The consignment is held under official detention and refused entry. The authority then orders the operator to destroy it, send it back out of the EU, or give it a special treatment that makes it compliant or puts it to another use, normally within 60 days and always at the operator's expense, under Articles 66 to 72 of Regulation (EU) 2017/625.
What does Article 66 require?
Article 66(1) of Regulation (EU) 2017/625 says the competent authorities place any non compliant consignment entering the Union under official detention and refuse its entry. Article 66(3) says the authority orders the operator, without delay, to destroy the consignment, to send it back outside the Union under the conditions of Article 72, or to subject it to special treatment under Article 71 or another measure that ensures compliance, and where appropriate to use it for another purpose. Before ordering this, the authority hears the operator unless immediate action is needed to respond to a risk.
Who pays, and how long is there?
Article 66(7) says the measures are applied at the expense of the operator responsible for the consignment. Article 69 gives the operator at most 60 days from being told of the decision to carry out the measures; the authority can set a shorter period. If nothing has been done by then, the authority orders the consignment destroyed or subject to another appropriate measure.
When can goods be sent back?
Article 72 allows a consignment to be sent back only if the destination is agreed with the operator, the operator has told the authorities in writing that the authorities of the country of origin, or of a different destination country, were informed of the reasons for refusal, and, where the destination is not the country of origin, that country has agreed to accept the consignment.
What is special treatment?
Article 71 says it can mean treatment or processing, including decontamination but excluding dilution, so that the goods meet EU rules or the rules of the country they are sent to, or treatment that makes them fit for another use, such as animal feed or a non food purpose. It must remove the risk, be documented and be carried out under the authority's control.
Can the operator challenge the decision?
Yes. Article 7 of Regulation (EU) 2017/625 says that decisions taken under Article 66(3) and (6), among others, are subject to the right of appeal of the person concerned in accordance with national law. Article 69(3) also lets the authority extend the 60 day period while the results of a second expert opinion on the sample are awaited, provided this causes no risk.
What findings lead to rejection?
The findings named most often in border rejections since 2020 were aflatoxins (1,995), Salmonella (1,036), chlorpyrifos (708), missing or incorrect health certificates and documents (685), pesticide residues (567) and ochratoxin A (426). 50% of border rejections carried a serious risk decision, and 13% named a finding about documents or controls rather than a laboratory result.
Who is told?
Article 66(5) requires the decision to be notified at once, through the IMSOC system, to the Commission, the other member states, customs, the authorities of the country of origin and the operator. Article 68 then requires the official certificates of the consignment to be invalidated and the authorities to cooperate so that refused goods cannot be brought back in. The RASFF border rejection notification is part of that exchange.
How many consignments does this concern?
Since 2020 there have been 9,942 border rejection notifications, 1,483 in the 365 days to 8 November 2026. The countries that notified most were Bulgaria (1,177), Spain (1,173), the Netherlands (1,106), Italy (943), Germany (849) and France (786). The public list does not say which measure was chosen for each consignment; that is in the official record behind each reference.
Sources
- Regulation (EU) 2017/625 on official controls, Articles 66 to 72, checked 18 October 2026
- Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/1715, Article 2 (definitions of each notification type), checked 18 October 2026
- RASFF Window, European Commission: numbers computed from the list read on 8 November 2026
Last checked 18 October 2026. Numbers on this page are recomputed each time the data is read, last on 8 November 2026.