Division 3.4.2 GUIDANCE/DEFINITION OF REQUIREMENT

Taking into account that with regard to feed and food law and animal health and animal welfare, Article 3(1) of Regulation (EC) No 882/2004 requires official controls to be carried out on a risk basis with appropriate frequency, national control plans should indicate the risk categorisation, if any, assigned to the various activities subject to official controls.

It should be noted that Article 3(1) of Regulation (EC) No 882/2004 does not apply to plant health. However, where Member States assign a risk categorisation for the performance of official controls under Directive 2000/29/EC a description of the risk categorisation, applied for those purposes should be provided in the national control plans.

A brief description of the process of risk categorisation used by the Member State may be included in the national control plan, if desired. That information may, at a future date, contribute to the development of guidelines concerning the identification of risk-based priorities and the most effective official control procedures, as provided for by Article 43(1)(b) of Regulation (EC) No 882/2004.