Brussels, 29/04/2013 (Agence Europe) - On Monday 29 April, a step was made towards tighter controls on imports from China of derivative genetically modified rice products which are not authorised in the EU. The experts of the member states, meeting in the Standing Committee on the Food Chain and Animal Health of the EU, gave their approval to a proposal by the Commission to extend the controls currently in force to these imports of all foodstuffs or animal feed products containing rice. The extension of the scope of application of the checks will be made by means of an amendment to the decision which instituted them.
In addition, the text lays down a new harmonised protocol to carry out sample testing and analyses of processed products. And in order to facilitate these checks further, the decision approved by the experts will oblige operators to fill in a single entry document.
It is now up to the European Commission to adopt this decision, which will come into force 20 days after its publication in the Official Journal of the EU. (AN/transl.fl)