A Better Training for Safer Food workshop on official controls for pesticides, contaminants and veterinary drug residues takes place in Larnaca, Cyprus on 30 November-2 December. Around 50 people from countries in the Mediterranean region, including EU Member States and European Neighbourhood Policy countries are to attend. Most are national-level control staff involved in the fields covered by the workshop.

The training should increase participants' knowledge of EU norms and standards as regards pesticides, contaminants and veterinary drug residues. This will enable them to better verify that food and feed products comply with such standards, thereby strengthening the implementation of relevant EU legislation and raising levels of consumer protection.

The first and third days of the workshop mainly consist of presentation sessions. Main themes of the first day include food safety challenges in the context of global food trade, the European Food Safety Authority, EU food safety legislation, official control requirements and EU legislative requirements for control of contaminants with emphasis on mycotoxins. Presentations on the third day are to focus on EU legislation on plant protection products, pesticide residues and use of veterinary medicines as well as implementation of official controls and residue monitoring plans.

The second day is dedicated to site visits of which the first takes place to the Designated Point of Entry in Limassol. This will enable participants to observe official import controls and practical sampling procedures. The second visit is to a feed mill and farm where application of official controls for contaminants will be demonstrated.

This is the last in a series of regional workshops on EU standards in various areas which have been held across the globe during 2009-10. Other subjects of workshops have included standards for fruit and vegetables, meat hygiene, fishery products, animal welfare and food labelling.

A further programme on EU standards covering a range of food-related areas is to be launched for 2011-12 and should comprise 19 workshops, as well as a series of sustained training missions. The workshops will again be regional in outlook and will be held mainly in third countries worldwide.