Brussels, 01/08/2007 (Agence Europe) - On Tuesday 31 July, the Health and Consumer Protection Directorate General of the European Commission published the programme of inspections to be carried out by the Food and Veterinary Office (FVO) in the second half of 2007. A total of 126 inspections are planned, with most (70%) dealing with food safety. 9% of inspections will be carried out in the animal health area, and the remaining 7% will deal with animal welfare, plant health and general reviews.
A little over half of inspections (52%) will take place in EU member states. An FVO operation in France and Germany will be carried out jointly with DG Agriculture of the Commission to “verify the payment of export refunds for live cattle”.
Here is the detailed list of inspections planned in EU member states:
Austria. Import controls of food and feed of plant origin; plant passport system and import controls (plant health); feed safety.
Belgium. Intra-Community trade in live animals.
Bulgaria. Feed safety; red meat/milk/game meat/preparations (including for animal health); animal welfare - general.
Czech Republic. Salmonella - table egg production sector; rabies; intra-Community trade in live animals.
Estonia. Feed safety; general review (update).
Finland. Hygiene package (red meat/milk/products/preparations); animal welfare on farms (pigs/calves/hens).
France. Food hygiene (food of plant origin/composite food) including mineral water and labelling of potential allergens; verification of payment of export refunds for live cattle.
Germany. Hygiene package (red meat/milk/products/preparations); verification of payment of export refunds for live cattle; scrapie (transmissible spongiform encephalopathy, TSE); general review (update).
Greece. Scrapie; genetically modified food and feed; general review (update).
Hungary. Salmonella - table egg production sector; rabies; general review (update)
Ireland. Infant/baby milk and baby food.
Italy. Brucella melitensis (ovine/caprine); general review (update); intra-Community trade in live horses; animal welfare during transport - slaughter horses
Latvia. Feed safety.
Lithuania. Import/transit controls of products of animal origin and live animals; intra-Community trade in live horses; food hygiene (food of plant origin/composite food) including mineral water and labelling of potential allergens; animal welfare during transport - slaughter horses.
Netherlands. Salmonella - table egg production sector; genetically modified food and feed; food additives, flavourings, food contact materials; general plant health evaluation and pest outbreaks (potato spindle tuber viroid).
Poland. Animal welfare during transport - slaughter horses; intra-Community trade in live horses; import controls (plant health); general review (update).
Romania. Red meat/milk/game meat/preparations (including for animal health); food hygiene (food of plant origin/composite food) including mineral water and labelling of potential allergens; general review; animal welfare during transport - slaughter horses.
Slovakia. Rabies; intra-Community trade in live animals.
Slovenia. Animal welfare on farms (pigs/calves/hens); feed safety.
Spain. Food additives, flavourings, food contact materials; scrapie; general review (update); hygiene package (Ceuta)
Sweden. Hygiene package (red meat/milk/products/preparations); import controls (plant health).
United Kingdom. Hygiene package (red meat/milk/products/preparations); food hygiene (food of plant origin/composite food) including mineral water and labelling of potential allergens; tuberculosis; import controls (plant health).
The FVO will carry out six inspections in EFTA countries in the areas of product hygiene (red meat in Iceland, and fisheries aquaculture products in Norway and Switzerland), import controls (products of animal origin and live animals in Iceland and Switzerland) and in plant health (in Switzerland).
13 inspections will be conducted in order to evaluate progress made by EU applicant countries. Inspections will be carried out in Croatia, Turkey and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia on a wide range of issues relating to food safety, animal health and welfare and plant health. A general review of the follow-up to FVO recommendations will accompany the programme in applicant countries.
Community vets will also travel to several third countries. 42 inspections are scheduled between July and December: on fisheries products in Argentina, Azerbaijan, Mexico, Nigeria, Salomon Islands, Vietnam, Ecuador, Fiji, Gabon, Guatemala, Dutch West Indies, Uruguay, Mozambique, Belize and Angola; on live bivalve molluscs in Malaysia; on red meat (including for foot and mouth disease) in the United States, Brazil, South Africa, Uruguay, Zimbabwe, Swaziland and Singapore; on milk and milk products from the United States; on pesticide residues in food of plant origin in Chile and Kenya; and on mad cow disease in Canada. (lc)