Checks on Imported Fruit and Vegetables Transferred to Customs

As of 1st November, France’s Regional Directorate for Customs and Indirect Taxation (DRDDI) is in charge of conducting checks on imported fruit and vegetables at Montoir de Bretagne.

Previously managed by the General Directorate for Competition Policy, Consumer Affairs and Fraud Control (DGCCRF), compliance checks as regards the health requirements for foodstuffs of non-animal origin, checks on organic products, compliance checks as per fruit and vegetable marketing standards, and inspections relating to certain materials coming in contact with foodstuffs, all carried out prior to customs clearance at Montoir de Bretagne, now come under the responsibility of the French Customs Administration.

The DGCCRF remains in charge of carrying out checks on those products after their customs clearance, and once they have been placed on the internal market.

The transfer of responsibility is part of the approach adopted by French Central Government with a view to speeding up the cross-border flow of goods and to improving the clarity of the actions of Central Government agencies, notably for port operators. The completion of all the formalities that are applicable to the goods concerned by one agency instead of two should increase efficiency and speed of execution. The transfer acknowledges the know-how possessed by the Customs Administration in terms of the management of international flows of goods, and consolidates the Customs Administration’s position as a border agency.

Contact at DRDDI des Pays de la Loire – Philippe Saurigny