Anyone wishing to enter into the food chain (whether it is an undertaking or a private person) must register with the Food and Veterinary Service. Producers of products of animal origin also need to go through the recognition process.

! What is the food chain?

Food circulation shall include all stages related to the production and distribution of food, including primary production and production, primary processing, processing, production, packaging, storage, distribution, transport, transfer across the national borders, wholesale and retail trade, catering.

! What needs to be done to register?

An application shall be submitted to the Food and Veterinary Service. Application forms available -here.

The submission must be accompanied by a document certifying the fact of the putting into service of buildings and premises. Any document containing an indication of the year of putting into service of buildings or premises - an act regarding the putting into service of premises or structures, a statement of the building authority, a Land Register certificate, including an act regarding the commissioning of premises or structures, an inventory file with an indication of the year of putting into service, in case of refurbishment or conversion, a certificate regarding the performance of such activities shall be accepted. etc.

It is also necessary to verify the conformity of the selected premises with the specified performance purpose following their use function (e.g. wholesale or retail premises, industrial production facilities and the like), as provided for inSection 21 of the Construction Act.

How long does the registration process take?

The company is registered within five working days.

How much is registration paid?

The company's registration is free of charge.

Do I need recognition, too?

If the company produces and/or recycles products of animal origin (meat and meat products, milk and dairy products, fish and fishery products) or stores unprocessed products of animal origin, your establishment needs to be recognised.

! What needs to be done to recognise a company?

An application shall be submitted to the Food and Veterinary Service. The application form is available -here.

! How long does the recognition process take?

Within five working days, the Service shall review the documents submitted and agree with the food undertaking the opening time and time of the recognition procedure. The recognition procedure shall be initiated within 20 days of receipt of the application.

! How does the recognition of an undertaking take?

The recognition process takes place in two rounds: first the service checks the company and draws up a report on the basis of which the decision is being drawn up. The decision on the granting of a provisional recognition number or the reason for refusing recognition shall be notified to the company. Within three months of taking a decision on the granting of the temporary recognition number, the Service shall re-examine the company.

! How much is recognition paid?

Recognizing a company is a fee service. The payment for this process consists of both administrative expenditure and remuneration for the work of the inspector.

Consequently, the fee per company is individual, calculated according to the price list available.here.

Useful:

• Company registration:here;
• Requirements in the food chain:here;
• Register of companies:here.

If an undertaking wishes to import food products from third or European Union Member States and to distribute them to Latvia, it must be registered with the Food and Veterinary Service.

When importing food products from third countries, the PVD shall assess the safety of food products, the conformity of the classification, quality and labelling (including geographical indications and protected designations of origin, organic indications) with the requirements of regulatory enactments or, in other words, border controls of consignments.

No border controls shall be carried out on imports of goods from the Member States of the European Union.

What needs to be done to register for the PVD?

An application shall be submitted to the Food and Veterinary Service. The application form is available -here.

The company is registered within five working days. The company's registration is free of charge.

Foodstuffs subject to food safety control:

• Fresh fruit, vegetables, edible plants, mushrooms and articles thereof;
• Cereals, legumes, oilseeds and articles thereof;
• Nuts, peanuts and articles thereof;
• Tea, coffee, cocoa, sugar and salt;
• Non-alcoholic beverages, including juices and nectars;
• Bottled drinking water and mineral water;
• Alcoholic beverages;
• Foods belonging to certain groups, including infant formulae, food intended for special medical purposes, infant supplements produced from protein hydrolyzates, complete food substitutes intended for weight control;
• Food supplements;
• Organic food;
• New food (food not widely used in the EU before 15.05.1997);
• Genetically modified food;
• Food additives;
• Food flavourings;
• I for the production of foods other than animal origin.

Products of animal origin (meat and meat products, milk and dairy products, fish and fishery products and other products of animal origin) are carried outveterinary control. These products may only be imported fromThird-country companies recognised by the European Commissionpresenting them for border control at the border inspection posts recognised by the European Commission at the first border crossing point in the European Union.Recognised border inspection posts.

If combined products are imported (foods containing both products of plant origin and processed products of animal origin), a health certificate shall be required. Questions and Answerson imports of composite products.

If the products to be imported are organic products, the establishment must be registered in one of the control bodies for organic agricultural products -here.

Products for which registration is required prior to importation:

• Food products belonging to certain groups:
  • infant mixtures;
  • food intended for special medical purposes;
  • infant formulae produced from protein hydrolyzates;
  • with effect from 27 October 2022, complete nutritional substitutes for weight control
• Food supplements;
• Mineral water;
• New food;
• Genetically modified organisms (GMOs).

These foods have specific requirements for composition and labelling and undergo an evaluation before they are placed on the market.

The PVD shall establish and maintain a register of food supplements, a database of food products belonging to certain groups and a list of natural mineral waters recognised in Latvia. European Commission: List of new food, GMOs and all natural mineral waters recognised by the Member State.

Only if the products referred to above are registered in the Food and Veterinary Service or in one of the lists of the European Commission may they be imported and distributed in Latvia.

Registration of food products:here.

Requirements:

Consignments of food products must contain accompanying documents enabling identification of the type and quantity of the goods, the consignor and the consignee. The product must comply with hygiene, safety, labelling and other requirements:here.

National requirements have also been specified for different food products in Latvia, they can be consulted -here.

Imports of high-risk food and feed.

Emergency measures or conditions for imports of high-risk food and feed other than food and feed of animal origin are laid down by Article 47(1) of Official Control Regulation 2017/6251 (1) in a number of regulatory enactments. Imports of certain goods must be accompanied by an official certificate and an analytical report. Additional information -here.

Relief from import controls:

• Peanuts, almonds and articles from the United States;
• Wheat and wheat flour from Canada.

! On presentation of a report and a certificate (Annex II to Regulation 2015/949) showing the same identification codes as the packages.

It is prohibited to import into the European Union:

• Foods consisting of dried beans from Nigeria.

Imports of food of high-risk non-animal origin from third countries.

Payment:

Border control is a fee service. The costs are specified in Annex 3 to Cabinet Regulation No. 681 of 17 December 2019, Regulations Regarding the Procedures for Calculating and Committing Payments for State Supervision and Control Activities of the Food and Veterinary Service and Charge Services.

The costs of controlling high-risk products shall constitute the costs specified in the above-mentioned Regulations and, if physical control is performed with the sending of samples to the laboratory, also the costs of testing in accordance with Cabinet Regulation No. 323 of 26 May 2020, a list of activities performed within the framework of the tasks of the Scientific Institute for Food Safety, Animal Health and the Environment “BIOR” State Administration list '

Veterinary border control costs (for products of animal and animal origin from third countries) are set out in Annex IV to the Official Control Regulation 2017/625, available in:here.

If an undertaking wishes to export food products of animal origin (meat and meat products, milk and dairy products, fishery products, eggs, honey, etc.), live animals and non-food products of animal origin (e.g. bone meal, animal feed), it must meet and meet the requirements of the country to which the product will be brought..

Similarly, the removal of such goods from the country/entry into the beneficiary country requires a veterinary (health) certificate in which those requirements must be fulfilled, the certificate shall be issued by the Food and Veterinary Service (PVD).

Both food producers of animal origin and non-food products should be in the register of establishments subject to the supervision of the PVD, while live animal holdings should be in the register of the agricultural data centre and under the supervision of the PVD.

• What needs to be done to register for the PVD?

An application shall be submitted to the Food and Veterinary Service. The application form is available -here.

The company is registered within five working days. The company's registration is free of charge.

• What needs to be known for registering animal accommodationAgricultural data centre.

• Where can the requirements of the importing country (to which the goods are intended to be brought) be found?

The requirements can be found by contacting the food business monitoring service of the importing country, as well as by searching on the website of the competent veterinary authority of the importing country concerned. Or by addressing the relevant regional management of the PVD.

• How can a veterinary (health) certificate be obtained?

The veterinary (health) certificate shall be completed and issued by the official veterinarian (PVD veterinary inspector).

A veterinary (health) certificate may be obtained:

• By electronically completing the application to the PVDe-Services Portal;
• or by submitting an application to the territorial unit of the PVD, if necessary, by adding additional documents (product quality certificate, animal identity documents, testing reports, etc.).

If the operator wishes to export the goods to a country with which the format of the veterinary certificate is not harmonised, the PVD shall initiate a process of harmonising the certificate, which may take between one month and several years. It is not possible to export goods during this period.

Latvia has harmonised veterinary certificates with which countries:

• Products of animal origin:here;
• Animals:here;
• Non-food products:here.