{
  "url": "https://openlegislation.uk/eu-regulation-2017-625/article-54",
  "json_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/eu-regulation-2017-625/article-54.json",
  "legislation": "eur/2017/625",
  "legislation_title": "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)",
  "legislation_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/eu-regulation-2017-625",
  "path": "article/54",
  "kind": "article",
  "number": "54",
  "heading": "Frequency of documentary checks, identity checks and physical checks",
  "text": "1. Subject to any alternative provision in regulations made under paragraph 3 or 4 of this Article, all consignments of the categories of animals and goods referred to in Article 47(1) shall be subject to documentary checks.\n2. Documentary checks, identity checks and physical checks shall be performed on consignments of the categories of animals and goods referred to in Article 47(1) at a frequency dependent on the risk posed by each animal, good or category of animals or goods to human, animal or plant health, animal welfare or, as regards GMOs and plant protection products, also to the environment.\n3. The appropriate authority may make regulations laying down rules for the uniform application of the appropriate frequency rate referred to in paragraph 2 , which may also include provision for the appropriate authority to set the appropriate frequency rates by publication of those rates online, as amended from time to time. Those rules may provide for a range of frequencies to be used and may also establish:\n(a) the criteria and the procedures for determining and modifying the frequency rates of documentary checks, identity checks and physical checks to be performed on consignments of the categories of animals and goods referred to in points (a), (b) and (c) of Article 47(1) and to adjust them to the level of risk associated with those categories, having regard to:\n(i)information collected by the appropriate authority in accordance with Article 125(1);\n(ii)the outcome of controls performed ... in accordance with Article 120(1) by experts appointed by the appropriate authority;\n(iii)operators’ past record as regards compliance with the rules referred to in Article 1(2);\n(iv)data and information collected via the appropriate computerised information management system referred to in Article 131;\n(v)available scientific assessments; and\n(vi)any other information regarding the risk associated to the categories of animals and goods;\n(b) the conditions under which competent authorities may increase the frequency rates of documentary checks, identity checks and physical checks established in accordance with point (a) so as to take account of local risk factors;\n(c) the procedures for ensuring that the frequency rates of documentary checks, identity checks and physical checks established in accordance with point (a) are applied in a timely and uniform manner.\n...\n4. The appropriate authority may make regulations laying down rules on the frequency of documentary checks, identity checks and physical checks for—\n(a) the categories of goods referred to in point (c) of Article 47(1) which are within the scope of Article 2(4) of Regulation (EU) 2016/2031;\n(b) the categories of goods referred to in point (d) of Article 47(1);\n((c)) the categories of animals and goods referred to in points (e) and (f) of Article 47(1).\nRegulations under point (a) may make provision for a single frequency rate to be applied to a consignment of goods where the constituent parts of the consignment would otherwise be subject to different frequency rates, with such rate determined by the risk posed by each individual commodity as well as the overall size and composition of the consignment.\nRegulations under this paragraph may also make provision for the competent authority from time to time to specify and publish online the minimum frequency of the performance of official controls.",
  "extent": "E+W+S+N.I.",
  "status": null,
  "version": "current",
  "annotations": [
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F1",
      "text": "Words in Art. 54(1) substituted (10.2.2025) by The Official Controls (Amendment) Regulations 2025 (S.I. 2025/102), regs. 1(1)(b), 15(2)"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F2",
      "text": "Words in Art. 54(2) substituted (10.2.2025) by The Official Controls (Amendment) Regulations 2025 (S.I. 2025/102), regs. 1(1)(b), 15(3)"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F3",
      "text": "Words in Art. 54(3) substituted (31.12.2020) by The Official Controls (Animals, Feed and Food, Plant Health etc.) (Amendment) (EU Exit) Regulations 2020 (S.I. 2020/1481), regs. 1, 11(8)(a)(i)(aa) (with reg. 46)"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F4",
      "text": "Words in Art. 54(3) inserted (31.12.2020) by The Official Controls (Animals, Feed and Food, Plant Health etc.) (Amendment) (EU Exit) Regulations 2020 (S.I. 2020/1481), regs. 1, 11(8)(a)(i)(bb) (with reg. 46)"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F5",
      "text": "Words in Art. 54(3) substituted (10.2.2025) by The Official Controls (Amendment) Regulations 2025 (S.I. 2025/102), regs. 1(1)(b), 15(4)(a)"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F6",
      "text": "Words in Art. 54(3) substituted (10.2.2025) by The Official Controls (Amendment) Regulations 2025 (S.I. 2025/102), regs. 1(1)(b), 15(4)(b)"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F7",
      "text": "Words in Art. 54(3)(a)(i) substituted (31.12.2020) by The Official Controls (Animals, Feed and Food, Plant Health etc.) (Amendment) (EU Exit) Regulations 2020 (S.I. 2020/1481), regs. 1, 11(8)(a)(ii)(aa) (with reg. 46)"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F8",
      "text": "Words in Art. 54(3)(a)(ii) omitted (31.12.2020) by virtue of The Official Controls (Animals, Feed and Food, Plant Health etc.) (Amendment) (EU Exit) Regulations 2020 (S.I. 2020/1481), regs. 1, 11(8)(a)(ii)(bb) (with reg. 46)"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F9",
      "text": "Words in Art. 54(3)(a)(ii) inserted (31.12.2020) by The Official Controls (Animals, Feed and Food, Plant Health etc.) (Amendment) (EU Exit) Regulations 2020 (S.I. 2020/1481), regs. 1, 11(8)(a)(ii)(bb) (with reg. 46)"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F10",
      "text": "Words in Art. 54(3)(a)(iv) substituted (31.12.2020) by The Official Controls (Animals, Feed and Food, Plant Health etc.) (Amendment) (EU Exit) Regulations 2020 (S.I. 2020/1481), regs. 1, 11(8)(a)(ii)(cc) (with reg. 46)"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F11",
      "text": "Words in Art. 54(3)(b) substituted (31.12.2020) by The Official Controls (Animals, Feed and Food, Plant Health etc.) (Amendment) (EU Exit) Regulations 2020 (S.I. 2020/1481), regs. 1, 11(8)(a)(iii) (with reg. 46)"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F12",
      "text": "Words in Art. 54(3) omitted (31.12.2020) by virtue of The Official Controls (Animals, Feed and Food, Plant Health etc.) (Amendment) (EU Exit) Regulations 2020 (S.I. 2020/1481), regs. 1, 11(8)(a)(iv) (with reg. 46)"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F13",
      "text": "Words in Art. 54(4) substituted (10.2.2025) by The Official Controls (Amendment) Regulations 2025 (S.I. 2025/102), regs. 1(1)(b), 15(5)"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F14",
      "text": "Words in Art. 54(4) substituted (31.12.2020) by The Official Controls (Animals, Feed and Food, Plant Health etc.) (Amendment) (EU Exit) Regulations 2020 (S.I. 2020/1481), regs. 1, 11(8)(b)(ii) (with reg. 46)"
    }
  ],
  "outstanding_effects": [],
  "provenance": {
    "source": "legislation.gov.uk",
    "source_url": "https://www.legislation.gov.uk/eur/2017/625/article/54",
    "retrieved_at": "2026-11-01T14:45:04.117110+00:00"
  },
  "licence": "Open Government Licence v3.0",
  "licence_url": "https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/",
  "attribution": "Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives."
}