EU Cannabis Certification Inspections Temporarily Halted Due To COVID-19

European Union Good Manufacturing Practice (EU-GMP) certification audits of cannabis facilities in Canada and elsewhere have been temporarily paused due to the global COVID-19 crisis, reports Marijuana Business Daily.

This means that those medical cannabis manufacturers that haven’t obtained EU-GMP certification already, are unable to commence exports to the European market.

Because of the widespread travel restrictions, German GMP auditors aren’t traveling to Canada, Lesotho, Colombia and various other export nations outside the EU where they should certify medical cannabis manufacturing facilities, according to Marijuana Business Daily.

In other words, Germany can now be supplied only by a small number of Canadian EU-GMP certified countries, and from those in the European market.

Furthermore, the UK’s Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency has decided to limit its inspections for pending applicants only to the essential ones, for an unknown period.

In addition, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration also suspended most foreign inspections through April.

Even when the COVID-19 pandemic wanes, these health experts probably won’t be able to continue with cannabis facilities inspections immediately, as they would be swamped with other more essential issues, concluded Marijuana Business Daily.

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