Health andConsumers

Health andConsumers

Directorate-General for

Health & Consumers

EU measures as regards feed and food from Japan following incident at nuclear power plant station

Health andConsumers

Health andConsumers

OUTLINE PRESENTATION

• - Measures provided for in Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 284/2012 repealing Regulation (EU) No 961/2011

- Envisaged changes - Recommendation on the monitoring of

fish and fishery products from the Pacific region

- Monitoring results

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Health andConsumers

Sequence of events

• * Incident occurred on 11 March 2011• * Japanese authorities informed the Commission

that radionuclide levels (Iodine-131, caesium-134 and caesium-137) in certain food products in Japan exceeded the action levels in food applicable in Japan

• * On 15 March 2011, Commission recommended via RASFF to the member States to carry out analysis of radioactivity in feed and food from Japan.

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Health andConsumers

Sequence of events • * On 25 March 2011, the Commission adopted,

as a precautionary measure, Implementing Regulation (EU) N° 297/2011 imposing special conditions governing the import of feed and food originating in or consigned from Japan following the accident at the Fukushima nuclear power station, based on Article 53 of Regulation (EC) 178/2002.

• * Regulation regularly amended /replaced by Regulation (EU) 961/2011

• * Since 1 April 2012, Regulation (EU) No 284/2012 of 29 March 2012 is of application

• * Measures applicable until 31 October 2012

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Health andConsumers

Current measures Regulation (EU) No 284/2012

• * The measures require that all feed and food originated in or consigned from 12 prefectures in Japan are tested for the presence of radionuclides (Caesium-134 and Caesium-137), and attested not to contain unacceptable levels of these radionuclides.

• * The 12 prefectures are: Fukushima, Gunma, Ibaraki, Tochigi, Chiba, Tokyo, Kanagawa, Shizuoka, Saitama, Iwate Yamanashi and Miyagi.

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Health andConsumers

Current measures Regulation No 284/2011

• * Food and feed originating from Japan, but not from these 12 prefectures, only have to be attested not to be originating from these 12 prefectures.

• At import, at least 5 % of the consignments from the 12 prefectures have to be analysed and at least 10 % of those originating from other prefectures than these 12.

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Health andConsumers

Envisaged changes

• *The review is mainly based on the occurrence data on radioactivity in feed and food provided by the Japanese authorities of the 2nd growing season after the accident.

• * The review concerns in particular the possible limitation of number of prefectures in the "zone with restrictions" and to limit eventually the scope of the feed and food commodities to which the measures apply.

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Health andConsumers

Envisaged changes

• * More than 40.000 data on the presence of radioactivity in a wide range of foodstuffs (except beef) from the 2nd growing season (period March-September), mainly originating from the prefectures from the zone with restrictions. * examination of the data: attention was paid not only to the non-compliant levels but also to significant findings as this is an indication of contamination still available and a higher risk for possible future non-compliance.

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Health andConsumers

Envisaged changesNew prefectures ?

• * no new prefectures to the zone with restrictions are added (the 2 non-compliant findings in Pacific cod in the prefecture Aomori and 5 non-compliant findings of mushrooms in the prefecture of Nagano are considered not to be a sufficient basis for listing new prefectures).

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Health andConsumers

Envisaged changesYamanashi - Shizuoka

• * "Delisting" of the prefecture Yamanashi and Shizuoka from the zone with restriction but to keep the requirement of pretesting for mushrooms and tea from the prefecture Shizuoka and for mushrooms from Yamanashi.

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Health andConsumers

Envisaged changes Fukushima

• * for the prefecture of Fukushima: given the frequent findings of non-compliant or significant levels of radioactivity in a wide range of feed and food, the existing requirement of pretesting of all feed and food (except the general exceptions) are kept.

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Health andConsumers

Envisaged changesOther 9 prefectures

• * for the 9 other prefectures (Gunma, Ibaraki, Tochigi, Miyagi, Saitama, Tokyo, Iwate, Chiba and Kanagawa), it is proposed to maintain the pretesting requirement for mushrooms, tea, fish and fishery products, most edible wild plants, a few vegetables and fruits, rice, soybeans and the processed and derived products thereof

• * for fish and fishery products : also of application for products caught r harvested in the coastal areas of these prefectures irrespective of where such products are landed

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Health andConsumers

Envisaged changesrice – soybeans – other crops

• * For rice and soybeans, the requirement of pretesting is proposed to be maintained as the harvest is still ongoing and not all results of the 2nd growing season are yet available (harvest only started second half of August and will continue until end of October/early November).

• * For other crops which are still to be harvested and for which no or limited data are available for the 2nd growing season, the requirement will be maintained.

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Health andConsumers

Envisaged changesControl at import

• * For the control at import, a reduction of the frequency of controls to 5 % is proposed.

• * Indeed the controls at import performed until now provide evidence that the measures are correctly implemented by the Japanese authorities and there have been now for more than one year no findings of non-compliance

•

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Health andConsumers

Envisaged changes Personal consignments

• *Exemption for personal consignments: - personal consignments of feed and food of animal origin insofar the consignments comply with the provisions provided for in Article 2 of Commission Regulation (EC) 206/2009 of 5 March 2009.- personal consignments of feed and food other than of animal origin insofar these consignments are not-commercial, are destined to a private person and for personal consumption and use only.

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Health andConsumers

Envisaged changesExemption alcoholic beverages • * Exclusion of other alcoholic beverages in

addition to sake, whiskey and shochu, upon evidence provided by the Japanese authorities as regards absence or very low levels of radioactivity in these beverages and information on the production process whereby eventually present radioactivity is (to a large extent) removed;.

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Health andConsumers

Envisaged changesFuture reviews

• * 31 March 2014: date when the results of the 3rd growing season after the accident will be fully available.* Interim review 31 March 2013: for the feed and food products which are proposed to be kept within the scope because the data for the 2nd growing season are not yet fully available.

Health andConsumers

Health andConsumers

Monitoring - RASFF notification 11-653-add11–dd 16/04/2011

•The European Commission recommends the Member States to monitor on an at random basis for the presence of Iodine-131, Caesium-134 and Caesium-137 the following feed and food products (in order of importance) :

• fish, fishery products and other marine products caught in FAO Major Fishing Area 61 and derived/processed products thereof

• fish, fishery products and other marine products caught in FAO Major Fishing Areas 67, 71 and 77 and derived/processed products thereof

• feed and food, processed from fish and fishery products or containing fish and fishery products, (possibly) originating in/caught in the Pacific region

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Health andConsumers

Monitoring recommendation • RASFF message 27/04/2011

• Preliminary risk assessment on the possible contamination by radionuclides of fish and fishery products in the Pacific region following the accident at Fukushima nuclear power plant. The assessment has been performed by the Directorate-General for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries.

• This assessment has to be seen in relation with the recommendation on the monitoring of the presence of I-131, Cs-134 and CS-137 in fish and fishery products (and derived/processed products) originating in/caught in certain fishing areas of the Pacific region.

• Following the conclusions of this preliminary assessment the monitoring should focus by preference on pelagic fish species in FAO Fishing zone 61 (e.g. mackerel, anchovy, sardines, tuna, …) in particular the albacore tuna.

Health andConsumers

Health andConsumers

Monitoring - RASFF notification 11-653-add30–dd 03/01/2012

•The European Commission recommends the Member States to monitor on an at random basis for the presence of Caesium-134 and Caesium-137 the following feed and food products :

• Tuna (albacore, bluefin, bigeye and skipjack) and billfishes (swordfish and marlin) caught in FAO Major Fishing Area 61 and derived/processed products thereof

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Health andConsumers

Health andConsumers

Health andConsumers

Control resuls of controls at import•* In 2011•1967 reported results on controls of feed and food originating from Japan

•1948 results ND or lower than 10 Bq•19 samples > 10 Bq:

16 samples of green tea from Shizuoka (2 non-compliant)

1 sample dandelion root concentrate from Kanto

1 sample of soya sauce from Saitama

1 sample of green tea from Tokyo

* In 2012 : Compilation still to be finalised. No non-compliances reported.

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Health andConsumers

Control resuls of controls at import

•* In 2011•409 reported results on controls of fish and fishery products from the Pacific region (other than Japan)

•All results ND or lower than 10 Bq.

•* In 2012•Compilation still to be finalised. Generally non-detect or very low levels.

Health andConsumers

Health andConsumers

THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION !