EU moves to tighten import checks on food and farm goods
EU boosts border checks to reinforce food and animal welfare standards
10 December 2025
1 minute read
By: The European Commission has announced a reinforcement of controls on food, animal and plant products entering the EU. The move follows an Implementation Dialogue on import controls with stakeholders, where Commissioner for Health and Animal Welfare Olivér Várhelyi outlined measures to strengthen oversight at EU borders and in third countries. The Commission said the actions are intended to maintain high levels of food safety for EU citizens and ensure a level playing field for producers.
The package includes a planned 50% increase in audits of non-EU countries over the next two years, while maintaining existing control levels within the EU. Audits of European Border Control Posts will rise by 33% to verify that Member States are conducting inspections in line with EU requirements. The Commission also plans closer monitoring of non-compliant commodities and countries, with check frequencies adjusted as necessary, and will support Member States as they implement the additional controls.
A dedicated EU Task Force will be established to improve the efficiency of import checks, with a focus on pesticide residues, food and feed safety and animal welfare. Coordinated EU monitoring actions on selected imported products are also under consideration. Around 500 national authority staff will receive training on official controls through a dedicated EU programme. Updated rules will govern the import of products containing traces of hazardous pesticides banned in the EU, reflecting recent changes to international standards.
The Commission noted that safeguarding food safety remains one of the EU's central priorities. All live animals, food and feed, plants and plant products entering the bloc must meet EU sanitary and phytosanitary requirements, along with certain animal welfare rules. Member States conduct border checks on regulated goods, while the Commission audits third countries to ensure their supervision and production standards meet EU expectations.
“Protecting the safety of food consumed in the EU is one of my core responsibilities," Várhelyi said. "This applies not only to products made within our Union but also to those we import."
"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," he added. "Today’s measures will further reinforce and modernise our already robust system of official controls, to the benefit of EU citizens, farmers and companies."
