PORT OF TARANTO, 29 DECEMBER 2021 - On 06 December, the Ministry of Health recognized the Border Control Post at the Port of Taranto as the new Inspection Centre for official controls on products of non-animal origin (PNAO) - vegetables, animal feed and materials/objects that are intended to come into contact with food (FCMs) - originating from Third Countries for import into European Union territory.
Taking note of the favourable opinion on the designation of the new Inspection Centre, expressed by the European Commission following the audit conducted to verify compliance with the requirements and provisions of Regulation (EU) 2017/625 and Regulation (EU) 2019/1014, the aforementioned Ministry has issued a specific authorization to the Taranto office, which is already included on the List of Border Control Posts, for import checks on products, including those of animal origin.
The recent provision of premises at the Molo Polisettoriale (Multipurpose Pier), which were made available by the Port Network Authority and equipped and made suitable for hosting the new headquarters of the Border Control Post in Taranto, will therefore allow sampling operations and subsequent checks to be carried out on vegetables (fresh or frozen), animal feed and other materials and objects intended to come in contact with food (e.g., containers for transporting food, machinery for food processing, packaging materials, kitchen utensils and cutlery, crockery, small appliances, etc.).
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These are goods that the EU pays particular attention to - and which need to be certified as safe for feeding and food contact - in order to protect human and animal health by avoiding the contamination of products used in the food sector with harmful substances. This authorization also covers goods which require a controlled temperature and whose importation into the Ionian port is also made possible due to the provision of reefer container storage points at the terminal.
This new status expands the range of specialized services that the Port of Taranto, as an access point in the EU, can offer for the cargo of operators who choose the Ionian port for their international traffic.