1. 1 The Future Role of the Food and Veterinary Office M.C. Gaynor, Director, FVO EUROPEAN COMMISSION HEALTH & CONSUMER PROTECTION DIRECTORATE-GENERAL Directorate F - Food and Veterinary Office FSAI Food Safety Conference 2004 A New Agenda for Official Food Controls Dublin, 11 March 2004

2. 2 Proposal for a Regulation on OFFICIAL FEED AND FOOD CONTROLS COM(2003)52 5 March 2003 http://www.cc.cec/clxint/htm/celex_en.htm

3. 3 Official Controls Definition and scope Any form of control by: –the Competent Authority in the Member States –the Community (FVO) For verification of compliance with –feed law and food law, –rules on animal health, animal welfare and certain aspects of plant health, –including organic farming, geographical indications, designation of origin All food and feed (including petfood)

4. 4 Framework for Controls Integrated national control plans (NCP) Commission guidelines for control plans National audit systems National reports Commission controls Commission reports

5. 5 National Control Plan Single integrated multi-annual General information on structure & organisation of national control systems –strategic objectives and how reflected in prioritisation of controls and allocation of resources; –designation of competent authorities and their tasks at central, regional and local level, and resources available; –general organisation and management of official control systems at all levels including individual establishments;

6. 6 National Control Plan (2) -systems applied in different sectors and co-ordination between different services in charge of these sectors; -where appropriate, delegation of tasks to control bodies; -methods to ensure compliance with requirements regarding  operational criteria  documentation of procedures  training of staff performing official controls -contingency plans for disease and other emergencies -organisation of co-operation and mutual assistance

7. 7 National Control Plan (3) Control plans to take account of identified risks –experience and knowledge from previous controls –reliability of operators own controls –suspicion of non compliance –cover all stages of production –frequency of controls appropriate to achieve objectives

8. 8 Guidelines Commission Guidelines for NCPs adopt by Advisory Procedure non-binding promote consistent, comprehensive and integrated approach covering all sectors and stages reflect standards and recommendations made by relevant international bodies regarding operation of official services; lay down criteria for conduct of internal audits of national competent authorities;

9. 9 Guidelines (2) lay down the structure of, and information to be included in annual reports lay down performance indicators to be applied in assessing national control plans; be revised in the light of annual reports or audits and controls by the Commission identify risk based and other priorities and most effective control procedures;

10. 10 Guidelines (3) identify points in chain which provide most reliable and indicative information about compliance with law; encourage adoption of best practices at all levels; encourage the development of effective traceability systems; provide advice on development of systems to record performance and results of control actions;

11. 11 National Audits by MS internal or external audits by, or on behalf of, CA to ensure objectives of regulation are achieved –Audit means a systematic and independent examination to determine whether activities and results comply with planned arrangements and whether these arrangements are implemented effectively and are suitable to achieve objectives CA shall take appropriate measures in the light of their results Commission may adopt detailed rules for implementation.

12. 12 Member States Annual Reports results of controls and audits carried out in previous year; number and type of infringements established; actions taken to ensure effective operation of plans including enforcement actions and their results; update of national control plan;

13. 13 Current FVO Controls in MS Audits based on specific sectors/ commodities to establish –effectiveness of CA & national control systems –verify correct implementation of feed/food law –investigate problems and emergencies. Enables overview of specific sector within individual and across all MS Audit findings in each MS consolidated to build an individual MS’s profile for ‘follow-up’.

14. 14 New FVO Controls in MS General audits on a regular basis to verify that official controls in a MS are in accordance with its National Control Plan and Community Law –systematic evaluation of  national control plans,  national audits & reports thereon, and  annual reports. –desk analysis and/or “on the spot”

15. 15 New FVO Controls in MS General audits will be supplemented by Specific audits / on-the-spot inspections to –verify actions in a particular sector; –investigate important or recurring problems; –investigate emergencies, emerging problems or new developments

16. 16 Commission Reporting Individual Reports on controls / inspections Annual Report to the European Parliament and the Council Annual Report based on outcome of Commission controls and other relevant information May include - –improvements to official control and audit systems; –specific control actions on sectors or activities; –co-ordinated plans aimed at addressing particular issues.

17. 17 FVO Annual Control Programme FVO controls on basis of Annual Control Programme Programme will take account of the evaluation and audit of MS national control plans, national audits and annual reports FVO will place great emphasis on National Audit Systems and their results –Where MS have properly functioning / sufficiently independent national audit systems –Then the frequency of on-the-spot inspection and specific audits may be reduced

18. 18 - Thank You - EUROPEAN COMMISSION HEALTH & CONSUMER PROTECTION DIRECTORATE-GENERAL Directorate F - Food and Veterinary Office FSAI Food Safety Conference 2004 A New Agenda for Official Food Controls Dublin 11 March 2004