The FVO has completed a series of audits on official controls on animal welfare in slaughterhouses. The series began with a pilot audit in Estonia in 2013 and covered another 12 EU countries. The main challenges and best practices found will be included in an overview report which will be issued shortly. In order to share the best practices more widely a collaborative interest group (Member States Animal Welfare Network - MSAWN) has been set up to share information on animal welfare between public administrations (through the Commission's CIRCABC database). The FVO will upload information from these audits to this platform. A "Better Training for Safer Food" event has been scheduled for October 2015 in Grange. It will cover this topic and will target officials responsible for auditing business operator compliance with the requirements for animal welfare at slaughter.
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A delegation from the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine of China (AQSIQ) visited the FVO in April 2015. There is a long standing cooperation between the two Offices which has proven helpful in promoting better understanding of the respective control systems and how trade can be promoted under safe conditions. The meetings finalised with a Letter of Intent to further develop the cooperation and expertise exchange between FVO and AQSIQ by Mr Michael Scannell - Director of the FVO and Mr Lin Wei – Director General of AQSIQ. This will be taken up further by Commissioner Andriukaitis when he visits China later this year.
The FVO recently hosted the second meeting of European experts working on the production of a network document to improve the welfare of poultry during transport. A network document is a guidance document for Competent Authorities and others drafted by experts from Member States which aims to raise standards, using examples from the best available current knowledge, practical experience, and the latest scientific advice. The development of the document has identified the various components of the poultry catching, handling, transportation and lairage processes most likely to impact upon the welfare of pre-slaughter birds. The document will inform Competent Authorities, their agents, and other bodies, as to the nature and causes of the major risks to bird welfare during the immediate pre-slaughter stage of poultry production. The information provided may guide CAs and other agencies in the identification and gathering of scientific evidence that might support any enforcement activity. Implementation of the risk reduction strategies described in the network document through heightened awareness and enforcement should be a win-win outcome for improved welfare of the birds and improved financial returns for business operators. The network group expects to finalise the document before the summer and distribute it soon after.
The Food and Veterinary Office carried out an audit in China from 19-30 June 2014 on feed additives and premixtures. The audit was carried out in the wake of a recent incident where a feed additive (choline chloride) imported from China was found to be contaminated with genetically modified rice (Bt63 rice), and this aspect was also considered by the audit team. The overall conclusion of the report is that the system for official controls in China provides satisfactory guarantees that feed additives and premixtures exported to the EU comply with requirements at least equivalent to those set out in the relevant EU legislation on feed. In particular, the official certification of exported products is an integral part of the system set up by the competent authorities which underpins these guarantees. Most establishments exporting feed additives and premixtures to the EU adhere to FAMI-QS, an industry-based safety assurance scheme. This adherence provides additional guarantees that these establishments meet the relevant standards set out in EU law. The report also concludes that the proactive approach taken by FAMI-QS on the presence of Bt63 rice in choline chloride has been the main driver behind the preventive measures adopted by the manufacturers concerned to avoid that this contamination recurs. Therefore, establishments certified under this scheme should provide robust guarantees concerning the absence of Bt63 rice in choline chloride exported to the EU.
The FVO has carried out a series of fact-finding missions to gather information and identify areas of best practice relevant to emergency preparedness arrangements in the event of a food/feed crisis, in particular concerning contingency planning. Although this was not an audit series, all Member States visited agreed that their respective reports could be published in the interests of transparency, and in order to promote cooperation and coordination activities between interested parties. This publication also supports the overall message of the Overview Report on Emergency Preparedness, which will be published in the coming weeks. All individual reports make for an interesting read. Denmark, for example, has a well thought out and sophisticated emergency preparedness approach, which could serve as best practice for others. Robust coordination mechanisms and networks for sharing information exist at all levels. This approach is the cornerstone of the Danish emergency preparedness system, and ensures that structures have been tested and are familiar to users, reducing the chaos that tends to occur during the initial phase of any crisis. The decision-making process is facilitated by the availability of technical and epidemiological expertise, as well as effective data analysis and information management tools. The inter-sectorial approach includes food, feed and human health aspects (“One Health” approach). Finally, the system in place is tested by simulation exercises and reviewing the management of outbreaks and other crises in order to identify areas for improvement. The individual reports are as follows: Denmark 2013-6771 Czech Republic 2013-6770 France 2013-6779 The Netherlands 2014-7165 Slovenia 2014-7090
During the last audit on aquaculture in the UK the audit team took the opportunity to evaluate the use of "cleaner wrasse" (a species of fish which groom and clean larger fish) as an antidote to the perennial problem of sea lice. The success or failure of this approach is very much based on the ability to master the husbandry of the fish, as it has very different needs to salmon (different feed, need for 'hide outs' in pens, and treatment alongside salmon). The key issue holding back the development of this approach is the availability of the fish which is currently finite owing to the fact that they are normally caught from the wild. The development of aquaculture methods for wrasse is still at an early stage and is described as difficult. However, there is confidence that a closed loop for salmon production can be achieved in the near future, which should greatly enhance the expansion of this approach. Several sites in Scotland and Ireland are using wrasse cleaner fish, which helps to avoid treatment with veterinary medicinal products (VMP´s). As official services both Marine Scotland and the Marine Institute Ireland are encouraging the expansion of its use via research and funding. The site which was visited had not used any VMP treatments in the last 2 years, as opposed to the several annual treatments which are normally administered.
One series evaluates controls of pesticide residues in Organic Production. Pesticide residue testing is only one part of controls in this sector. Since 2014, there is a legal requirement to sample 5% of organic operators. The FVO teams audit the co-ordination by competent authorities, pesticide residue controls carried out by private control bodies and official control authorities, and evaluates performance of laboratories which carry out the analyses. The first audit was performed end of January in the United Kingdom. Four further audits are planned in Poland, Germany, Finland and Spain. The second series evaluates controls of the marketing and use of plant protection products. A total of 13 Member States will be audited in 2015 and 2016. The first audit finished in Italy in the first week of February. The audit teams evaluate official controls at growers of cereals, seed treatment facilities, manufacturers, re-packers, importers and wholesalers of pesticides. The audit teams will also gather information on any derogations granted for spraying of pesticides by helicopters and airplanes, and on the implementation of Integrated Pest Management. All growers in the EU must follow Integrated Pest Management since January 2014. Audit reports and overview reports for the two series will be published on this site.
The FVO contributed to a Better Training for Safer Food world training on fishery products in Indonesia organised by the European Commission. The major goal of this event was to outline the key hygiene and infrastructure conditions for fishery products for export to the EU market, the relevant legislation and what is expected from our third country export partners with regard to official controls and certification. The profile of the event got a major boost with the attendance of the new Indonesian Minister of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, Susi Pudjiastuti, who delivered a key note speech on the Indonesian approach to Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fishing. The event was attended by delegates representing countries from Asia and the Pacific. This was therefore an ideal opportunity to present the role of the FVO and describe common compliance problems experienced by less developed countries in the export of fishery products to the EU. Key issues were highlighted and include maintenance of the cold chain and ensuring traceability. The FVO representative also took the opportunity to meet with senior TC officials, answering technical/legal questions and discussing planned and past audits to the region. This is a good example of how the experience and knowledge of the FVO can deliver a lot of added value through non-audit activities and promote European sanitary standards and facilitate trade.
In order to improve slaughter hygiene, the FVO is proposing a new strategy complementary to the performance of audits. The intention is to facilitate exchange of best practices between Member State and EFTA countries by organising study visits for groups of experts to discuss the strategies and procedures which produce the best results. The main objectives of the project are to assist and facilitate in the development of effective control and monitoring systems by Competent Authorities of slaughter hygiene, in its broadest sense, seeking an improvement in Food Business Operators Compliance level. The project aims for a greater level of consumer protection and trade facilitation with our key trading partners. During 2014, a workshop was organised where representatives of the various countries involved were able to contribute ideas and to refine the plan put forward by the FVO. The project "Sharing of best practice in Slaughter Hygiene" reached a new milestone with the first Study Visits that took place in Ireland and the United Kingdom with the attendance of National Experts from seven countries. Six further study visits are scheduled for 2015. A very positive response was received from the invited National Experts and Hosting countries alike as the environment in which the study visits take place encourages openness, transparency and frank discussions among all involved. It is also providing the opportunity to see in operation different official control processes and procedures thus assessing the value and feasibility of implementing them throughout the EU. An example is the systems in place in Ireland to ensure that animals presented for slaughter are clean. The systems have introduced new innovations which greatly reduce the risk to meat hygiene from animals arriving at the slaughterhouse in dirty conditions. All Member States can learn from these innovations.
Following the large scale food poisoning in France and Germany in 2011, linked to seeds that were sprouted, the Commission put in place legal requirements on the production, sale and use of seeds for sprouting to ensure they are safe. Products from outside of Europe should be imported with a certificate attesting their hygienic production. As China is the largest exporter of mung bean seeds for sprouting to the EU, the Food and Veterinary Office conducted an audit of Chinese controls in this area in 2013, with a follow up in September 2014. The first audit identified significant deficiencies in the control system and the Chinese authorities ceased to export, causing shortages of seeds for sprouting in Europe. Following a number of meetings with the Chinese authorities and industry, including a seminar in July in China, the most recent audit found a significant improvement in the system. The recommendations addressed to the authorities had been addressed and an export system meeting the EU requirements was in place. The Chinese authorities commenced issuing export certificates again in December 2014.