the implementation of an adequate system for identification and registration of caprine and ovine animals and demonstrates that appropriate measures have been taken to address the weaknesses of its animal identification and movement control system for bovine animals (related to the registration of holdings, recording of animals and their movements.

4.         Turkey provides to the Commission detailed assessment of the internal movements of live animals, its registration of movement and control of slaughtering.

5.         The Thrace region in Turkey is recognized by the World Organization on Animal Health (OIE) as Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) free zone with vaccination.

6.         Turkey presents to the Commission a classification of all food establishments by category based on the EU acquis in view of a future National Programme for the upgrading of food establishments.

For the temporary closing of negotiations, 7 closing benchmarks, one of which is related to Cyprus, were listed in the EU Common Position Paper as a reply to the Negotiation Position Paper.

Closing Benchmarks

For the temporary closing of negotiations, in addition to one political benchmark, 6 technical closing benchmarks were set up:

1.         Turkey implements systems for identification and registration of animals that are compliant with the EU acquis and fully operational, including through implementing its commitments made in view of meeting the relevant opening benchmark.

2.         Turkey submits an approved national programme for the upgrading of establishments for products of animal origin, including establishments for animal by-products. This programme must include a precise plan for the monitoring by the Turkish authorities of the process of upgrading establishments. As regards the milk sector, the national programme must include a strategy for the use of non-compliant raw milk. Turkey must also demonstrate sufficient progress in the implementation of this national programme. Furthermore, Turkey demonstrates that it has devoted sufficient human and financial resources for monitoring the process of upgrading the establishments covered by the national programme.

3.         Turkey fulfils its obligations related to animal disease notification, ensuring satisfactory cooperation with the EU Member States, implements surveillance and control measures for animal diseases notifiable to the EU and contingency plans for major epizootic diseases as provided for under the acquis and fully applies the acquis in the area of Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD)  by implementing a detailed eradication plan established in advance.

4.         Turkey has transposed and implements an effective system for the control of Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathies (TSEs): total feed ban, control of specified risk materials, TSEs testings.

5.         Turkey has transposed the EU animal welfare legislation and ensured that the sector is aware and prepared, sufficiently in advance, for effective implementation at the latest by accession.

6.         Turkey continues to set up and develop, in accordance with the acquis, the relevant administrative structures, in particular in order to implement a fully EU-compliant system for all relevant official controls, in particular operational Border Inspection Posts, including the funding of this system; Turkey further increases its administrative capacities and infrastructures; Turkey demonstrates that it will have sufficient administrative capacity to correctly implement and apply all the acquis covered by this chapter by accession.

STUDIES CARRIED OUT UNDER THIS CHAPTER

 Law No. 5996 on Veterinary Services, Plant Health, Food and Feed, which is the framework law, entered into force on 13 December 2010. Based on this framework law, more than 250 secondary legislative texts have been published. Efforts for alignment with the EU Acquis are ongoing.

PROJECTS IMPLEMENTED UNDER IPA I and IPA II