Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2025/1900 of 22 September 2025 establishing the annual programme of controls for 2026 to be carried out by Commission experts in the Member States to verify the application of Union agri-food chain legislation

Official Journal EN of the European Union L series 2025/1900 23.9.2025 COMMISSION IMPLEMENTING DECISION(EU) 2025/1900 of 22 September 2025 establishing the annual programme of controls for 2026 to be carried out by Commission experts in the Member States to verify the application of Union agri-food chain legislation THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION, Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, Having regard to Regulation (EU) 2017/625 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 15 March 2017 on official controls and other official activities performed to ensure the application of food and feed law, rules on animal health and welfare, plant health and plant protection products, amending Regulations (EC) No 999/2001, (EC) No 396/2005, (EC) No 1069/2009, (EC) No 1107/2009, (EU) No 1151/2012, (EU) No 652/2014, (EU) 2016/429 and (EU) 2016/2031 of the European Parliament and of the Council, Council Regulations (EC) No 1/2005 and (EC) No 1099/2009 and Council Directives 98/58/EC, 1999/74/EC, 2007/43/EC, 2008/119/EC and 2008/120/EC, and repealing Regulations (EC) No 854/2004 and (EC) No 882/2004 of the European Parliament and of the Council, Council Directives 89/608/EEC, 89/662/EEC, 90/425/EEC, 91/496/EEC, 96/23/EC, 96/93/EC and 97/78/EC and Council Decision 92/438/EEC (Official Controls Regulation)(1), and in particular Article 118(1), point (a), thereof, Whereas: (1) The responsibility to enforce Union agri-food chain legislation lies with Member States, whose competent authorities monitor and verify, through the organisation of official controls, that relevant Union requirements are effectively complied with and enforced. Parallel to this monitoring and verification, Article 116 of Regulation (EU) 2017/625 requires Commission experts to perform controls, including audits, in Member States to verify the application of Union legislation. These Commission controls should be performed in the areas of food and feed safety, animal health and welfare, plant health, plant protection products, genetically modified organisms, animal by-products, organic products and in the functioning of national control systems and competent authorities which operate them, taking into account synergies with control arrangements under the common agricultural policy (CAP). (2) The Commission has assembled an annual programme of controls for 2026. These controls should be carried out by the Commission’s experts in Member States to verify the application of the legislation in the above areas. The Commission used different criteria during the prioritisation process, inter alia, identification of risk to consumers, animals or plants, past performance of the Member States in the area, production volume, information from relevant sources (for example, the European Food Safety Authority) and from the components of the information management system for official controls (IMSOC). (3) This annual programme of controls contributes to the Commission’s priority area of ‘Food security, water and nature’(2). It also contributes to the monitoring of the CAP in accordance with the rules on cross-compliance set out in Regulation (EU) 2021/2116 of the European Parliament and of the Council(3). The controls set out in the programme enable the Commission to fulfil its legal obligations to oversee the application of Union law by verifying that official controls in Member States in the relevant areas are compliant with Union legislation. (1) OJ L 95, 7.4.2017, p. 1, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2017/625/oj. (2) Political Guidelines 2024-2029, page 21. (3) Regulation (EU) 2021/2116 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 2 December 2021 on the financing, management and monitoring of the common agricultural policy and repealing Regulation (EU) No 1306/2013 (OJ L 435, 6.12.2021, p. 187, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2021/2116/oj). ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/dec_impl/2025/1900/oj 1/4EN OJ L, 23.9.2025 (4) This annual programme of controls should take into account the categories of listed diseases established in accordance with Regulation (EU) 2016/429 of the European Parliament and of the Council(4)and with Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2018/1882(5). (5) In accordance with Article 38(4) of Regulation (EU) 2024/1143 of the European Parliament and of the Council(6), Article 118 of Regulation (EU) 2017/625 is not to apply to controls, including audits, of geographical indications. (6) Given that this Commission Implementing Decision concerns the annual programme of controls for 2026, which applies as of 1 January 2026, the date of application of this Implementing Decision should be deferred to coincide with that date, HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION: Article 1 The annual programme of controls for 2026 to be carried out by Commission experts in the Member States as provided for in Article 116(1) of Regulation (EU) 2017/625 is set out in the Annex to this Implementing Decision. Article 2 This Implementing Decision shall enter into force on the twentieth day following that of its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union. It shall apply from 1 January 2026. Done at Brussels, 22 September 2025. For the Commission The President Ursula VON DER LEYEN (4) Regulation (EU) 2016/429 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 9 March 2016 on transmissible animal diseases and amending and repealing certain acts in the area of animal health (OJ L 84, 31.3.2016, p. 1, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2016/ 429/oj). (5) Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2018/1882 of 3 December 2018 on the application of certain disease prevention and control rules to categories of listed diseases and establishing a list of species and groups of species posing a considerable risk for the spread of those listed diseases (OJ L 308, 4.12.2018, p. 21, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg_impl/2018/1882/oj). (6) Regulation (EU) 2024/1143 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 April 2024 on geographical indications for wine, spirit drinks and agricultural products, as well as traditional specialities guaranteed and optional quality terms for agricultural products, amending Regulations (EU) No 1308/2013, (EU) No 2019/787 and (EU) 2019/1753 and repealing Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012 (OJ L, 2024/1143, 23.4.2024, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2024/1143/oj). 2/4 ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/dec_impl/2025/1900/ojANNEX Annual programme of controls for 2026 Area Priority area Focus in 2026 ytefas doof & dooF Safety of meat products and meat preparations Food of animal origin Safety of fish and fishery products Food contact materials Food contact material containing recycled plastic Residues in live animals and Chemical safety – residues of pharmacologically active food of animal origin substances, pesticides and contaminants ytefas deef & deeF Feed safety Medicated feed (One Health) htlaeh laminA Category A diseases under African swine fever Regulation (EU) 2016/429 and Highly pathogenic avian influenza Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2018/1882 Sheep and goat pox Category B and C diseases under Regulation (EU) 2016/429 and Monitoring system for category B and C diseases Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2018/1882 Contingency planning Preparedness & prevention Highly pathogenic avian influenza (One Health) Vector-borne diseases (One Health) eraflew laminA On farm Poultry Transport Sea transport htlaeh tnalP Plant pest outbreaks Plant pest outbreaks presenting a significant threat Preparedness and prevention Surveys and contingency planning DUS & sPPP EN OJ L, 23.9.2025 Plant protection products Authorisation, marketing and use of PPPs (PPPs) and Sustainable Use of Pesticides Directive (SUD) Sustainable use of pesticides ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/dec_impl/2025/1900/oj 3/4Area Priority area Focus in 2026 ytilauq dooF Organic farming Organic farming eht otni yrtnE slamina fo noinU morf sdoog dna seirtnuoc driht Official controls on animals Animals and goods and goods stcepsa lareneG doof-irga eht nihtiw niahc EN OJ L, 23.9.2025 Genetically modified GMOs in feed organisms (GMOs) Any emergency situations, Emergency situations, emerging problems and new emerging problems and new developments developments 4/4 ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/dec_impl/2025/1900/oj