1. Food business operators shall cooperate with the competent authorities in accordance with other applicable Community legislation or, if it does not exist, with national law.
2. In particular, every food business operator shall notify the appropriate competent authority, in the manner that the latter requires, of each establishment under its control that carries out any of the stages of production, processing and distribution of food, with a view to the registration of each such establishment.
Food business operators shall also ensure that the competent authority always has up-to-date information on establishments, including by notifying any significant change in activities and any closure of an existing establishment.
3. However, food business operators shall ensure that establishments are approved by the competent authority, following at least one on-site visit, when approval is required:
(a)
under the national law of the Member State in which the establishment is located;
(b)
under Regulation (EC) No /2004 (*3); or
(c)
by a decision adopted in accordance with the procedure referred to in Article 14(2).
Any Member State requiring the approval of certain establishments located on its territory under national law, as provided for in subparagraph (a), shall inform the Commission and other Member States of the relevant national rules.