Requirements for Retail Establishments that Deliver Home-produced and Home-prepared Food of Animal Origin

Issued pursuant to
Section 25, Clause 12 of the Veterinary Medicine Law

1. The Regulation prescribes requirements for retail establishments that perform marginal, localised, and restricted activities in the supply of home-produced or home-prepared food of animal origin:

1.1. directly to a final consumer;

1.2. to other retail establishments in small quantities in accordance with Article 1(5)(b)(ii) of Regulation (EC) No 853/2004 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 29 April 2004 laying down specific hygiene rules for food of animal origin.

2. Within the meaning of this Regulation, the food of animal origin is:

2.1. dairy products, egg products, honey products, processed fishery products, meat products and meat preparations, except for fresh meat;

2.2. food containing the products referred to in Sub-paragraph 2.1 of this Regulation.

3. Small quantities of food of animal origin which is produced by an artisan producer in order to deliver such food to another retail establishment shall be up to 30 per cent of the total amount of home-produced food of animal origin per year but not exceeding 4000 kilos of food of animal origin per month.

4. An artisan producer is considered to be a food establishment - a performer of economic activity (hereinafter - the establishment) - that delivers the home-produced food of animal origin directly to the final consumer or - not more than 30 per cent of the total amount of food of animal origin produced - to another retail establishment if the actions involving food of animal origin are performed:

4.1. in a private residential house at least 75 per cent of which, including the buildings in its territory (for example, sauna, shed, cattle-shed, garage), are used for living and their own needs;

4.2. in a structure that is separately built and intended and arranged for the production and preparation of food of animal origin and which is located in the territory of a private residential house;

4.3. in a structure that is separately built and intended and arranged for the production and preparation of food and which is located outside the territory of a private residential house and next to the site where raw materials are obtained (for example, an animal housing, dairy farm, slaughterhouse), provided that at least 80 per cent of raw materials intended for the production or preparation of food of animal origin is obtained therein.

5. The artisan producer shall deliver the food of animal origin to the final consumer in the following way:

5.1. deliver to his or her place of production or preparation;

5.2. deliver to home, office, or another place indicated by the final consumer;

5.3. deliver to markets in the territory of Latvia;

5.4. deliver to his or her retail establishment in the territory of the market or at the place of production (preparation);

5.5. offer on his or her website.

6. The artisan producer may deliver small quantities of food of animal origin to the following retail establishments which are located in the territory of Latvia in a radius of 300 km from the place of production:

6.1. to his or her retail establishment outside the place of production or preparation;

6.2. to another artisan producer;

6.3. to a public catering undertaking;

6.4. to another shop.

7. When delivering the food of animal origin, the artisan producer shall issue a document conforming the transaction, if such is provided for by laws and regulations or requested by a consumer.

8. In order to produce food of animal origin in his or her establishment, the artisan producer may use the primary products obtained from his or her farm.

9. When delivering small quantities of food of animal origin directly to the final consumer or to another retail establishment, the artisan producer shall comply with the requirements laid down in Regulation (EC) No 852/2004 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 29 April 2004 on the hygiene of foodstuffs, and also in other legal acts of the European union and Latvia regarding requirements for food establishments.

10. Establishments that have been registered in the register of the Food and Veterinary Service as artisan producers but do not conform to the criteria referred to in Paragraph 4 of this Regulation may, until 1 July 2017, deliver to their retail establishments 30 per cent of the food produced without the recognition of the establishment.

11. The artisan producers that conform to the criteria referred to in Sub-paragraphs 4.2 and 4.3 of this Regulation may, until 1 July 2017, deliver to their retail establishments all the food of animal origin produced without the recognition of the establishment.

Prime Minister Laimdota Straujuma

Minister for Agriculture Jānis Dūklavs

Translation © 2020 Valsts valodas centrs (State Language Centre)