Georgia Strengthens Meat and Fish Safety Controls

Georgia has expanded state control measures for meat and fish products through updated food safety and animal by-product regulations.

Compliance Analysis: Georgia’s Expanded State Control Measures for Meat and Fish Products

Georgia has strengthened its regulatory framework for meat, fish, and animal by-products through two key instruments:

1. Amendment to Decree No. 605 (laying down health rules on animal by-products not intended for human consumption)¹
2. Rules for state control and other official activities in the fields of food/animal feed safety, veterinary and plant protection²

These regulations expand state control over production, import, and distribution while aligning with EU standards under the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area (DCFTA) agreement.

1. Scope of Products and Activities Covered

The regulations apply to the following categories:

2. Key Regulatory Requirements

A. Animal By-Products (Decree No. 605 Amendment)

• Import Health Certificates and Declarations:
  • Mandatory for animal by-products entering Georgia, effective 1 May 2022¹.
  • Certificates must comply with formats specified in the amendment¹.
• Objective:
  • Protect animal health and human safety from risks associated with animal by-products¹.
• Alignment with EU Standards:
  • Decree No. 605 mirrors EU Regulation (EU) No 142/2011 and Regulation (EC) No 1069/2009¹.

B. State Control Rules for Food, Feed, and Veterinary Safety

• Official Controls and Compliance Verification:
  • Competent authorities (MEPA) must perform official controls at all stages of production, processing, and distribution².
  • Controls cover:
  • Food/feed safety, integrity, and wholesomeness².
  • Animal health and welfare².
  • Plant health and pest protection².
  • GMO release into the environment².
• Financing of Controls:
  • Costs of official controls may be recovered from operators².
• Computerized Information System:
  • MEPA must establish a system to manage data related to official controls².
• Entry Conditions for Animals/Goods:
  • Importers must fulfill pre-market conditions for animals and goods entering Georgia².
• Administrative Cooperation:
  • MEPA is responsible for cross-border administrative assistance².

C. Enforcement and Timeline

3. Responsible Authority

• Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture of Georgia (MEPA):
  • Primary agency for enforcement, official controls, and compliance²,¹.
  • Contact for inquiries:
  • Maia Beruashvili (SPS Focal Point, Head of Food Safety Division)
  • Email: `maia.beruashvili@mepa.gov.ge`
  • Website:²(http://www.mepa.gov.ge)²,¹.

4. International Alignment and Deviations

• Decree No. 605:
  • Aligns with EU Regulation (EU) No 142/2011 but does not conform to any international standard (e.g., Codex, OIE, IPPC)¹.
• State Control Rules:
  • Based on EU Regulation (EU) 2017/625 (Official Controls Regulation)².
  • No conformity with international standards (e.g., Codex, OIE, IPPC)².

5. Stakeholder Engagement

• Public Consultation:
  • Comments on the State Control Rules were accepted until 14 December 2024².
  • Comments on the Decree No. 605 Amendment were accepted until 1 April 2022¹.
• Submission Channels:
  • National Enquiry Point (MEPA) for the State Control Rules².
  • National Notification Authority for the Decree No. 605 Amendment¹.

Summary Answer

Georgia has expanded state control over meat, fish, and animal by-products through Decree No. 605 (effective 1 May 2022) and the Rules for State Control in Food/Feed Safety (proposed adoption: 24 December 2024). Key measures include:

• Mandatory import health certificates for animal by-products¹.
• Official controls at all stages of production, processing, and distribution, enforced by MEPA².
• Alignment with EU standards (e.g., Regulation (EU) 2017/625) but no conformity with international standards like Codex or OIE²,¹.
• Computerized information systems and financing mechanisms for official controls².
• Public consultation periods closed on 1 April 2022 (Decree No. 605) and 14 December 2024 (State Control Rules)²,¹.

Sources

1. ↩ Amendment to the Decree No. 605 laying down health rules on animal by-products and derived products not itended for human consumption _notification https://docs.wto.org/imrd/directdoc.asp?DDFDocuments/T/G/SPS/NGEO26.DOCX
2. ↩ On the approval of “Rules for state control and other official activities in the fields of food/animal feed safety, veterinary and plant protection” _notification https://docs.wto.org/imrd/directdoc.asp?DDFDocuments/T/G/SPS/NGEO32.DOCX