Outline - FVO Mission Programme - January-June 2000.

1. Introduction

Mission Programme

1.1 This document describes the outline control and inspection programme of the Food and Veterinary Office (FVO) for the first half of 2000. The following factors have been taken into account in establishing the priorities that have led to this programme:

- (ongoing) FVO control and inspection programmes, both in the Member States and in third countries,

- legal obligations for carrying out inspections, - results of previous missions (recommendations for follow-up),

- preliminary results of the Mission Prioritisation System,

- information provided through other sources, i.e. the Rapid Alert System,

- requests from other Commission services,

- trade/economic issues.

1.2. The programme is the result of a weighing of, on the one hand, the priorities set and, on the other, the availability of human and financial resources.

1.3. Where resources need to be made available to deal with the consequences of equivalency agreements, urgent disease/health emergencies and/or suspected fraudulent activity, there may be consequences for the completion of the mission programme.

1.4. The detached inspectors based in the USA, Uruguay and Thailand will participate in the inspection activities in those third countries which they cover. They will also participate in activities relating to equivalency agreements. 1.5. The FVO remains committed to the participation of Member State experts in the carrying out of the mission programme. Working Methods

1.6. In terms of the nature of the missions carried out, the shift away from "on-the-spot"- inspections (involving detailed checks on individual establishments) continues as most missions will be geared towards an assessment of the competent authority's performance in ensuring compliance with the legislation, rather than on-the-spot inspections. However, on-site verification will remain an important part of the missions and the existing legal obligations to carry out inspections in individual premises will be taken into account.

Full audit missions will apply to third countries with which equivalency agreements have been concluded; in relation to Member States, they will be be introduced in certain areas where auditable systems are in place.

1.7. Aside from carrying out missions, the FVO will increasingly concentrate on the follow-up of its inspections with a view to ensuring that recommendations made are positively responded to.

2. Mission Programme 1st half of 2000: activities

The following areas constitute the main priorities for FVO missions in the first semester of 2000:

1. Food Safety

1.1 Member States

1. Series of missions in all Member States will be continued or concluded in the following sectors:

- Poultry-meat production. The programme concentrates on controls over the whole production chain, including on-farm disease controls, and with attention for certain zoonoses (Salmonella); The programme also includes welfare-aspects (laying hens);

- Milk and milk products; - TSE-controls: the series of missions concerning TSE-surveillance will be concluded, where appropriate combined with follow-ups on previous missions (animal waste, feed ban);

- Concerning food of non-animal origin, missions concerning the application of HACCP-systems in the retail sector will continue. Furthermore, visits concerning pesticides and organic farming will be continued.

2. Follow-up missions and re-visits will be carried out concerning:

- residue programmes.

3. New series of missions will be started in the following areas:

- with regard to meat and meat products, series of missions will be started concerning pig meat production, meat products and preparations, and game meat;

- the production of animal feedstuffs.

1.2 The programme for Border Inspection Posts will continue, but will focus more on the competent authority performance than was previously the case. The issue of inspection fees will continue to be dealt with in this area.

1.3 Third Countries:

- Assessment of CA performance in third countries which export to the EU on the basis of Council Decision 95/408/EC, which establishes provisional lists of authorised third countries and establishments. In this context, controls concerning fishery products and bivalve molluscs (country lists), milk products, certain meat products and certain categories of game meat will be of particular importance.

- certain missions are planned concerning waste, processed animal proteins and products therefrom;

- the series of missions concerning residue programmes will concentrate on larger producers and will take account of the relevant products;

- concerning organic farming one third country mission is foreseen within the framework of an existing equivalency agreement;

- missions concerning contaminants will be carried out in 1 third country where the Rapid Alert System has identified regular excessive radioactivity levels in certain products.

2. Animal Health and Welfare

2.1 Member States

1. The series of missions in Member States will be continued concerning disease contingency plans, concerning Foot- and mouth disease and Classical Swine Fever.

2. Follow-up missions and re-visits will be carried out concerning:

- animal welfare, and concentrating on staging posts. The checks on the application of EU welfare rules for slaughter will continue to be included in visits to slaughterhouses;

- certain EU-funded disease eradication programmes, in countries where problems were identified.

3. New series of missions will be started in the following areas:

- concerning animal health, new missions will be planned concerning certification and movement control of live animals;

- In relation to animal welfare, a new series of missions will be started concerning the housing of calves (for veal production), and pigs.

2.2 Third Countries:

In relation to animal health, animal disease control procedures will be subject to inspections in relation to exports and certification of live animals, and animal products.

3. Plant Health

3.1 Member States

1. Follow-up missions, re-visits and routine missions will be carried out, concentrating on disease outbreaks;

2. New series of audit-type missions will be started in the areas of potato crops and fruit plants.

3.2 Third Countries:

missions are envisaged in relation to requests for the recognition of disease-free status, and with a view to establishing controls in place following the interception in the EU of diseased material.

3. Summary of the proposed mission programme

The following summary of the proposed mission programme is offered for ease of understanding. This does not take account of emergency missions which, by their very nature, cannot be anticipated. The missions foreseen to be carried out in individual Member States and third countries are at Annexes I and II, respectively.

1. Missions with regard to food of animal origin (mammals)

1.Red meat controls

Visits to 5 Member States, and 5 third countries,

2. Meat products controls

Visits to 5 Member States, and 5 third countries,

3. Game meat controls

Visits to 5 Member States and 5 third countries,

4. Milk/milk products controls

Visits to 7 Member States and 5 third countries,

1.3 Eradication programmes/ Contingency plans

Visits concerning 7 programmes/plans in 7 Member States,

1.4 Live animal controls and Animal health

Visits to 2 Member States and 6 third countries,

5. Animal welfare controls

Visits to 8 Member States, and 1 third country.

2. Missions with regard to food of animal origin (birds), plant health, Transmissible Spongiform Encelopathies (TSEs), and border inspection posts (BIPs)

2.1 Poultry meat production

Visits to 8 Member States and 2 third countries,

2.2 Plant health controls:

- Potato production

Visits to 3 Member States, and 2 third countries,

- Fruit (Plants)

Visits to 2 Member States and 2 third countries,

- Outbreaks/Plant pest controls

Visits to 3 Member States.

2.3 TSE-controls

Visits to 7 Member States, and 1 visit to 1 third country concerning waste/processed animal proteins,

2.4 Animal feedstuffs

Visits to 3 Member States,

2.5 "Balai"-products

Visits to 2 third countries,

2.6 Border inspection posts

Visits to 9 Member States and 2 third countries,

3. Missions with regard to food of animal origin (fish) and non-animal origin, residues

3.1 Bivalve molluscs

Visit to 3 third countries,

3.2 Fishery products

Visits to 3 Member States and 17-18 third countries,

3.3 Food of non animal origin:

-Food-controls Visit to

3 Member States,

-Organic farming

Visits to 1 Member State and 1 third country,

-Contaminants

Visits to 2 Member States, and 1 third country,

-Pesticide controls

Visits to 3 Member States,

3.4 Residue monitoring

Visits to 1 Member State and 10 third countries,

3.5 Reference Laboratories

Visits to 2 Member States and 1 third country.

In addition, in respect of the following areas, controls will be carried out, where possible, during the missions described above:

-Official services
-Zoonoses
-Certification procedures
-Animal feedstuffs/animal proteins
-Animal identification
-Animal welfare (poultry) and slaughter
-Disease status
-Live Poultry
-Laboratories
-Markets
-Milk/Milk products not intended for human consumption.

BELGIUM:

Fresh Meat - pig meat
Meat products/preparations
Game Meat
On-farm Welfare
Poultry meat production
[Pesticides]

DENMARK:

Meat products/preparations
On-farm welfare
TSEs
Plant health - Potatoes
BIPs

GERMANY:

Fresh Meat - pig meat
Milk/Milk products
Contingency plans
Poultrymeat production
Plant health - Potatoes
Animal feedstuffs
TSEs
BIPs
Laboratory Controls - CRL CSF

GREECE:

Milk/Milk products
Transport of live animals
Poultrymeat production, zoonoses
Plant health - Potatoes
Contaminants
Residue monitoring

SPAIN:

Fresh Meat - pig meat
Meat Products & Preparations
Game Meat
Staging points/Transport
Plant health - Forest plants
BIPs
TSEs

FRANCE:

Fresh Meat - pig meat
Meat Products & Preparations
Game Meat
Certification/Movement control
Plant health - fruit plants
Plant health - forest plants
BIPs
Laboratory Controls - CRL Milk

IRELAND:

Milk/Milk products
Certification/Movement control
Eradication programmes - Tuberculosis
BIPs
Fishery Products

ITALY:

Game Meat
Milk/Milk products
Eradication programmes - B. Melitensis
Staging points/Transport
Plant health - fruit plants
TSEs
Animal feedstuffs
Pesticide Controls
Contaminants
Organic Farming

LUXEMBOURG:

Milk/Milk products
Poultrymeat production

NETHERLANDS:

Fresh Meat - pig meat
Meat Products & Preparations
Game Meat
BIPs
Pesticides

AUSTRIA:

Contingency plans
Staging points/Transport
Poultrymeat production
BIPs
Food Controls - HACCP
Fishery Products

PORTUGAL:

Milk/Milk products
Eradication programmes - B. Melitensis
Poultrymeat Production
Plant health - Outbreaks
TSEs
Food Controls - HACCP

FINLAND:

Contingency plans
Poultrymeat Production
TSEs
BIPs

SWEDEN:

Contingency plans
On-farm welfare
Poultrymeat Production
Animal feedstuffs
Food Controls - HACCP

UNITED KINGDOM:

Milk/Milk products
On-farm welfare, staging posts
TSEs
BIPs
Aquaculture
Pesticide Controls

(ALBANIA)

- Animal Health

ANGOLA:

- Fishery Products

ARGENTINA:

- Meat Products & Preparations
- Milk/Milk products
- Organic Farming
- Residue Monitoring

AUSTRALIA:

- Fresh Meat
- Residue Monitoring

BELIZE:

- Fishery Products

BOTSWANA:

- Animal Health - FMD (combined Zimbabwe/Swaziland)

BULGARIA

- Residue Monitoring
- Laboratory Controls: FMD Lab.

CAMEROON:

- Fishery Products

CANADA:

- Fresh Meat (CA audit, pig meat)
- Waste / by-products - Residue monitoring

CHILE:

- Animal Health
- Residue monitoring

COSTA RICA:

- Fishery Products

CYPRUS:

- Animal Health
- General
- Fishery Products

CZECH REPUBLIC:

- Game Meat
- Milk/Milk products

EGYPT:

- Plant health
- Potatoes

FAROE ISLANDS:

- Bivalve Molluscs

GABON:

- Fishery products

GREENLAND:

- Bivalve Molluscs
- Fishery Products

HONDURAS:

- Fishery Products

HUNGARY:

- Fresh Meat
- Meat products & Preparations - Game Meat
- Poultrymeat Production
- Residue monitoring ICELAND:
- BIPs (- Fishery Products)
- Residue monitoring

KAZAKHSTAN:

- Fishery Products

LAOS:
- Animal health
- "balai"
-products

LEBANON:

- Animal welfare
- transport

MALTA: - Fishery Products

MOZAMBIQUE:

- Fishery Products

NETHERLANDS ANTILLES:

- Fishery Products

(NEW CALEDONIA):
- Fishery Products

NICARAGUA:

- Fishery Products

NORWAY:

- BIPs

POLAND:

- Game Meat
- Meat Products & Preparations

RUSSIA:

- Residue monitoring

SINGAPORE:

- Milk/Milk products

SLOVAK REPUBLIC:

- Game Meat
- Plant health
- Potato crops
- Plant health
- Fruit plants

SLOVENIA:

- Residue Monitoring

(SOLOMON ISLANDS:)

- Fishery Products

SOUTH AFRICA:

- Game Meat

ST. VINCENT/GRENADINE:

- Fishery Products

SWAZILAND:

- Animal Health - FMD (combined Zimbabwe/Botswana)

SWITZERLAND:

- Fresh Meat

TAIWAN:

- Animal health - "balai"-products

TUNISIA:

- Poultrymeat Production

TURKEY:

- Milk/Milk products

UKRAINE:

- Contaminants (radio-activity)

USA:

- Fresh Meat (CA audit, pig meat)
- Plant health
- Citrus fruits
(- Fishery Products)
(- Residue Monitoring)

URUGUAY:

- Meat Products
- Milk/Milk products
- Animal Health - FMD, CSF

ZIMBABWE:

- Meat Products
- Animal Health - FMD (combined Botswana/Swaziland