EU Official Control of Foodstuffs in Croatia, Research Paper Example

Special regulations have been established within the EU for the purpose of prevention of proliferation of diseases that are perceived as dangerous to human life. The regulations govern the importation of animals as well as animal products from non-EU countries. The food items such as meat as well as meat products and meet in addition to the daily products are commonly imported in the EU. The custom authorities are mandated to seize and destroy all the animal based foodstuffs that are prohibited through the regulations and a criminal prosecution and a fine may as well be imposed on the importer. However, there are exceptions that are freely permitted in the EU market. These include infant milk in powdered form; infant foods as well as other special foods that are intended to serve medical purposes on condition that there is no requirement for refrigeration of the foods prior to their opening and must be packaged as proprietary brands with undamaged packages. Relatively small quantities of meat together with meat products, daily products as well as milk that are intended for personal use with origin from Croatia, Iceland, Faroe Island Switzerland as well as Lichtenstein are permitted. The weight of the products allowed per person in this category must be less or equal to 10 Kg. meat and their products imported from Lichtenstein, Switzerland, Andorra, Norway and San Marino require to meat similar conditions as the animal products that originate from the EU member countries.

Some conditions have been imposed on imports. They include acquisition of suitable documentation offered by approved veterinary services in the country of origin with a confirmation for compliance with import requirements as stipulated by EU. The goods must also be declared at EU frontier immediately after arrival and the documentation submitted to the approved agencies for the purpose of veterinary control (European Food Safety Control Systems).

The legislation in the EU concerning the official controls, Regulation No 882/2004 is a good source of the general framework that guides the official controls that must be executed member states for the purpose of compliance verification of the food law as well as feed, the welfare of animals and animal health. The regulation also covers some important rules such as the financing of the official controls, enforcement, cooperation, administrative assistance as well as rules that govern controls of imported products. The member states in EU have an obligation of enforcing the food chain legislations in EU. Organization of official systems of controls is entrusted on competent authorities within their territory making verification that the activities of the operators as well as the goods that enter the EU market are in compliance with applicable requirements as well as standards. The goods may be produced in non-EU countries or imported from the same countries. The business community is obligated to ascertain compliance with the requirements as set out for the EU food chain during their day to day operations. They must also adhere to the official control without regard for their size based on the risk that may be associated with diverse activities on the food chain safety. The responsibility of EU is to ascertain the effectiveness of all the systems of control at the national level. The Food and Veterinary Office, FVO is the commissions service that is tasked with implementation of control systems which is executed through regular inspections in all the member states in EU as well as the non-EU states that export their products to the EU. Evaluation of compliance with the set standards at EU is an important role that is played by FVO.

Croatia report on FVO: Animal by-products traceability

In effective execution of its mandate, the FVO is obligated to conduct evaluation of the animal by-products that can easily be traced as well as their derived products. FVO has the responsibility of ensuring that the ABPIDP official control take in to considerations the past records of the operators with respect to compliance as well as the reliability of the Working group tasked with developing the procedures for own checks of the risk operators’ based on Article 3 of Regulation (EC) No appraisal within establishments under 882/2004 veterinary inspection supervision. The responsibility of the working group was determination occurrence of official controls in the establishments of ABP in 2016 based on the assessment of risk that entails the past records of the operators in compliance as well as the reliability of the checks of the operators based on number 882/2004 of Regulation (EC) Article 3. The drafting of the plan as well as the risk assessment for the official control is set for 2015 while its implementation is anticipated in 2016.

Croatia report on FVO: official controls evaluation on the consignments in transit

FVO is also responsible for ensuring the compliance to Article 3 of Decision 2000/208/EC of official controls on all consignments that are on transit in the entire BIPs exit so that manipulations of the consignment are checked. The consignment on transit at the BIP exit must be the same one that was dispatched at the BIP entry based on available information in the certificate that accompany the consignment. In this regard, Veterinary and Food Safety Directorate designed some guidelines in April 2014 that are applicable at checks of consignments on transit that exit the custom territory in EU. The implementation of the procedures was entrusted on the individuals with the responsibilities of the consignments, the veterinary inspectors at the border as well as the custom officials based at the border crossings. The guidelines stipulated the applicable procedures in performing the checks by the custom officials at BIP exit out of the normal hours of office. All the custom officials in all the BIPs in Croatia have the obligation of enforcing these procedures. The custom officials are not allowed to act contrary to the procedures that are set forward to fulfill the FVO mission.

Croatia report on FVO: evaluation of contaminants and residues controls in the live animals as well as the animal products that also incorporate veterinary medicinal products controls

The FVO also ascertains even distribution over the year, of the sampling in residue monitoring based on the specifications in Annex to Decision 98/179/EC point 2.1. The FVO is also charged with the responsibility of ensuring application of analytical recovery in consistency with results calculated based on the specifications in Annex to Decision 98/179/EC point 2.1.2.1. The benzimidazoles are chemical residues that may appear in milk and which must be determined leading to correction of calculations as well as results expression. The positive compounds must be adjusted based on the values indicated after control spiked samples during analysis based on the specifications in Annex to Decision 98/179/EC point 2.1.2.1.

The FVO also ascertains the calibration items as well as tests processing have no effect on sample validity based on Regulation (EC) No 882/2004) Article 11(7).

The FVO is also responsible for notifying the EC about the veterinary medicinal products which have been exempted from the requirements for prescription based on Directive 2006/130/EC Article 3(1)

Croatia report on FVO: Fishery products

The FVO are also responsible for upholding the highest standards of impartiality among the CBs members as well as their freedom from conflict of interests  based on Regulation (EC) No 882/2004, Article 5 point 2 (b)(iii).

Croatia report on FVO: Poultry meat and their products

The FVO are also responsible is also responsible for the evaluation of the control systems of the food safety that govern the production and marketing of poultry meat as well as their products which is achieved through a number of initiatives (Last 5 FVO audit reports relating to Croatia).

Meat inspection

According to the Official Control of Foodstuffs system in Croatia, meat inspection and the general inspection of abattoirs has been an important consideration for the purpose of ascertain the high level of hygiene in meat as they have an intimate relationship with the welfare of animals as well as animal diseases. The Ministry of Agriculture has employed veterinarians to perform the role of meat inspection aiming at curbing the potential transmission of contagious diseases as well as pathogenic organisms from the animals to the human beings. The inspection of meat and the abattoirs is considered as a crucial program in Croatia in enhancing food safety.

Inspection of food products

The government of Croatia is also keen on inspection of food products in line with veterinary as well as phyto-sanitary policy as laid down in the integrated approach to the food safety in the EU with the ultimate objective of upholding the highest echelon of safety in food, the welfare of animals as well as plant health in the EU. This is achieved through implementation of farm-to-table measures that facilitate for sufficient monitoring and promoting effective functioning of the market. The Official Control of Foodstuffs system in Croatia uses the Environmental Health Officers  as well as the Trading Standard Officers to facilitate trans positioning of the EU regulations as well as proper implementation.

Border Inspection Posts

Border Inspection Posts have also been established in Croatia for the purpose of empowering the veterinary and phytosanitary officers in the course of dispensing their duties in border inspections to make sure consignments are involved in safe movements to meet the requirements of international trade based on EU regulations. The government authorities in Croatia have empowered their administrative management as well as structures with 17 veterinary BIPs that facilitates in ensuring compatibility of their control systems with the EU regulations especially in areas of import controls. This responsibility is executed by trained administrative staffs as well as inspectors who are sufficiently skilled in public health requirements as stipulated in the EU.

Special system for food emergencies in Croatia

The government of Croatia is exposed to potential disasters that pose a great risk to food security. The government has therefore initiated systems of food emergencies and the efforts are further complimented by the Red Cross society in the country. The Red Cross in Croatia is particularly beneficial at local as well as national levels in the management of crisis that pose threats to food security. A number of support as well as prepared activities have been executed to mitigate against potential disasters that area threat to food security and human life (European Food Safety Control Systems).

Opinion

The Official Control of Foodstuffs system in Croatia can be considered as a bureaucratic one and that can easily be understood. The various provisions and articles that have been provided for in the act that is responsible or implementation of The Official Control of Foodstuffs system in Croatia gives little room for loophole that can allow food safety problem not to be detected. The authorities are very keen on every measure that can be a cause of risk to the consumers. The systems has therefore been reliable in all European member states and no major cases of risks that are associated with food safety concerns have been reported. This therefore can be considered as an efficient and effective system in food security.

Workshop:  Balkan Food Emergency.

RASFF – Food and Feed Safety Alerts

The European Union maintains the highest standards of food safety across the globe through solid legislatures that have been enacted in the region for ensuring food safety to the consumers. The Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed, RASFF, that is established under Rapid Alert System of Regulation 178/2002 plays a crucial role in ascertain sufficient flow of information for the purpose of quick response to any form of risk that is posed to public health during cross-border transit. RASFF plays a key role in information sharing between the EU member states with urgent notifications for efficient and collective response. This has resulted to constructive gains in reverting majority of the risks that are associated with food before they leak havoc to consumers within EU jurisdictions. The information exchange facilitated by RASFF has in most cases necessitated for recalling o suspicious food products and their withdrawal from the market. This is an indication of high value in ensuring the safety of food in the EU and other regions.

The RASFF database is a good source of information to the general public concerning the latest transmissions of notifications as well as past notifications. Europe has continued to rely heavily on RASFF in ascertaining the highest possible standard of food safety across the globe. RASFF has continuously focused on enhancement of collaboration within the EU member states in addressing the food health risks that may be associated with serious health risk implications. RASFF also introduced a consumer portal in June 2014 that is a good source of the most updated data concerning food recalls as well as public health warnings across the countries in the European Union. RASFF database is a creation of European Commission whose mandate is transparency of information to all consumers, the government authorities as well as the business operators across the globe. The RASFF must however be impartial with respect to balancing between the interests of transparency and information protection which is a potential cause of economic damage.

Reference

European Food Safety Control Systems http://www.fao.org/docrep/meeting/008/y5871e/y5871e0l.htm

Last 5 FVO audit reports relating to Croatia http://ec.europa.eu/food/fvo/country_profiles/details.cfm?co_id=HR