Brussels, 03/02/2016 (Agence Europe) - EU veterinary experts are quite happy with the thoroughness of the control systems for three quality schemes which provide Community-wide protection.
A report published on 27 January by the EU Food and Veterinary Office (FVO) provides an overview of the outcome of a series of audits carried out between October 2012 and November 2014 on official controls in place for protected designations of origin (PDOs), protected geographical indications (PGIs) and traditional specialities guaranteed (TSGs). These schemes register and protect quality agricultural products and foodstuffs.
The audit series indicates that official controls, in conjunction with the control activities of the producer groups, “provide a reasonable level of assurance concerning the integrity of PDO/PGI/TSG registrations”, the report states. It notes, however, that, although official controls are undertaken, most member states do not describe these specific control activities in their multiannual national control plan.
The FVO audit team noted that some elements of the product specifications were not comprehensively checked by control bodies during each and every inspection. In one member state, no competent authority was designated for official controls at grower and farm level. The key concern noted by the FVO audit team was the lack of supervision of the control bodies by the competent authorities, although this situation did not necessarily lead to unsatisfactory controls being performed by the inspectors.
Market controls were undertaken regularly but member state inspectors faced challenges in handling such inspections due to the lack of easily accessible information on presentation and packaging of PDO/PGI/TSG products. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)