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 “farm to fork”. On the basis of this principle, an holistic approach is adopted in which every stage of production chain is controlled. Within the scope of this policy, various fields such as animal and planth health, feed safety, food addtives, labelling, hygiene crtieria are regulated by different legislations from primary production to the final product.

The key legislations concerning food safety are: Regulation (EC) 178/2002 known as General Food Law, Regulation (EU) 2016/429 known as Animal Health Law, Regulation (EU) 2016/2031 known as 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:  

Food safety acquis covers legislations on the protection of consumers, hygiene and presentation rules, mechanisms ensuring food safety and official controls. In addition, there are more strict rules for treatment of food and placing on the market particularly hygiene criteria for animal products.

• Veterinary:

Veterinary legislation which is an important part of the Acquis in the agricultural field mainly covers legislations concerning livestock and intracommunity trade of animal products, eradication and control of animal diseases, technical and administrative rules for third countries’ products and controls on products of animal origin.

Moreover, there are comprehensive legislations for notification of animal diseases, necessary administrative capacity and mechanisms for the identification, registration and following movements of animals.

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

• Phytosanitary:

Under this sub-title, 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 seed and seedling and marketing of these products.

For the content and studies conducted under this Chapter:

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

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

Sub-Committee No.1 on Agriculture and Fisheries

One of the eight sub-committees established with the decision dated 11 April 2000 and numbered 3/2000 under the Türkiye-European Community Association Council is Sub-Committee No.1 on Agriculture and Fisheries. In the sub-committee meetings which are held regularly, harmonization of EU Acquis in the chapters 11, 12 and 13, developments regarding opening and closing benchmarks, and planned activities for future period in the scope of National Programme and Accession Partnership Document are discussed thoroughly.

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

So far, 15 sub-committee meetings have been held. The last sub-committee meeting was held online on 19-20-21 October 2021. 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 twice a year. The last meeting of the “Working Group on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Trade Issues” was held online on 29 September 2021.

RELEVANT INSTITUTIONS AND USEFUL LINKS UNDER CHAPTER 12

For information on EU’s 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 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

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

Opening Benchmarks

6 opening benchmarks were determined for starting of negotiations:

1.         Türkiye 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.         Türkiye 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.         Türkiye 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.         Türkiye 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 Türkiye is recognized by the World Organization on Animal Health (OIE) as Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) free zone with vaccination.

6.         Türkiye 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 temporary closing of negotiations, 7 closing benchmarks, one of which is related with Cyprus, were set up in EU Common Position Paper as a reply of Negotiation Position Paper.

Closing Benchmarks

For temporary closing of negotiations, except political benchmark 6 technical closing benchmarks were set up:

1.         Türkiye 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.         Türkiye 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. Türkiye must also demonstrate sufficient progress in the implementation of this national programme. Furthermore, Türkiye demonstrates that it has devoted sufficient human and financial resources for monitoring the process of upgrading the establishments covered by the national programme.

3.         Türkiye 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.         Türkiye 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.         Türkiye 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.         Türkiye 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; Türkiye further increases its administrative capacities and infrastructures; Türkiye 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

 “Veterinary Services, Plant Health, Food and Feed Law” numbered 5996 which is the main legal document entered into force on 13 December 2010. In the scope of this Law, around 250 secondary legislation was published. Studies regarding harmonization of EU Acquis are ongoing.

THE PROJECTS IMPLEMENTED UNDER IPA I and IPA II

THE ON-GOING PROJECTS UNDER IPA II PERIOD (2014-2020)