Food safety : a shared responsibility
In addition to the 3 round tables on the same issue scheduled by the DG SANCO in 2010, the European professional associations in the heart of the system (COPA-COGECA for livestock farmers, UECBV for slaughterhouses and FVE for veterinarians) are organizing a seminar with the aim of establishing a state of play of the strong points and the weak points of the current system in order to determine the possible bases of a risk-based inspection. This seminar is a follow-up of the seminar on veterinary inspection organized by the French Presidency in July 2008 in Lyon and is meant to deepen the dialogue between professionals but also the dialogue with the competent authorities and decision-makers.
Following the seminar on veterinary inspection organized by the French Presidency in July 2008 in Lyon, and in addition to the 3 round tables on the same issue scheduled by the DG SANCO in 2010, the European professional associations in the heart of the system (livestock farmers, slaughterhouses and veterinarians) are organizing a seminar with the aim of establishing a state of play of the strong points and the weak points of the current system in order to determine the possible bases of a risk-based inspection.
Each professional association will present a state of play and their vision for the future in order to identify the common points and the issues for discussion. The pilot projects implemented in some Member States will be presented and lessons will be drawn.
A representative of Member States will also be given the opportunity to present the legal framework and their vision concerning the review of meat inspection. This will launch a discussion panel to which European political decision-makers will also participate (European Parliament, Commission). The discussion panel will deal with different themes such as le implementation of similar risk analysis methods, the link between food safety, animal welfare and animal health, the performance of auto-control systems, certification, task division (official veterinarians, official assistants and slaughterhouse staff), responsibility, training, flexibility, the consideration of the scientific and technical progress, recognition on the world market, etc.
The aim is to inform professionals of the possible future developments, to take into account their concerns and to derive from them concrete proposals while building a constructive dialogue with the authorities. A report of the works of the seminar could be presented at the second Commission round table meeting in autumn 2010.
The seminar is co-organized by COPA-COGECA, FVE and UECBV.
COPA-COGECA is the united voice of farmers and their cooperatives in the European Union.
The Federation of Veterinarians of Europe (FVE) aims to unite the European veterinary profession for the benefit of animal health, animal welfare and public health.
The European Livestock and Meat Trades Union (UECBV) unites national federations representing livestock markets, traders of live animals and meat of bovine, ovine, porcine and equine species, slaughterhouses, cutting plants and meat preparation units.