On Tuesday 22 February, Julien Denormandie, the French Minister of Agriculture, issued a ministerial decree banning the import and marketing in France of meat and meat products from animals that have received growth-promoting antibiotics from 22 April 2022.
The European Union has banned the use of antibiotics as growth promoters in farm animals since 2006 for European production. The EU has extended this ban through Regulation 2019/6 on veterinary medicines, which came into force on 28 January 2022. Article 118 requires that products imported into the EU come from animals that have not been treated with growth-promoting antibiotics.
France notes that several legal acts still need to be added to Article 118 of the Regulation in order to clearly establish the modalities of health controls on imports of products of animal origin at the EU’s borders.
Therefore, pending the implementation of European measures (a delegated act is expected from the European Commission), the ministerial order bans the import into France of meat from animals that have received antibiotic growth promoters.
The French Presidency of the Council of the EU organised a debate in the Agriculture Council on Monday on reciprocity, including the application of certain European standards to imported products (mirror clauses) (see EUROPE 12895/7). (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)