Food and veterinary

The EFTA Surveillance Authority is responsible for monitoring implementation and application of EEA legislation on food and feed, animal health and welfare by Iceland and Norway.

These tasks are undertaken by ESA’s Food and Veterinary Unit.

The food and feed, animal health and welfare sectors cover a wide range of issues relating to food and feed safety, veterinary medicinal products, residues, animal health, animal welfare and organic production. The legislation in the sector is characterised by its dynamic nature, linked to, for example, emerging issues relating to animal and public health such as food and feed safety or outbreaks of infectious diseases.

The relevant legislation incorporated into the EEA Agreement is set out in Annex I (Chapters I, II and III) and Annex II (Chapter XII). In addition, certain acts are subject to the simplified procedure, under which Iceland and Norway are obliged to take measures simultaneously with EU Member States. Safeguards and protective measures on imports are typical of the types of issues subject to the simplified procedure.

Where there is an outbreak of serious animal disease, or there is a food or feed crisis in the EEA EFTA States, the relevant States are obliged to notify this to ESA. ESA has various duties on the review of measures taken by the affected EEA EFTA State or States, in order to minimise the harm to public or animal health. 

Liechtenstein

As long as the application of the agreement between the EU and the Swiss Confederation on trade in agricultural products is extended to Liechtenstein, Annex I and Chapter XII of Annex II to the EEA Agreement do not apply to Liechtenstein. This means that for the moment, the EFTA Surveillance Authority does not monitor the implementation and application by Liechtenstein of legislation on food and feed safety, animal health and welfare.