TITLE III

OFFICIAL CONTROLS AND FINAL PROVISIONS
CHAPTER I

Official controls

Procedure for approval
Article 44
1
The competent authority shall approve establishments or plants only where an on site visit, prior to start-up of any activity, has demonstrated that they meet the relevant requirements laid down in accordance with Article 27.
2
The competent authority may grant conditional approval if it appears, from the on site visit, that the establishment or plant meets all the infrastructure and equipment requirements with a view to ensuring the application of the operational procedures in compliance with this Regulation. It shall grant full approval only if it appears, from another on site visit carried out within three months of granting conditional approval, that the establishment or plant meets the other requirements referred to in paragraph 1. If clear progress has been made, but the establishment or plant still does not meet all of these requirements, the competent authority may extend conditional approval. However, conditional approval shall not exceed a total of six months.
3
Operators shall ensure that an establishment or plant ceases to operate if the competent authority withdraws its approval or in the case of conditional approval fails to extend it or to grant full approval.

Official controls
Article 45. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Suspensions, withdrawals and prohibitions on operations
Article 46
1
If the official controls and supervision carried out by the competent authority reveal that one or more of the requirements of this Regulation are not met, it shall take appropriate action.
The competent authority shall in particular, as appropriate to the nature and to the gravity of the deficiencies and to the potential risks for public and animal health:
a
suspend approvals of establishments or plants approved pursuant to this Regulation, if:
1. the conditions for approving or operating the establishment or plant are no longer fulfilled;
2. the operator can be expected to remedy the deficiencies within a reasonable period of time; and
3. the potential risks to public and animal health do not require action in accordance with point (b);
b
withdraw approvals of establishments or plants approved pursuant to this Regulation, if:
1. the conditions for approving or operating the establishment or plant are no longer fulfilled; and
2. the operator cannot be expected to remedy the deficiencies within a reasonable period of time:
  - for reasons relating to the infrastructure of the establishment or plant,
  - for reasons relating to the personal capacity of the operator or the staff under his supervision, or
  - because of serious risks to public and animal health requiring major adjustments to the operation of the establishment or plant before the operator may apply for re-approval;
c
impose specific conditions on establishments or plants in order to rectify existing deficiencies.
2
The competent authority shall, as appropriate to the nature and to the gravity of the deficiencies and to the potential risks for public and animal health, temporarily or permanently prohibit operators referred to in Articles 23(1) and (3) and Article 24(1) from carrying out operations under this Regulation, as appropriate, following receipt of information indicating:
a
that the requirements of retained EU law are not met; and
b
potential risks to public or animal health arising from such operations.

Lists
Article 47
1
The appropriate authority shall draw up a list of establishments, plants and operators which have been approved or registered in accordance with this Regulation within its constituent nation.
It shall assign an official number to each approved or registered establishment, plant or operator, which identifies the establishment, plant or operator with respect to the nature of its activities.
The appropriate authority shall indicate, if applicable, an official number which has been assigned to the establishment, plant or operator under other retained EU law.
...
The appropriate authority shall keep up-to-date the lists of approved or registered establishments, plants and operators in their constituent nation and make them available to the other appropriate authorities, the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs and to the public.
2
The appropriate authority may, by regulations, make such provision as the appropriate authority considers necessary or expedient to implement this Article, including provisions relating to:
a
the format for the lists referred to in paragraph 1; and
b
the procedure for making the lists referred to in paragraph 1 available.

Controls for dispatch to other Member States
Article 48. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Community controls in Member States
Article 49. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Application of Regulation (EC) No 882/2004 for the purposes of certain controls
Article 50. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Deleted by Regulation (EU) 2017/625 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 15 March 2017 on official controls and other official activities performed to ensure the application of food and feed law, rules on animal health and welfare, plant health and plant protection products, amending Regulations (EC) No 999/2001, (EC) No 396/2005, (EC) No 1069/2009, (EC) No 1107/2009, (EU) No 1151/2012, (EU) No 652/2014, (EU) 2016/429 and (EU) 2016/2031 of the European Parliament and of the Council, Council Regulations (EC) No 1/2005 and (EC) No 1099/2009 and Council Directives 98/58/EC, 1999/74/EC, 2007/43/EC, 2008/119/EC and 2008/120/EC, and repealing Regulations (EC) No 854/2004 and (EC) No 882/2004 of the European Parliament and of the Council, Council Directives 89/608/EEC, 89/662/EEC, 90/425/EEC, 91/496/EEC, 96/23/EC, 96/93/EC and 97/78/EC and Council Decision 92/438/EEC (Official Controls Regulation) (Text with EEA relevance).
Words in Regulation substituted (E.W.S.) (31.12.2020) by The Animals, Aquatic Animal Health, Invasive Alien Species, Plant Propagating Material and Seeds (Amendment) (EU Exit) Regulations 2020 (S.I. 2020/1388), regs. 1(2)(c), 12(2)
Words in Art. 47(2) substituted (31.12.2020) by The Animals (Legislative Functions) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019 (S.I. 2019/588), regs. 1, 8(26) (with reg. 12); 2020 c. 1, Sch. 5 para. 1(1)
Words in Art. 47(1) substituted (E.W.S.) (31.12.2020) by The Animals, Aquatic Animal Health, Invasive Alien Species, Plant Propagating Material and Seeds (Amendment) (EU Exit) Regulations 2020 (S.I. 2020/1388), regs. 1(2)(c), 12(22)(a)(i)
Words in Art. 47(1) substituted (E.W.S.) (31.12.2020) by The Animals, Aquatic Animal Health, Invasive Alien Species, Plant Propagating Material and Seeds (Amendment) (EU Exit) Regulations 2020 (S.I. 2020/1388), regs. 1(2)(c), 12(22)(a)(ii)
Words in Art. 47(1) substituted (E.W.S.) (31.12.2020) by The Animals, Aquatic Animal Health, Invasive Alien Species, Plant Propagating Material and Seeds (Amendment) (EU Exit) Regulations 2020 (S.I. 2020/1388), regs. 1(2)(c), 12(22)(b)
Words in Art. 47(1) omitted (E.W.S.) (31.12.2020) by virtue of The Animals, Aquatic Animal Health, Invasive Alien Species, Plant Propagating Material and Seeds (Amendment) (EU Exit) Regulations 2020 (S.I. 2020/1388), regs. 1(2)(c), 12(22)(c)
Words in Art. 47(1) substituted (E.W.S.) (31.12.2020) by The Animals, Aquatic Animal Health, Invasive Alien Species, Plant Propagating Material and Seeds (Amendment) (EU Exit) Regulations 2020 (S.I. 2020/1388), regs. 1(2)(c), 12(22)(d)(i)
Words in Art. 47(1) inserted (E.W.S.) (31.12.2020) by The Animals, Aquatic Animal Health, Invasive Alien Species, Plant Propagating Material and Seeds (Amendment) (EU Exit) Regulations 2020 (S.I. 2020/1388), regs. 1(2)(c), 12(22)(d)(ii)
Words in Art. 47(1) substituted (E.W.S.) (31.12.2020) by The Animals, Aquatic Animal Health, Invasive Alien Species, Plant Propagating Material and Seeds (Amendment) (EU Exit) Regulations 2020 (S.I. 2020/1388), regs. 1(2)(c), 12(22)(d)(iii)
Art. 48 omitted (E.W.S.) (31.12.2020) by virtue of The Animals, Aquatic Animal Health, Invasive Alien Species, Plant Propagating Material and Seeds (Amendment) (EU Exit) Regulations 2020 (S.I. 2020/1388), regs. 1(2)(c), 12(23)