The Commission has published three overview reports on the results of audits on organic production and labelling conducted between 2012 and 2014 in EU Member States, as well as in third countries. The objective of the audits was to assess the effectiveness of the control systems in place to ensure that the rules for organic products are being respected. The control systems in most of the 14 Member States visited were well organised, with certain tasks delegated by the Competent Authorities to Control Bodies/Authorities. The main shortcomings identified related to the supervision of these bodies by the Competent Authorities. Other shortcomings related to insufficient exchange of information on irregularities, too few unannounced controls and inadequate enforcement. The six third countries visited had delegated control and certification tasks to Control Bodies. Export certification systems for organic products were in place in all cases. Weaknesses were identified in the supervision of the Control Bodies by national authorities and in the effectiveness of controls at operators. There were five audits to Control Bodies recognised by the Commission for the export of organic products to the EU. Export certification systems were generally reliable, although some weaknesses were identified in the effectiveness of controls at operators.
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As required in EU legislation, Member States notify the Commission and other Member States when they find organisms harmful to plants on their territory and these organisms are not already common and widespread in the EU. The Commission has published the first annual report of such notifications. It provides an overview of what was found in 2014, as well as the main trends in the period 2010 to 2014. The total annual number of notifications remains fairly stable, around 200 new cases each year. However, it is very unevenly distributed between the Member States. The Commission examines these notifications on a continuous basis and reacts through the Standing Committee on Plants, Animals, Food and Feed, and through a monthly summary reported to Management, and where necessary through FVO audits. However, a certain lack in the information provided by Member States is noted, including information on follow-up, which makes it difficult to have a clear and updated picture of the situation and ensure timely follow up, when needed, at EU level. Recent developments, which will help to address this include: • Decision 2014/917/EU adopted in December 2014 sets out detailed rules for the notification of outbreaks and findings of harmful organisms by Member States • Commission is developing together with Member States a web based reporting system and a protocol for notifications. Some harmful organisms and outbreaks are of particular significance and concern in 2014, such as: • Xylella fastidiosa, spreading in the Lecce Region of Italy where it was first identified in 2013, and also recurrently found on coffee plants imported from third countries; • Trioza erytreae, which can carry the very serious 'citrus greening disease', and Popilla japonica, a beetle which attacks a range of plants, were both reported for the first time in continental EU . See full report at:
The FVO has published an overview report regarding animal welfare at the time of slaughter. Based on audits to EU Member States, the report explores how effective official controls are to ensure that animals are spared any pain, distress, or suffering during their killing and related operations. The report concludes that gaps found in operator's procedures occurred mostly where official controls had relied solely on direct inspections by the official veterinarian but had not included an audit of the operator’s own procedures and checks of animal welfare. The most significant compromise for animal welfare arose from inappropriate parameters for waterbath stunning of poultry, but where competent authorities had prioritised this issue they were able to achieve operator's compliance.
The EU is one of the world's biggest egg producers and a net exporter of eggs and egg products e.g. egg powder, liquid egg etc. Eggs and egg products are considered important food commodities and are consumed on a daily basis in large quantities as such or as an ingredient of other foodstuffs. Egg products can be found in a variety of products such as, baked goods like cookies and cakes, pastas, meat products and food supplements. The FVO launched in 2015 a series of audits focused on eggs and egg products in order to verify that Member States ensure that such products placed on the market, comply with the relevant EU legislation. Compliance covers requirements concerning traceability, labelling and food safety. Six such audits make up the series, three of which have been carried out already with the other three taking place in 2016. These audits cover those Member States with the largest egg production i.e. Spain, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands and the United Kingdom. The individual audit reports will be published and after the completion of the audit series an overview report will be prepared identifying good practices, weaknesses found and areas where improvement can be made, which will also be publicly available.
The Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) are key players in the food sector, especially in rural areas, and have significant potential for growth. Most SMEs are family run businesses with strong links to their customers and a commitment to high standards. EU legislation (The Hygiene Package) includes provisions for flexible application of requirements in SMEs. These flexibility measures can only be applied when the objectives of the legislation are fully met and therefore food safety is not compromised. The application of these measures can have an immediate and positive effect on the competitiveness and employment potential of SMEs. The FVO carried out a series of visits to evaluate the implementation of flexibility rules in small establishments and an overview report was published in 2010 (see 'Read more' below). The report concludes that there was an uneven implementation of flexibility across the different Member States (MS). Some MS had been very proactive in this area while others had not provided the framework for SMEs to avail of flexibility possibilities. However, in some MS, examples of good practice were identified. The European Commission is committed to assist MS in the implementation and dissemination of flexibility measures. In 2013, the FVO organised a workshop on flexibility with the participation of all MS. Great interest was shown by the MS in the introduction and developing of flexibility. The Commission and the FVO continue to promote the application of flexibility provisions. The most recent FVO contributions in this area have been presentations and discussions in the following venues: • Conference on hygiene and flexibility for small producers: Milan, EXPO (June 2015). • Manchester AVESA conference (May 2015) The FVO will participate in the following events: • Italian Society of Preventive Veterinary Medicine: The principles of flexibility of the Hygiene Package applied to small farms and food enterprises (20 November 2015 Perugia, Italy) • Symposium of flexibility and derogations of European Food Safety Legislation 29 October 2015-Bilbao-Spain • Nordic Food Conference: 26-27 January 2016-Copenhagen-Denmark • Piedmont Region – Regional Veterinary Service conference on HACCP and flexibility (11 March 2016 Ivrea, Italy) If you would like further information please contact us on: SANTE-CONSULT-F2@ec.europa.eu
The FVO hosted a workshop on controls of animal welfare at slaughter. Participants from 25 Member States included auditors, policy and research officials. The workshops focussed on auditing techniques, risk based planning of controls, sharing of good practices and interpretation of some legal requirements. The basis for the workshop was a series of FVO audits in Member States on official controls of animal welfare at slaughter. An overview report on this is expected later this year. Participants sought further clarity in three key areas: requirements of inspections and audit, waterbath stunning of poultry and slaughter without stunning. These and other issues were discussed through a combination of presentations, workshop scenarios and group discussions. The FVO will consider issuing fact sheets on slaughter without stunning; audit and inspection; on-farm slaughter and the transport of unfit animals; and waterbath stunning. Two notable success stories and examples of good practice emerged from the workshop: • The Dutch authorities’ successful implementation of the EU requirements for waterbath stunning of poultry which was achieved through a combination of technical assessment and strong consistent enforcement to ensure a level playing field for operators. • The effective action taken by the authorities in the Autonomous Community of Asturias in Spain to address the longstanding problem of unfit bovine animals arriving at slaughterhouses reported in an FVO audit. This was achieved through a strong commitment to education, enforcement and setting up systems for on-farm slaughter. There are lessons which could be learned from both these case studies in other regions of Europe. To this end the FVO will circulate all the information presented and exchanged during this workshop to competent authorities on the FVO Member States Animal Welfare Network.
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 detected (or intercepted) in consignments of plants and plant products imported into the EU or being traded within the EU itself are notified to the EUROPHYT 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 and 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. The latest EUROPHYT Annual Report shows that in 2014, EU Member States and Switzerland intercepted over 6 600 consignments of plants and plant products, 95 % of which concerned imports. Almost 40 % of these interceptions were due to the presence of harmful organisms and 30 % due to non-compliant wood packaging material, which can harbour plant pests (wood packaging material includes pallets and other wood packaging used in trade). The majority of harmful organism interceptions originated in nine countries, namely, Ghana, Cambodia, India, China, Dominican Republic, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Uganda and Kenya, whereas the main sources of interceptions relating to wood packaging material were India and China. 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 2014 and describes measures taken by the Commission to address certain risks.
Pinewood nematode (Bursaphelenchus xylophilus) is a quarantine pest native to the US, causing the wilting and death of pines. In the European Union, it was first detected in 1999 in mainland Portugal where it has steadily spread despite control measures implemented since then. Since 1999, the Food and Veterinary Office (FVO) carried out 20 audits in Portugal on this topic. The most recent audit in 2014, concluded that if appropriate actions were not urgently taken, there would be a significant risk of spread outside the infested zone of Portugal. At the same time, since 2008, in Spain, four limited outbreaks have been detected which were or are being eradicated. Against this background, DG SANTE decided to implement a new approach aimed at identifying solutions to more effectively contain the pest. A Task Force for the control of pinewood nematode, coordinated by the FVO and comprising a number of Member State specialists, was set up in Autumn 2014. Between November 2014 and June 2015, the Task Force undertook a number of on-site visits which enabled members to better understand the local situation and difficulties and to propose tailor–made solutions to overcome these problems so as to ensure effective control of the pest. The Task Force took into account the latest scientific knowledge, in particular the EU funded REPHRAME project in the course of its work. The interim results of the Task Force were presented to EU Member States at the Standing Committee on Plants, Animals, Food and Feed in September 2015. The proposals made by the Task Force to date were positively received. Portugal and Spain have already initiated action to implement some of measures proposed. The Standing Committee proposed to postpone any review of the existing EU legislation on this pest until the final report of the Task Force is finalised by the end of 2015. The most recent FVO audit report on Pinewood nematode in Portugal can be found at:
The FVO recently hosted a three day workshop on laboratory checks for the detection of illegal or counterfeit pesticides. Representatives from 24 Member States and relevant services of the European Commission participated in the event. Attendees comprised both inspectors involved in controls and laboratory experts involved in quality checks of pesticides. The FVO had concluded a series of audits on pesticides in Member States in 2014. One of the common weaknesses identified was in the area of laboratory checks of pesticides, where controls in the majority of Member States were insufficient. All pesticides (also called plant protection products) marketed and used in the EU must be authorised prior to placing on the market. As part of this process, the precise formulation of the product is specified. Formulation analysis is a critical part of controls, as one of the tools to verify if products are manufactured using this precise formulation, and hence, to detect illegal and counterfeit products. Illegal and counterfeit products are estimated to comprise 10 % of the EU market. These products undermine the very high standards of food safety and environmental protection, central to EU legislation in this area. Participants exchanged examples of good practices from experience gained in controls at importers, manufacturers and distributors and from formulation analysis. All participants agreed on the need to enhance systems to share information and best practices between all Member States, to improve the control systems for plant protection products throughout the EU. Overall, the workshop was a great success, and even the Irish weather obliged providing three days of sunshine and balmy temperatures, reaching a high of 17 degrees Celsius!
The FVO has launched in September an audit series to verify the implementation of the legislation concerning the monitoring of AMR in certain animal species. The preparatory work for this series was carried out in close cooperation between the relevant units in Directorate General for Health and Food Safety, the EURL (EU reference laboratory) and EFSA (European Food Safety Agency). This preliminary phase includes two pilot audits in Denmark - which was finished this week - and Germany (before the end of the year). Based on the experience gained during these audits and on their outcome, six additional FVO audits will be carried out in Member States in 2016. The main objective of this work is to evaluate whether the official monitoring and reporting systems in place in Member States ensure the requirements foreseen in Decision 2013/652/EU are being met. This series will also be an opportunity to gather information on best practices and to identify new initiatives to improve awareness and understanding of AMR. The new legislation requires harmonised monitoring systems in the EU, promotes comparability between the Member States and between the human and veterinary sectors and should facilitate the monitoring of patterns of multi-drug resistance in the EU. Reliable and comparable data are essential to assess the sources of AMR, to conduct a risk assessment process and to evaluate the impact of the mitigation measures in place. The audits will focus on the planning and implementation of the Member State’s AMR monitoring programme since 1 January 2014. The main areas to be covered and respective audit criteria are the following: organisation of competent authorities, sampling design, performance of the laboratories involved in AMR monitoring, procedures in place for the assessment and reporting of AMR. During these audits national experts from Member State laboratories with specific expertise in this area will join the FVO teams for the assessment of the laboratory performance. The audit to Denmark took place in a very constructive and cooperative atmosphere and a report will be published in due course. The audit series will be followed by an overview report which will be published and presented to the Member States.