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| Standing Committee on Plants, Animals, Food and Feed | |
|---|---|
| Name | Standing Committee on Plants, Animals, Food and Feed |
| Institution | Council of the European Union |
| Established | 2004 |
| Jurisdiction | European Union |
| Chair | Rotating Presidency |
| Members | Member State representatives |
Standing Committee on Plants, Animals, Food and Feed The Standing Committee on Plants, Animals, Food and Feed serves as a central Council of the European Union advisory and preparatory body that coordinates technical and political positions on Common Agricultural Policy, European Green Deal, Horizon Europe, European Food Safety Authority, and European Commission initiatives, interacting with European Parliament committees and national administrations. It operates at the intersection of regulatory frameworks such as the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, European Council conclusions, and implementing acts linked to the World Trade Organization and Codex Alimentarius standards.
The committee functions within the Council of the European Union framework established after the Treaty of Lisbon and reports to preparatory bodies that interface with the European Commission and the European Parliament. Its remit covers dossiers originating from the Directorate-General for Health and Food Safety and the Directorate-General for Agriculture and Rural Development and routinely considers texts influenced by stakeholders such as the Food and Agriculture Organization, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, and the International Plant Protection Convention. Meetings draw delegations from Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Poland, Netherlands, Belgium, Sweden, Romania, Greece, Portugal, Hungary, Czech Republic, Austria, Bulgaria, Denmark, Finland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Ireland, Croatia, Luxembourg, Cyprus, Malta and other Member States in rotation.
The legal basis derives from the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union provisions on harmonisation of rules for the internal market in agricultural and veterinary matters and from secondary legislation such as Regulation (EU) No 882/2004 frameworks and implementing acts tied to Regulation (EC) No 178/2002. The committee prepares measures under comitology procedures defined by the European Commission and the European Parliament via delegated and implementing acts, aligning with international obligations under instruments like the Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures Agreement of the World Trade Organization and bilateral agreements negotiated by the European External Action Service.
Membership comprises senior officials delegated by Member State administrations, rotating presidencies of the Council of the European Union and representatives from the European Commission's relevant directorates. The committee reports to higher-level bodies such as the Special Committee on Agriculture and coordinates with advisory bodies including the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions. Secretariat support is provided by the General Secretariat of the Council, while technical input often comes from agencies like the European Food Safety Authority, European Chemicals Agency, European Medicines Agency, and scientific networks such as the European Research Area partners.
The committee examines implementing and delegated acts, prepares opinions for voting in the Council of the European Union, and facilitates consensus-building between Member States and the European Commission. It applies procedures established by the Interinstitutional Agreement on Better Regulation and engages in regulatory scrutiny aligned with the Better Regulation agenda, using impact assessments influenced by Horizon 2020 and Horizon Europe results. Sessions often address risk assessment outputs from the European Food Safety Authority and emergency measures coordinated with the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control and the World Organisation for Animal Health.
The committee handles phytosanitary measures, veterinary legislation, food law, animal welfare, plant reproductive material, pesticide approvals, and feed additives within policy frameworks like the Green Deal and the Farm to Fork Strategy. It deliberates on topics such as transgenic organism authorisations intersecting with Nagoya Protocol considerations, control of zoonoses influenced by Avian influenza and BSE responses, trade restrictions under EU–Mercosur talks, and crisis management linked to events like Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster consequences for food imports. Environmental and trade dimensions engage instruments like Natura 2000 designations, Common Agricultural Policy payments, and European Emissions Trading System implications for supply chains.
The committee interfaces with the European Parliament's Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development and Committee on Environment, Public Health and Food Safety, supports the European Commission in comitology votes, and coordinates positions with the Council of the European Union presidencies from countries such as Portugal, Slovenia, France, and Germany. External stakeholder engagement involves the European Farmers' Association, FoodDrinkEurope, Eurogroup for Animals, COPA-COGECA, BirdLife International, and academic networks centered at institutions like University of Wageningen, Institut Pasteur, University of Cambridge, ETH Zurich, and Karolinska Institute.
Notable outcomes include measures on emergency import controls after the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster and coordinated responses to BSE outbreaks, adoption of pesticide controls influenced by the Precautionary Principle in Rechtsstaat contexts, and implementation of animal welfare standards that affected Common Agricultural Policy reform debates. The committee's technical endorsements have shaped legislation impacting trade negotiations with partners such as United States, China, Canada, Brazil, and regulatory alignments with Codex Alimentarius, yielding tangible effects on European Union internal market rules, public health measures, and sectoral policies in agriculture and food production.
Category:European Union committees