1.

Notifying Member: Albania

If applicable, name of local government involved (Article 3.2 and 7.2):

2.

Agency responsible: Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development

Name and address (including telephone and fax numbers, email and website addresses, if available) of agency or authority designated to handle comments regarding the notification shall be indicated if different from above:

National Enquiry Point

3.

Notified under Article 2.9.2 [X], 2.10.1 [  ], 5.6.2 [  ], 5.7.1 [  ], other:

4.

Products covered (HS or CCCN where applicable, otherwise national tariff heading. ICS numbers may be provided in addition, where applicable): Labeling of Animal Food

5.

Title, number of pages and language(s) of the notified document: Draft Decision on "Approval of Rules For Animal Food Labeling; food products which contain Genetically Modified Organisms" (22 page(s), in Albanian)

6.

Description of content: This Draft Decision lays down rules for the labeling of:

1.    animal food used for feeding;

2.    GMOs used as animal food;

3.    animal food containing or consisting of GMOs;

4.    animal food produced from GMOs;

This Decision is not applicable to the labeling of animal food:

1.    used for personal consumption and not intended to be placed on the market;

2.    containing feedstuffs consisting of or produced from GMOs not exceeding 0,9 % in the animal food, provided that such presence is inevitable or technically inevitable. In order to prove that the presence of these foodstuffs is inevitable or ethnically inevitable, operators must be able to present to the competent control authorities the evidence and facts that they have taken the appropriate measures to avoid the presence of such foodstuffs;

3.    medicated

7.

Objective and rationale, including the nature of urgent problems where applicable: The aim of this decision is to define the requirements of the labeling for animal food, in order to ensure a high level of food safety for the animals, the protection of public health, providing appropriate information to users and consumers and for an effective functioning of the internal market.

8.

Relevant documents:

·        REGULATION (EC) No 767/2009 OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL of 13 July 2009 on the placing on the market and use of feed, amending European Parliament and Council Regulation (EC) No 1831/2003 and repealing Council Directive 79/373/EEC, Commission Directive 80/511/EEC, Council Directives 82/471/EEC, 83/228/EEC, 93/74/EEC, 93/113/EC and 96/25/EC and Commission Decision 2004/217/EC

·        Regulation (EC) No 1829/2003 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 22 September 2003 on genetically modified food and feed

9.

Proposed date of adoption: Not decided yet

Proposed date of entry into force: Not decided yet

10.

Final date for comments: 60 days from notification

11.

Texts available from: National enquiry point [X] or address, telephone and fax numbers and email and website addresses, if available, of other body:

General Directorate of Standardization
WTO Enquiry Point - Albania
Tel.: +355 42 22 62 55
Fax: +355 42 24 71 77
E-mail: info@dps.gov.al
http://www.dps.gov.al