Contents
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)note, 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’note. 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 Councilnote. 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.
(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 Councilnote and with Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2018/1882note.
(5)In accordance with Article 38(4) of Regulation (EU) 2024/1143 of the European Parliament and of the Councilnote, 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.
Annual programme of controls for 2026
| Area | Priority area | Focus in 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Food & food safety | Food of animal origin | Safety of meat products and meat preparationsSafety of fish and fishery products |
| Food contact materials | Food contact material containing recycled plastic | |
| Residues in live animals and food of animal origin | Chemical safety – residues of pharmacologically active substances, pesticides and contaminants | |
| Feed & feed safety | Feed safety | Medicated feed (One Health) |
| Animal health | Category A diseases under Regulation (EU) 2016/429 and Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2018/1882 | African swine feverHighly pathogenic avian influenzaSheep and goat pox |
| Category B and C diseases under Regulation (EU) 2016/429 and Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2018/1882 | Monitoring system for category B and C diseases | |
| Preparedness & prevention | Contingency planningHighly pathogenic avian influenza (One Health)Vector-borne diseases (One Health) | |
| Animal welfare | On farm | Poultry |
| Transport | Sea transport | |
| Plant health | Plant pest outbreaks | Plant pest outbreaks presenting a significant threat |
| Preparedness and prevention | Surveys and contingency planning | |
| PPPs & SUD | Plant protection products (PPPs) and Sustainable Use of Pesticides Directive (SUD) | Authorisation, marketing and use of PPPsSustainable use of pesticides |
| Food quality | Organic farming | Organic farming |
| Entry into the Union of animals and goods from third countries | Official controls on animals and goods | Animals and goods |
| General aspects within the agri-food chain | Genetically modified organisms (GMOs) | GMOs in feed |
| Any emergency situations, emerging problems and new developments | Emergency situations, emerging problems and new developments |
Source: EUR-Lex, © European Union, 1998-2026. Reuse authorised under Decision 2011/833/EU.