Czech Republic and Food Safety

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Czech Republic and Food Safety

• Milena VicenováMinistry of Agriculture
• Food Authority
• Food Safety Department

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Basic information
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Administrative structure

• 1 NUTS I region
• 7 NUTS II regions
• 14 NUTS III regions
• 76 NUTS IV regions
• 6249 NUTS V regions

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Ministry of Agriculture
Central State Authority in the field of

• agriculture
• water management
• food industry
• forestry
• hunting and gamekeeping
• fisheries

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Food Authority

• Established 1 April 2005 within the MoA
• Headed by Director General
• Concentration of all activities of the state
  administration in the field of foodstuffs
  production and food and feed safety

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Food Sector Structure
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Why to put emphasis on food safety?

• It concerns everyone.
• 91 of EU population express interest in it.
• Has direct impact on
• the quality and length of life,
• population health.

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Inter-ministerial co-operation

• Ministry of Agriculture
• co-ordination of the food safety system
• official control of food and feed production
• Ministry of Health
• assessment of health risks
• official control of catering

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Food Safety Co-ordination in the Czech Republic
Government
Minister of Health
Minister of Agriculture
Section of Chief Hygienic Officer
Secretariat of CU (Ministry of Agriculture)
Bodies of Public Health Protection
Co-ordination unit
State Veterinary Administration
Ministry of Industry and Trade
RASFF - Czech Agriculture and Food Inspection
Authority
Ministry of the Environment
State Phytosanitary Administration
Ministry of Interior
Central Institute for Supervising and Testing in
Agriculture
Ministry of Transport
Ministry of Defense
Scientific Committees
Information Centre
Ministry of Justice
State Office for Nuclear Safety
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Co-ordination Unit - functions

• Advisory body of the Minister of Agriculture
• Co-ordinates activities in the food safety area
• Provides for co-operation among state
• Supervisory bodies, scientific committees,
• Consumers and state administration
• Co-operates with the EFSA and national food
• Safety institutions in EU Member States

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Scientific committees

• established in 2002
• members are leading experts
• provide risk assessment

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Scientific Committees

• Veterinary Scientific Committee (MoA)
• Scientific Committee on Phytosanitary and
  Environment (MoA)
• Scientific Committee on Animal Nutrition (MoA)
• Scientific Committee on Food (MoH)

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Co-operation between CR and the EFSA

• ensure and co-ordinate Food Safety Co-ordination
  Unit
• co-operation from 3/2003 in the capacity of an
  observer
• At present
• participation in the meetings of the EFSA
  Advisory Forum,
• working group for communication,
• working group for IT,
• access to Extranet.
• Future communication
• video-conferences

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Participation of the CR in the RASFF

• participation since 2004
• Members
• SAFIA, SVA, CISTA, BPHP, SONS,
• MoA, MoH
• Co-operating - MoD, MoS, MoI, MoF-GDC, IAFI
• Act on Foodstuffs No. 110/1997 Coll.
• Act on Feedingstuffs No. 91/1996 Coll.
• Government Decree in effect from 3/2005

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Monitoring of contaminants in food chains

• launched at the MoA in 1992
• done by departmental competent authorities
  performing official control and research
  institutes
• MoA ensures monitoring of

• raw materials and foodstuffs
• feedstuff and feeding water
• farmland

• farmland fallouts
• surface water(small water courses)
• water and forest ecosystems

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GM food and feed and novel food

• Ministry of Agriculture,Food Safety and
  Technology of the Living Environment Dept.,is
  responsible for the adminstration of applications
  for puting on the market of GM food and feed and
  the novel food.

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Communication with consumers organisations

• close co-operation of the MoA with non-government
• organisations
• participation of representatives of consumers
  in
• - the Food Safety Co-ordination Unit,
• - the Working Group for communication with
  consumers.

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Working Group for communication with consumers

• representatives of Ministries, Scientific
  Committees,
• consumers organisations and the IAFI
• objectives
• Informing the public and raising its awareness
• Promotion of appropriate dietary habits among
  consumers
• Raising consumers awareness and promotion of
  domestic produce
• information flows for general public

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Food Safety Information Centre

• www.bezpecnostpotravin.cz
• news
• information on Food Safety Co-ordination Unit
• information on Scientific Committees
• reports from the monitoring of contaminants
• supervision over foodstuffs
• legislation (CR, EU, Codex Alimentarius,
  Standards)
• links to food safety websites

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Basic strategic document

• Strategy to Assure Food Safety in the CR after
  Accession to the EU
• adopted in December 2004
• review in 2006
• emphasis on improving of communication within
  the CR, EU Member States, EU bodies and third
  countries

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Main operational tasks for 2005

• to improve the system of communication
• to prepare the procedures for GMO approval
• to draw up the crisis management plan for food
  and feed safety area

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Why did we meet?

• to learn from EU countries experience
• to compare possible ways of risk management and
  communication
• to implement lessons learned into the crisis
  management and communication plan