Vol. 561 No. 3
59 Ms O. Mitchell asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food the number of border inspection posts there are in the EU that are tasked with the inspection of foodstuffs imported from non-EU countries where they are located. [3972/03]
A complete listing of approved EU border inspection posts, BIPs, for veterinary checks on animal products and live animals imported from third countries has been published in the Official Journal of the European Communities (OJ No. 344 of 2002, 19.12.2002) under Commission Decision No. 2002/986/EC. This listing sets out the locations, e.g. airports, seaports, railways or roadways, in each of the member states of the BIPs as well as the veterinary inspection functions for which the BIP has been approved by the food and veterinary office, FVO, of the European Commission. The FVO monitors each member state's BIPs and arranges approval based on its assessment of the character of animal products imported as well as the standard of facilities which are in place to provide for veterinary inspection of the products under three main categories: ambient, chilled and frozen. Out of a total of 283 BIPs in the EU 258 have been approved to carry out veterinary checks on imports of animal based products intended for human consumption. The following is a summary breakdown of these by member state:
|
Country |
Total Number Of Border Inspection Posts for imports of foodstuffs |
Of which: |
Airports |
Ports |
Road |
Rail |
|
Austria |
16 |
2 |
0 |
10 |
4 |
|
|
Belgium |
6 |
4 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
|
|
Germany |
33 |
10 |
8 |
11 |
4 |
|
|
Denmark |
11 |
2 |
9 |
0 |
0 |
|
|
Spain |
40 |
19 |
21 |
0 |
0 |
|
|
Finland |
6 |
1 |
3 |
2 |
0 |
|
|
France |
31 |
13 |
16 |
2 |
0 |
|
|
UK |
29 |
7 |
22 |
0 |
0 |
|
|
Greece |
11 |
2 |
2 |
6 |
1 |
|
|
Ireland |
4 |
1 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
|
|
Italy |
37 |
15 |
17 |
4 |
1 |
|
|
Luxembourg |
1 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
|
Netherlands |
8 |
2 |
6 |
0 |
0 |
|
|
Portugal |
17 |
4 |
13 |
0 |
0 |
|
|
Sweden |
8 |
2 |
6 |
0 |
0 |
|
|
Totals |
258 |
85 |
128 |
35 |
10 |
