The European Commission has proposed a package of measures to "streamline and simplify" EU food and feed safety legislation.

This cross-cutting food and feed safety package aims to simplify rules and procedures across the EU's applicable legislation, from plant protection products and biocidal products, to feed, official controls and animal health and welfare.

According to the commission: "The simplifications proposed could save over €1 billion in compliance costs including over €428 million annually for EU businesses as well as €661 million annually for national administrations.

"This includes annual administrative savings amounting to €939 million for both businesses and national administrations.

"The proposal will reduce administrative costs and burdens, while maintaining the EU's very strict requirements for food and feed safety, health and environmental protection."

Greater choice

According to the commission, farmers, in particular, are expected to "have a greater choice of inputs to produce food, particularly when it comes to innovative products".

"The proposed simplifications will also incentivise farmers to apply more environmentally-friendly plant protection products sooner," the commission added.

Among the key measures proposed are:

Accelerating procedures for market access for bio-pesticides;
Making renewal procedures for pesticides and biocides more targeted, efficient and applied faster;
Easing the obligation to renew feed additive authorisations and digitalising labelling for feed additives;
Facilitating market access for fermentation products;
Simplifying accreditation rules for official laboratories;
Adapting bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) surveillance and risk mitigation requirements in accordance with science. 

The legislative proposal will now be submitted to the European Parliament and the Council for adoption. 

The Food and Feed Safety package is a "key deliverable" from the Vision for Agriculture and Food presented by the commission in February 2025, and "directly responds to its promise of helping farmers and food and feed businesses be more competitive and resilient".