Ministero della Salute

TRACES (TRAde Control and Expert System) is an information platform for the reporting, certification and control of imports of animals, products of animal origin, food and feed of plant origin and other products of veterinary interest into the EU, as well as for intra-EU trade and exports from the EU of animals and certain products of animal origin.

The system serves, within the framework of their respective competences, as a link between operators and institutional control figures.

Traces - Intra-Community trade

Scope of application:

• live animals (harmonised and non-harmonised species)
• genetic material (semen, ova and embryos of bovine, porcine, ovine, caprine and equine species as well as semen, ova and embryos of other animal species)
• certain animal products intended for human consumption
• certain products of animal origin not intended for human consumption (certain products covered by Regulation (EC) 1069/2009)

It should be noted that, as far as intra-Community trade is concerned, the above-mentioned SINTESIS-Exchange system partly overlaps and partly supplements the Community information system TRACES, also covering other categories of goods (products of animal origin) not managed by the Community information system.

Traces – Imports

Since 2006, the control activity of the Border Control Posts (BCPs) on imports from Third Countries has made use of the TRACES information system, ensuring the management and registration of data on all goods subject to veterinary control and the computerisation of import certificates issued by the BCPs (Common Sanitary Entry Documents - DSCE/CHED).

The information system allows each Member State to have at its disposal the data concerning the import of goods destined for it, through all the EU BCPs, with a complete view of the data concerning the total consignments coming from Third Countries.

Scope of application:

• live animals
• products of animal origin
• food and feed of plant origin
• food contact material (FCM)

If the Traces system or one of its functions is unavailable for more than one hour, the emergency procedure [link] referred to in Article 46 of Regulation (EU) 2019/1715 is activated

TRACES: restricted access