Control on residues of veterinary medicinal products and contaminants in live animals and food of animal origin

The purpose of the procurement is to ensure access to the laboratory services that are necessary for the NFSA to be able to fulfil the obligations for the performance of official controls of, feed for and food from food producing terrestrial animals and the actions to be taken in case of suspicion of non-compliance or in the event of established non-compliance regardingthe use of pharmacologically active substances authorised as veterinary medicinal products or as feed additives,the use of prohibited or unauthorised pharmacologically active substances and residues thereof andthe presence of contaminants in foodMain features of the procedureRegulation (EU) 2017/625 lays down rules for the performance of official controls and other official activities by the competent authorities of the Member States to verify compliance with Union legislation in the area of food and feed safety. In particular, Article 9 of that Regulation requires competent authorities to perform official controls on all operators regularly, on a risk basis and with an appropriate frequency. Article 109 of that Regulation obliges EEA States to ensure that official controls are performed by the competent authorities on the basis of a multiannual national control plan (MANCP). Regulation (EU) 2017/625 furthermore specifies the general content of the MANCP, including the requirement for EEA States to provide in their MANCP official controls on the use of pharmacologically active substances authorised as veterinary medicinal products or as feed additives, of prohibited or unauthorised pharmacologically active substances and residues thereof and of contaminants in food. Regulation (EU) 2017/625 empowers the Commission to lay down specific requirements for the performance of those official controls, including, where appropriate, the range of samples and the stage of production, processing and distribution where the samples have to be taken, having regard to the hazards and risks related to the substances referred to in Article 19(1) of that Regulation. The Commission has established such specific requirement for the MANCP regarding veterinary medicinal products residues in Regulation (EU) 2022/1644, and (EU) 2022/1646 (VMPR), and regarding contaminants in Regulation (EU) 2022/932 and (EU) 2022/931.,There are two different National Control Plans and one Randomised Surveillance plan:a national risk-based control plan for production (plan1)a national randomised surveillance plan for production in the EEA States (plan2)a national risk-based control plan for third-country imports (plan3)These plans must comply with the minimum sampling frequency for production in Norway listed in the Regulations (EU) 2022/1646 and (EU) 2022/932. Member States shall control combinations of substance groups and commodity groups in accordance with Regulation (EU) 2022/1644, and they shall adopt a sampling strategy in accordance with the criteria set out in the same regulation. Member States shall also control specific combination of contaminants, contaminant groups and commodity groups in accordance with Regulation (EU) 2022/931. Articles 137 and 138 of Regulation (EU) 2017/625 respectively lay down obligations of the competent authorities as regards actions to be taken in case of suspicion of non-compliance and list actions and measures to be taken in the event of established non-compliance. The Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2019/2090 provides specific rules for the performance of official controls in relation to suspected or established non-compliance and for action to be taken following these official controls.