The EU aims to eradicate wildlife rabies in the EU by 2020. It co-financed fox vaccination programmes for many years to eliminate the risk that foxes spread rabies to humans and domestic animals. These vaccination programmes have been very successful. Whilst fox rabies was common in many EU countries only 10-15 years ago, it was detected in only three EU countries in 2016. Foxes become vaccinated (protected) against rabies virus by eating vaccine baits that are dropped from aircrafts. Laboratories test samples from foxes that have been shot during hunting to verify that the vaccination programme is effective. It is also very important that foxes found dead or behaving abnormally are reported to the authorities and tested for rabies. Based on visits to four EU Member States and two neighbouring countries with on-going eradication programmes, this report describes the important components of a rabies eradication programme, and identifies certain potential weaknesses as well as good practices of importance for a successful conclusion of the rabies eradication in the EU. The report can be found at the 'Read more...' link below:
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A new report on the prudent use of antimicrobials in animals in the Netherlands, highlights how a significant reduction in the use of antibiotics in animals was achieved in recent years (a 58.4% decrease in sales from 2009 to 2015) along with an associated and clear decrease in levels of antimicrobial resistance in broiler chickens, veal calves and pigs. Several good practices to achieve this goal are identified, which include: a) transparent recording and benchmarking of antibiotic use on farms, b) benchmarking of the prescribing patterns of veterinarians, c) strengthening of the role of veterinarians, d) measures taken to improve animal health, e) the promotion of prudent use in line with official reduction targets and f) importantly the public-private partnership where stakeholders take responsibility for the implementation of effective measures, which are then supported and supervised by the national government. The findings of the report demonstrate that progress can be achieved in a relatively short time period to reduce the use of antibiotics in animals, and associated antimicrobial resistance, while safeguarding animal health and welfare, the economic viability of producers and limiting over-regulation. Some of the measures identified could serve as an illustration of potential good practices to other Member States. This fact-finding mission, one of nine completed to EU Member States during 2016, forms part of the initiatives of the European Commission's action plan against the rising threats from antimicrobial resistance. The report can be found at the 'Read more...' link below:
Our new series of videos explains in an engaging way how the European Commission organises its Health and Food Safety audit and analysis work. - The first three videos give a quick general overview of our activities, e.g. in what areas audit and non-audit work is conducted and how all of this helps ensure that EU citizens enjoy a high level of food safety, how it supports the global trade of safe products and promotes jobs, growth and investment. - For actors in EU and non-EU countries who receive European Commission audits, we created a second set of two videos which give a short step-by-step overview of the audit process and information exchange between auditor and auditee. - The final video outlines in broad strokes the EU import requirements for products of animal origin, which is useful for all stakeholders involved in exports of such products to the EU. To find out more, watch the videos by clicking on the 'Read more...' below The videos are available in English, German, French, Spanish and Portuguese.
The report concludes that the effective transfer of knowledge on animal welfare to create a positive impact at national level, requires that objectives from the public and private sector are aligned and well-coordinated. This remains a challenge for authorities in Member States. It also finds that training is effective, if it is valued by managers and practical so that it can be applied in everyday work. The livestock industry sees training on animal behaviour as very beneficial not only to avoid animal welfare problems, but also to improve production, avoid mutilations and reduce the use of medicines. The report is based on Commission audits conducted during 2015 in eight different Member States. The report can be found at the following 'Read more...' link:
A new report provides evidence that there are solutions to counter the commonly held belief that rearing pigs and avoiding tail docking is impossible. Based on visits to three countries where tail docking is not performed routinely, it summarises good practices to rear pigs with intact tails. It finds that the key to do so is to lower stress levels through active management of enrichment materials; feed and air quality; reduction of competition between animals; and good animal health status. Another key factor to ensure intact tails is that farmers rapidly identify tail biters and remove them to prevent the escalation of tail biting. The report can be found at the following "Read more..." link:
The European Commission, together with the Dutch authorities, recently hosted a workshop focusing on controls at large distribution centres storing pesticides for use throughout the EU. Weaknesses in controls at this critical point of the distribution chain had been identified in numerous Member States in a recent audit series carried out by the audit and analysis directorate of the Commission’s Directorate General for Health and Food Safety. The overview report on this series will be published before the summer. This workshop, which took place in Rotterdam on 15 and 16 February, and had sixteen Member States participate, follows the establishment in 2016 of two Working Groups dedicated to pesticide enforcement issues. This demonstrates the commitment of the European Commission and the Member States to ensure that only pesticides which have passed a rigorous evaluation are marketed and used in the EU, so as provide the highest possible level of assurance to citizens, while protecting sustainable EU based jobs in this innovative industry.
In its Health and Food Audits and Analysis programme for 2017, the Commission plans to conduct 212 audits and fact-finding missions in EU Member States and non-EU countries covering the areas of food safety, animal health and welfare, and plant health. A further 25 assessments will be implemented in the medical devices sector, as a joint initiative with Member States, EFTA and EEA countries' authorities. The objective of these measures is to ensure that EU legislation on food safety, animal health, animal welfare, plant health and certain areas of human health is properly implemented and enforced. The Commission also aims to conduct a range of desk analyses to support its audit activities as well as a broad range of follow-up, networking and training activities. The outcome of the audits carried out by the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Health and Food Safety, and, in particular, its Directorate on Health and Food Audits and Analysis, will be made available to the public. Specific audit topics will be summarised in overview reports, which serve as a basis for a discussion with Member States about identified common challenges and best practices to share. The programme also contains a summary of the audits performed in 2015. Through this work, the Commission is able to retain its critical oversight of the operation of control systems, and to identify any areas for improvement. These measures allow the Commission to establish whether the legislation in these areas remains effective, and to be proactive in ensuring it is fit for purpose to minimise risks to food safety, public health, animal health and welfare, and plant health. As a result EU citizens enjoy a continued high level of safety, and that goods are traded under safe and fair conditions.
The Commission convened a dedicated BTSF workshop on controls of quality schemes (Protected Designations of Origin (PDOs), Protected Geographical Indications (PGIs), Traditional Specialities Guaranteed (TSGs) for agricultural products and foodstuffs). This was held at the offices of the Commission´s DG Health and Food Safety in Ireland on 6-8 December 2016. The workshop was organised to follow up on the main findings in the overview report on controls in this sector which was published in January 2016 (2015-8439). The workshop provided a forum to exchange good practices identified and an opportunity to consult with Member State experts on the results of this project. It also provided an opportunity to reach conclusions on the priority areas for improvements in official controls of PDO/PGI/TSG to be implemented at EU level and by the Member States, aiming to further strengthen the reliability of guarantees provided by the EU quality symbols and labelling rules.
The Commission just launched a new web-based system called Europhyt-Outbreaks, which will enhance the level of protection against plant pests. It enables official plant health services of Member States and Switzerland to notify to the Commission and Member States the presence of organisms harmful to plants detected in their territory and of the phytosanitary measures taken to eradicate or avoid their spread. It will further broaden the risk management capacity in the field of plant health, which is a priority objective for DG SANTE, and thereby increase the level of protection of the Union territory against the possible spread of harmful organisms. EUROPHYT-Outbreaks is based on Commission Implementing Decision 2014/917/EU setting out detailed rules for these notifications. It was designed and developed by the Commission with the support of a number of Member States, Switzerland, the European Plant Protection Organisation (EPPO) and the European Food Safety Agency (EFSA). It is aimed at supporting Member States in their reporting obligations while ensuring that comprehensive and harmonised data is provided and distributed to all official plant health services within the EU.
With the increase in trade over the last decades, the risk of introducing new plant pests and diseases has increased. These can spread and lead to environmental damage, destruction of native plant species, substantial economic losses in agricultural production and an increase in the use of pesticides. Therefore measures to prevent their introduction and spread are essential. Harmful organisms (HOs) in plants and plant products imported into the EU or being traded within the EU itself are notified to the EUROPHYT-interceptions rapid alert system, which is managed by the Directorate General for Health and Food Safety of the European Commission. This network is used to monitor interception trends, as a basis for risk management by member countries and for taking EU measures to address particular risks. Notifications are immediately transmitted to all member plant health authorities and to the country of export. In relation to goods from Non-EU countries, the Annual Report shows that overall, the number of notifications increased by 4.4%. However, within this total, the main trends were an overall decrease in total number of interceptions due to the presence of HO and an increase in interceptions of wood packaging material (WPM) interceptions for both HO presence and non-compliance with ISPM 15. Three key components are highlighted: • 2,607 notifications due to non-compliance of wood packaging material with international phytosanitary requirements (ISPM 15), up by 30% from 2014; • 2,136 notifications were due to the presence of harmful organisms (HOs), down by 11% from 2014; • 1,805 notifications resulting from documentary problems (lacking or inappropriate phytosanitary certificate), up by 1% from 2014. For interceptions due to the presence of HOs, the main commodities intercepted at import were fruit and vegetables (72.3%), WPM (13.2%), cut flowers (5.1%) and planting material (2.4%). In response to the risks posed by the interception of certain commodities, the Commission has taken a number of measures, which have resulted in a drop in the number of interceptions of these imports from some countries, while work is ongoing to improve the situation in other cases. The Annual Report provides a wide range of analysis of the notifications made to the system in 2015 and describes measures taken by the Commission to address certain risks.