European Commission delays health certificate regulation
IDFA said the move protects U.S. dairy exports and global infant nutrition supply chains.
After months of advocacy by the International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA) with U.S. and European officials, the European Commission (EC) decided Aug. 10 to extend the implementation deadline for its new health certificate requirements to Jan. 15, 2022. In doing so, IDFA said the EC is backing off threats to shut down U.S. dairy exports to European Union (EU) member states, as well as transshipments of U.S. dairy products through the EU.
Washington, D.C.-based IDFA said it and U.S. officials considered the certificate requirements — requiring animal health monitoring and veterinarian sign-off, among other requirements — to be burdensome and in conflict with international standards set by the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE). U.S. dairy exports to Europe are used to manufacture an estimated $600-900 million in global infant and adult nutrition products. The EC’s extension provides enough time for U.S. and European officials to complete their discussions and determine appropriate implementation procedures for U.S. exports.