Notifications for Switzerland (48 notifications)
The amendment contains 40 authorization renewals of feed additives, 25 new authorizations and 15 withdrawals of authorization.
This notification concerns the amendment of an existing ordinance (VPM-BLW, SR 916.202.1) which specifies the provisions of the Ordinance on the Protection of Plants against Particularly Dangerous Harmful Organisms (Plant Health Ordinance, PGesV, SR 916.20, which was notified under G/SPS/N/CHE/83) to maintain the harmonization with the European plant health legislation in accordance with the bilateral agreement on trade in agricultural products (agricultural agreement) between Switzerland and the European Union. The main changes are as follows:- Increased testing frequency of Tomato Brown Rugose Fruit Virus for seeds and plants for planting of Solanum lycopersicum L. and its hybrids and of Capsicum spp. from Israel and China;- Adapted temporary measures against the introduction of the Rose Rossette Virus on plants, other than seeds, of Rosa spp. originating in Canada, India or the United States;- The list of hostplants of Xylella fastidiosa has been adapted;- The temporary import requirements of fruits of Citrus L., Fortunella Swingle, Poncirus Raf., and their hybrids, other than fruits of Citrus aurantium L. and Citrus latifolia Tanaka. from Argentina, Brazil, South Africa, Uruguay and Zimbabwe to prevent from the introduction of Phyllosticta citricarpa (McAlpine) Van der Aa. have been adapted;- The exemption of several commodities from the list of high-risk commodities, which are subjected to a provisional import ban. For some commodities, additional import requirements have been specified.
The Ordinance on phytosanitary products (RS 916.161, OPPh) was notified in document G/SPS/N/CHE/82 of 19 December 2019. The OPPh establishes conditions for the placing on the market of phytosanitary products. Annex 1 to the OPPh contains a list of active substances that may be used as phytosanitary products in Switzerland. A new substance is included in this Annex if, once the application accompanying the request has been examined, it meets the conditions established in Article 5. The following amendment of the OPPh includes three new substances, of which two are micro-organisms, into the Annex 1. Furthermore there are formal adjustments on several substances from Annex 1, most notably new classifications of substances already included in Annex 1 as either substances with a low risk profile or substances which are candidates for substitution. These formal adjustments are in alignement with EU decisions and regulations. Details are stipulated in the attached draft document.
The amendment contains 28 authorization renewals of feed additives, one new authorization of an acidity regulator, seven new authorizations for silage additives, seven new authorizations for flavouring compounds, one new authorization for an amino acid and six withdrawals of authorization.
This notification concerns the amendment of the annexes of an existing ordinance (PGesV-WBF-UVEK, SR 916.201), notified under G/SPS/N/CHE/86, which specifies the provisions of the Ordinance on the Protection of Plants against Particularly Dangerous Harmful Organisms (Plant Health Ordinance, PGesV, SR 916.20, notified under G/SPS/N/CHE/83), to maintain the harmonization with the European plant health legislation in accordance with the bilateral agreement on trade in agricultural products (agricultural agreement) between Switzerland and the European Union.The main changes are the amendment of the list of quarantine pests (two species were added) and regulated non-quarantine pests (three species were added), amendments to the specific conditions for the importation of certain host plants and commodities, amendments to the nomenclature of certain pests and host plants, the listing of the United Kingdom as a third country due to its withdrawal from the European Union and the amendment of a few tariff numbers due to the revised nomenclature of the Harmonized System (HS). These changes have already been implemented in the European Union.
Annex 2 of the Ordinance on the Production and Marketing of Feedstuffs, Feed Additives and Dietary Feed (FADO) containing the list of homologated additives is updated.
The Ordinance on phytosanitary products (RS 916.161, OPPh) was notified in document G/SPS/N/CHE/82 of 19 December 2019. The OPPh establishes conditions for the placing on the market of phytosanitary products. Annex 1 to the OPPh contains a list of active substances that may be used as phytosanitary products in Switzerland. A new substance is included in this Annex if, once the application accompanying the request has been examined, it meets the conditions established in Article 5. The following amendment of the OPPh includes new substances and removes several substances from Annex 1, as stipulated in the attached draft document.
This notification concerns the amendment of an existing ordinance (PGesV-WBF-UVEK, SR 916.201) which specifies the provisions of the Ordinance on the Protection of Plants against Particularly Dangerous Harmful Organisms (Plant Health Ordinance, PGesV, SR 916.20, which was notified under G/SPS/N/CHE/83) to maintain the harmonization with the European plant health legislation in accordance with the bilateral agreement on trade in agricultural products (agricultural agreement) between Switzerland and the European Union. The amendments are mostly formal and linguistic in nature. The main changes are the amendment of the list of regulated quarantine organisms (five species were added), the lifting of the fire blight protection zone in the Canton of Valais, the listing of the United Kingdom as a "third country" due to its withdrawal from the EU, the change of a few tariff numbers due to the revised nomenclature of the Harmonized System HS) and the amendment of the types and species of plants for which no exception can be made in the plant passport concerning the traceability code (alignment with EU legislation).
The text removes the authorization to use titanium dioxide (E 171) in foods based on the recent scientific opinion of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) concluding that titanium dioxide can no longer be considered as safe when used as a food additive. In order to allow for a smooth transition, the text lays down that foods that contain titanium dioxide (E 171) used in accordance with the rules applicable before the date of entry into force of the ordinance may be placed on the market until six months after that date. Those foods may then continue to be marketed until their date of minimum durability or "use by" date.
The Ordinance on phytosanitary products (RS 916.161, OPPh) was notified in document G/SPS/N/CHE/82 of 19 December 2019. The OPPh establishes conditions for the placing on the market of phytosanitary products. Annex 1 to the OPPh contains a list of active substances that may be used as phytosanitary products in Switzerland. A new substance is included in this Annex if, once the application accompanying the request has been examined, it meets the conditions established in Article 5. The following amendment of the OPPh includes new substances and removes several substances from Annex 1, as stipulated in the attached draft document.
The modification concerns annex 3 of the GMFO. This annex contains a list of GMO products that may be put on the Swiss market without a specific authorisation by the Federal Food Safety and Veterinary Office. There will be two new entries into that list: Endo-1,4-β-xylanase (EC3.2.1.8) and Phospholipase A2 (EC3.1.1.41).
The Ordinance on phytosanitary products (RS 916.161, OPPh) was notified in document G/SPS/N/CHE/82 of 19 December 2019. The OPPh establishes conditions for the placing on the market of phytosanitary products. Annex 1 to the OPPh contains a list of active substances that may be used as phytosanitary products in Switzerland. A new substance is included in this Annex if, once the application accompanying the request has been examined, it meets the conditions established in Article 5. The following amendment of the OPPh includes new substances and removes several substances from Annex 1, as stipulated in the attached draft document.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic certain food ingredients and packaging material may be in short supply. To provide food manufacturers more flexibility and to avoid reduced availability of foodstuffs for consumers, the labelling requirements for food products are relaxed for a time limited period of six months. The derogation will allow food producers to source alternative ingredients or packaging materials to substitute ingredients or materials in short supply without having to amend the packaging information. For the derogation to apply, the following conditions have to be met: First, the manufacturer has to demonstrate that the supply shortage is a direct consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic; Second, the alternative ingredients used have no bearing on the relevant health information provided on the packaging (e.g. ingredients that are allergen or may cause undesired reactions); and Third, foodstuff produced according to this deroagtion has to be labelled with a red round sticker followed by an internet address where consumers can obtain information about the ingredients and packaging materials used, and how these may differ from the information contained on the packaging.
The Ordinance on phytosanitary products (RS 916.161, OPPh) was notified in document G/SPS/N/CHE/82 of 19 December 2019. The OPPh establishes conditions for the placing on the market of phytosanitary products. Annex 1 to the OPPh contains a list of active substances that may be used as phytosanitary products in Switzerland. A new substance is included in this Annex if, once the application accompanying the request has been examined, it meets the conditions established in Article 5. Articles 9 and 10 of the OPPh provide for the possibility of re-assessing whether a substance still meets the conditions for inclusion. The substances subject to such an assessment are included in Annex 10. The active substance epoxiconazole is newly included in Annex 10.
Several annexes to the Ordinance containing trade-related provisions will be amended with effect from 1 August 2020 in accordance with the Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/2072 of 28 November 2019. The majority of these changes are formal and linguistic adaptations to the corresponding annexes of the EU regulation. The list of priority quarantine pests (regulated in Annex 1) will be amended with effect from 1 January 2021 to include the priority quarantine pests defined in the EU in Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2019/1702. Plant health is part of the bilateral agreement on trade in agricultural products between Switzerland and the European Union (EU) of 21 June 1999, which entered into force on 1 June 2002. In order to ensure the free movement of goods with the EU, equivalent phytosanitary regulations must apply in Switzerland.
The Ordinance on phytosanitary products (RS 916.161, OPPh) was notified in document G/SPS/N/CHE/82 of 19 December 2019. The OPPh establishes conditions for the placing on the market of phytosanitary products. Annex 1 to the OPPh contains a list of active substances that may be used as phytosanitary products in Switzerland. A new substance is included in this Annex if, once the application accompanying the request has been examined, it meets the conditions established in Article 5. Articles 9 and 10 of the OPPh provide for the possibility of re-assessing whether a substance still meets the conditions for inclusion. The substances subject to such an assessment are included in Annex 10. https://members.wto.org/crnattachments/2020/SPS/CHE/20_2127_00_f.pdf
Maintaining harmonisation with the European plant health legislation in accordance with the bilateral agreement on trade in agricultural products (agricultural agreement) between Switzerland and the European Union is the main reason for this revision. The amendments are mostly formal and linguistic in nature and do not directly affect trade in plants and plant products.
The changes concern the labelling requirements for foodstuffs in the Foodstuffs Ordinance (Article 37 (4) and (5)). Foods of animal origin may be labelled with the new wording "without GMO" if the animals have neither been fed with genetically modified forage nor with products obtained from such material.In addition, the licensing requirements for products obtained from GMOs that are separated from the microorganism, purified and chemically defined, and which are produced in a closed system in accordance with Article 3 letter h of the Containment Ordinance (SR 814.912) (so-called fermentation products such as vitamin B12), will now be governed by the regulations on novel foods (Articles 16-17 and 19 LGV).
The minimum degree of purity and the maximum impurity content of active substances are established by European law. In order to ensure that EU specifications concerning active substances are applicable in Switzerland, it is proposed that a reference to European law be included in the Ordinance on the placing on the market of phytosanitary products.
This amendment replaces the reference to Regulation (EC) No. 882/2004 in Article 71 with a reference to Regulation (EU) No. 2017/625, introduces an updated online reference to the list of category 4 and 5 additives, and establishes that OFAG may adapt certain parts of the Ordinance to ensure consistency with minor amendments to European law.