Administrative “official controls” of safety in the agri-food supply chain

Abstract

In application of the principle of precaution and in light of EU policy, each country in the European Union must have an effective system of controls defined as “official”, addressed to verify and, where necessary, impose, the compliance of activities and products with the european legislation, along the whole agri-food chain. Control power constitutes the most important phase of the exercise of national administrative action on the agri-food supply chain. Administrative assistance is the institute that guarantees, within the scope of specific agreements, the participation of the competent authorities of a member State in official controls carried out by the competent authorities of another State of the European Union, in a collaborative perspective. The technical-legal analysis so far carried out provides an overview of the complex multilevel system around which, between the european legislation and internal administrative action, the official control activities over the agri-food chain are structured, highlighting the relevance of strengthening a systemic approach of coordination, eventually supported by the development of an agri-food administratrive law.