The European Commission has announced that it will significantly increase and strengthen its controls for animal, plant, and food imports entering the EU, with the intent of improving food safety for consumers and leveling competition for European agri-food producers.

At a December 8 Implementation Dialogue in Import Controls, EU Commissioner for Health and Animal Welfare Olivér Várhely outlined the new measures that will be implemented at EU borders and in third countries:

• A 50 percent increase in the number of audits carried out on non-EU countries over the next two years, while maintaining the level of control in EU countries  
• A 33 percent increase in audits of European Border Control Posts to verify that Member States are carrying out border inspections in line with EU requirements
• Closer monitoring of non-compliant commodities and countries, with the frequency of checks increasing as necessary
• Commission support to Member States in carrying out additional checks
• Establishment of a dedicated EU Task Force to be launched in early 2026, which will make import controls more efficient; will focus especially on pesticide residues, food and feed safety, and animal welfare, and will consider coordinated EU monitoring action on specific imported products
• Training for approximately 500 national authority staff on official controls through a dedicated EU program
• Updated rules on allowing the import of products with traces of particularly hazardous pesticides that are banned in the EU, harmonizing with recently updated international standards.

These measures align with the Vision for Agriculture and Food, unveiled in February 2025, of which a “non-negotiable element” is improving imported food and feed safety.

“As the world’s leading trader of food, the EU must ensure that any animal, plant, or food product arriving from other countries meets our strict health and safety standards. [These] measures will further reinforce and modernize our already robust system of official controls, to the benefit of EU citizens, farmers, and companies,” remarked Commissioner Várhelyi.