Notifications for Morocco (123 notifications)

The entry into force of the draft sanitary documents for primary vegetable products and for plants and plant products and food products that are not subject to mandatory veterinary certification, which was initially set for 1 October 2019, has been postponed until a date that is to be determined.

The notified joint order contributes to the implementation of Law No. 28-07 on food safety. It was adopted under Article 53 of Decree No. 2-10-473 on the implementation of the previously mentioned law. The purpose of the order is to establish microbiological criteria for primary products and food products.

In accordance with Joint Order No. 156-14 establishing maximum limits for pesticide residues on foodstuffs, and in light of the amount of tea consumed in Morocco and in order to protect consumer health, it was deemed necessary to establish MRLs for active substances approved for use on imported tea. For active substances not authorized for use on tea plants, the limit of 0.01 mg/kg or the limit of quantification (LOQ) is applicable. The expected date of entry into force is 1 October 2019. The modification of content relates to the Members affected and to the list of MRLs for tea: The measure now affects all trading partners and the list of MRLs has been modified, as indicated at: https://members.wto.org/crnattachments/2019/SPS/MAR/19_3647_00_f.pdf

In accordance with Joint Order No. 156-14 establishing maximum limits for pesticide residues on foodstuffs, and in light of the amount of tea consumed in Morocco and in order to protect consumer health, it was deemed necessary to establish MRLs for active substances approved for use on tea imported from China. For active substances not authorized for use on tea plants in China, the limit of 0.01 mg/kg or the limit of quantification (LOQ) is applicable.

In light of the development of the soft drink market, it was considered necessary to establish a reference framework that would help facilitate trade while safeguarding aspects related to product safety and quality, consumer information and fair trade. A draft Decree was therefore implemented to govern the sector in question. The main objectives of this draft text are: 1. To provide definitions for certain products placed on the market, particularly instant beverages, energy drinks, milk beverages, tea- and coffee-based drinks, and iced tea; and 2. to clearly establish labelling specifications for the products subject to this draft Decree, so as to prevent any form of misunderstanding, and specify the warnings concerning energy drinks.

Extension of the comment period and postponement of the date of entry into force under notification G/SPS/N/MAR/56. https://members.wto.org/crnattachments/2019/SPS/MAR/19_1415_00_f.pdf https://members.wto.org/crnattachments/2019/SPS/MAR/19_1415_01_f.pdf

Article 9 of Decree No. 2-00-425 of 10 Ramadan 1417 (7 December 2000) on controls on the production and marketing of milk and dairy products prohibits the manufacture of pasteurized milk from reconstituted milk powder. To monitor compliance with this measure, the services responsible for the controls will be focusing on the search for a tracer intentionally added to milk powder and dairy preparations in order to counter the fraudulent use of those products in the manufacture of pasteurized milk. It is therefore proposed that domestic dairy facilities be required to hold, manufacture, use and store only milk powder or dairy preparations that have starch (a tracer) added in the amount of 5g per kilogram of product. This provision will apply only to facilities manufacturing processed milk as defined in Decree No. 2-00-425, mentioned above, and will not apply to other agri-food industries that manufacture other types of dairy products. Furthermore, the draft decree puts forward an obligation for the above-mentioned dairy facilities to maintain a register to trace the milk powder or dairy preparations that they import, manufacture, use, store or sell.

The ONSSA has prepared a draft decree on products of the milling industry intended for marketing. The main objectives of this draft text are: - to create a regulatory framework for all products of the milling industry intended for marketing (flour, barley, maize, etc.); - to eliminate the requirement of fortification for imported or locally manufactured flour intended for sale to the end consumer in specialized fine food stores; and - to clearly lay out the labelling and packaging requirements for products of the milling industry intended for marketing. Decree No. 2-04-52 of 2 December 2005 on the fortification of flour will be repealed after publication of the notified draft.

Bluetongue disease in sheep is a legally recognised contagious disease under the Dahir containing Law No. 1-75-292 of 19 September 1977 (5 chaoual 1397) on measures to protect domestic animals against contagious diseases. Pursuant to this Dahir, Morocco issued Ministerial Order No. 2018-01 of 5 November 2001 (19 chaabane 1422) on supplementary and special measures to combat the disease. In view of OIE health recommendations concerning bluetongue in sheep, Morocco's status in respect of the disease (in circulation or risk of introduction of new serotypes), and the vaccination status of species susceptible to the disease, and in order to provide veterinary services with an up-to-date regulatory and technical tool that enables them to take proper action against bluetongue, it was deemed necessary to update existing regulations on the disease by further specifying: - the steps to be taken in the event of confirmation of a serotype already in circulation for which preventive mass vaccination is applied; and - the appropriate steps to be taken in the event of confirmation of a new serotype for which no preventive vaccination is applied. The notified Order will repeal and replace Ministerial Order No. 2018-01 of 5 November 2001 (19 chaabane 1422) on supplementary and special measures to combat bluetongue disease in sheep.

Food safety is a primary concern of the ONSSA, which is responsible for the requirements for marketing food products. According to Article 4 of Law No. 28-07 on food safety, no primary product or food product may be marketed, imported or exported if it constitutes a danger to human life or health. With respect to importation, Article 48 of Decree No. 2-10-473, which implements Law No. 28-07, provides that an importer must ensure that food products, including plants and plant products: 1. are from a country, zone or region not subject to any sanitary or phytosanitary restrictions; 2. meet the hygiene and health requirements laid down in the regulations in effect; 3. come from a facility or company that has an HACCP self-control or other equivalent system in place; 4. are accompanied by documents or other certificates required by special regulations for the products being imported, issued by the authorities in the country of export and certifying in particular that the products comply with existing laws and entail no risk for human life or health. According to Ministry of Agriculture, Marine Fisheries, Rural Development, Water Resources and Forestry Order No. 141-18 of 10 January 2018 on conformity control methods and techniques for imported primary products, food products and animal feed, in particular its Article 7, the importer or the importer's representative must file, inter alia, the sanitary certificates or other equivalent documents issued by the competent authority in the country of export and certifying that the products or foods concerned comply with existing laws and entail no risk for human or animal life or health. In light of the foregoing, the ONSSA has prepared a draft sanitary document to ensure the safety of imported products. It must: - satisfy the conditions indicated in points 1, 2 and 3; - contain elements allowing the identification of the exporter, the products imported (description, production date, sell-by date, batch number, transport and storage conditions, etc.) and the means of transport; - be genuine, bearing the clearly printed number, first and last name and position of the certifying official, an official stamp and the date; - be signed by the competent sanitary authority of the country of provenance.

The draft law in question provides mainly for the following: - The evaluation of phytopharmaceutical products in two different stages: · The first stage entails the evaluation and approval of active substances, safeners and synergists that may form part of the composition of phytopharmaceutical products; · The second entails evaluating and authorizing the placing on the market of commercial preparations containing previously approved active substances, safeners and synergists. - The placing on the market of products that pose a negligible risk to human or animal health or to the environment: · by introducing requirements that are less stringent than for other products; · by extending the period of validity for the approval and authorization of the placing on the market of the product to 15 years (as opposed to ten years for other products). - The re-evaluation, at any time, of products placed on the market, where information comes to light showing that the requirements on the basis of which the products were authorized are no longer being met, particularly as regards the products' effects on human and animal health and the environment; - The requirement that holders of phytopharmaceutical products notify any potentially harmful effects their products may have as soon as they become aware of them, and that the competent authority ensure the list of authorized products is made publicly available; - The establishment of requirements for conducting activities involving the import, repackaging, distribution and use of phytopharmaceutical products. These most notably include the requirement to provide proof of access to premises that meet the safety and hygiene standards set out in existing regulations, and the requirement to show that employees hold individual certificates issued upon the completion of a training course relevant to the activity they are required to carry out or on the basis of a diploma that they already hold; - The increased monitoring of trade in phytopharmaceutical products, so as to ensure compliance with the provisions of the law and the traceability of these products from the time they are imported or manufactured through to when they are used; - The inclusion of the settlement procedure, which will be applicable only for offences punishable by fine.

Following reports of a number of cases of highly pathogenic avian influenza in the Netherlands, imports from that country of birds of any species, poultry, poultry meat products, eggs, and egg products are banned until further notice. The ban does not apply to poultry meat and poultry meat products that have been heat-treated to destroy the highly pathogenic avian influenza virus. These products must be accompanied by a sanitary certificate and a certificate issued by the relevant health authorities confirming that they have been heat treated.

The notified draft Decree on the safety and quality of honey and apicultural products available on the market will provide Morocco with a regulatory text defining different types of honey and apicultural products and their physico-chemical characteristics. It has the following objectives: - To enable ONSSA control services to ensure the conformity of marketed or imported products; - To further motivate operators to produce high-quality honey and apicultural products and to create sector competitiveness to the benefit of consumers wanting these types of products; - To provide inspectors with a control tool enabling them to fulfil their task on the basis of national regulatory arguments. This regulatory tool will serve as a filter at border inspection points during the importation of honey and apicultural products; - To ensure consumers are informed of the origin of honey and apicultural products, whether locally produced or imported. Consumers are thus better informed to make better choices with regard to products on the market.

Prohibition on the importation into Morocco of birds, poultry, poultry meat and poultry meat products and eggs and egg products following the occurrence of cases of highly pathogenic avian influenza in Germany.

At the request of the Italian plant health authority, an audit mission comprising experts from the National Office for Food Safety (ONSSA) visited Italy from 7 to 12 November 2016 to learn about the production system in Italian nurseries and orchards and the phytosanitary control and surveillance arrangements for tackling the bacterium Xylella fastidiosa. The audit showed that the fruit tree nursery sector has the relevant expertise and is qualified in respect of plant certification and traceability. The surveillance and survey mechanism introduced by the plant health authority has shown that the regions in the north of Italy are free of Xylella fastidiosa. In light of the findings made by the ONSSA experts during their visit, and in view of the guarantees provided by the Italian plant health authority, ONSSA has lifted the suspension on imports of rosaceous fruit plants and grapevine plants for imports from the northern Italian regions declared free of Xylella fastidiosa. Since the beginning of 2017, the following quantities of grapevine and apple plants have been imported: · Apple plants: 31,000 (Authorization No. 1135 of 16 February 2017) · Grapevine plants: 376,800 (Authorizations No. 1047 of 13 February 2017 and No. 1866 of 20 March 2017)

Pursuant to the provisions contained in Title II of the Dahir of 20 September 1927 (23 Rabi I 1346) on the sanitary control of plants, the two Orders of the Minister of Agriculture and Agrarian Reform No. 1306-85 of 19 Rabi II 1407 (22 December 1986) on the sanitary control of imported plants and plant products, and No. 467-84 of 15 Joumada II 1404 (19 March 1984) regulating the importation of plants or parts of plants liable to be infested by certain harmful species of animals or plant pests, contain supplementary provisions on import conditions.In order to remedy this situation and to provide professionals and control officers with a single text, the notified Order establishes a list of quarantine pests of which the introduction and spread must be prohibited in Morocco, and consolidates the different provisions on the control of imported plants and plant products. The two aforementioned Orders will be repealed, as from the entry into force of the notified text.

Morocco's domestic poultry population, like those in all other countries around the world, is currently at risk from Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI). This sector is, however, of key importance to the national economy, covering more than 55% of the total demand for meat and 100% of the demand for table eggs.HPAI constitutes a proven threat to public health, as the virus responsible for the disease may be transmitted to human beings and therefore give rise to a human flu pandemic if human-to-human transmission occurs.In light of the above, the National Office for Food Safety (ONSSA) has developed a national programme to monitor and combat the disease. It includes a set of measures aimed at maintaining Morocco's status as a country free from HPAI, and special measures to control and eradicate the disease in the event of an outbreak in national territory.It has become necessary to review and update the existing Order of the Minister of Agriculture, Rural Development and Marine Fisheries on supplementary and special measures to combat Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza.The notified draft Order has been worded so as to cover the following aspects:sanitary measures to be taken in the event of suspected cases of the disease;sanitary measures to be taken in the event of confirmed cases of the disease; andarrangements for compensating poultry owners.

The notified text seeks to harmonize domestic legislation with the international phytosanitary standards established in the International Plant Protection Convention.The draft law, consisting of six chapters and 29 articles, most notably covers the following aspects:definitions of the technical terms commonly used in phytosanitary regulations;requirements governing the importation, possession, marketing and distribution of plants and plant products;requirements for importing and exporting plants, plant products and other items;rules governing the sanitary surveillance of plants and plant products, and the control of the production thereof, in national territory;the introduction of penalties for anyone violating the provisions of the law; andtransitional arrangements.

The notified text seeks to amend existing legislation on labelling so that our country has up-to-date regulations applicable indiscriminately to both imported and domestically manufactured products. It also seeks to facilitate trade between Morocco and its trading partners, and ensure that consumers are provided with information on the shelf-life of food products placed on the market. To this end, it is proposed that amendments be made to the provisions of Articles 2, 4, 11 and 24 of Decree No. 2-12-389 and that new provisions on use-by dates be introduced, as provided for in European Regulation No. 1169/2011 on the labelling of food products.