SUPPORTING EVIDENCE-BASED POLICIES

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SUPPORTING EVIDENCE-BASED POLICIES

• Professor Mike Roberts
• Chief Executive
• Central Science Laboratory
• Department for Environment, Food and
• Rural Affairs
• United Kingdom

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Background
AIM Sustaining and safeguarding agriculture,
food and environment

• Purpose built 120M laboratory based in York
• Turnover - 42m
• 700 staff, over 500 live projects

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Creating knowledge, providing solutions
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Customers
Department for Environment and Rural Affairs
Pesticides Safety Directorate
European Commission
Veterinary Medicines Directorate
Overseas Governments
Department for International Development
Environment Agency
Countryside Agencies
Industry and Levy Boards
Food Standards Agency
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CSL Objectives

• Counter invasive species, pests and diseases and
  support contingency plans.
• Promote safety of pesticides, veterinary
  medicines and environmental contaminants.
• Assess the quality, authenticity and safety of
  foods.
• Support agri-environment schemes, wildlife
  management and vertebrate control.
• Develop novel biocontrol agents and non-food
  crops.

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Science at CSL
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Scientific Services Data Flow
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EU Activities

• 1. EFSA Risk Assessment
• Collaborative Research FP6
• 3. Support to new member states TWINNING

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European Food Safety Authority (EFSA)

• Risk Assessment
• Hazard identification
• hazard characterisation
• exposure assessment
• risk characterisation
• Risk Communication

www.efsa.eu.int

• NOT
• Risk Management (DG SANCO)

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European Food Safety Authority

• Independent scientific advice on food safety
  issues to underpin policy development and
  legislation related to the food chain
• Science Committees
• - Food additives, flavourings, processing and
  contact materials
• - Dietetic products, nutrition and allergies
• Science Programmes
• - Integration of data
• - Emerging Risks
• - Contingency support

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Nitrofurans Analyses - Port Health Samples
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Numbers of Samples of Spices for Illegal Dyes
Analyses
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1 Sudan I, II, III IV 2 Para Red 3
Rhodamine B, Sudan Orange G Sudan Red 7B
Butter Yellow 4 Orange II 5 Sudan Red B
Sudan Red G Sudan Black B Toluidene Red
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Priorities in FP6 Programme

• Total food chain
• Epidemiology of food-related diseases
• Impact of food on health
• Traceability along the production chain
• Methods of analysis, detection and control
• Safer and environmentally friendly production
  methods and technologies
• Impact of animal feed on human health
• Environmental health issues

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Some examples of EU projects involving CSL

• Integrated Project TRACE
• (co-ordinated by CSL)
• Integrated Project BIOCOP
• (co-ordinated N Ireland)
• STREP project HEATOX
• (co-ordinated Sweden)
• STREP project QA-LIBRA
• (co-ordinated Iceland)
• SSA project SELAMAT
• (co-ordinated Netherlands)

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European Commission -DG Research
(IP) - tracing the origin of food

• 18. 6 M
• 60 months
• 50 participants (13 SMEs)

• To develop traceability methods and systems that
  will provide consumers with added confidence in
  the authenticity of European food.

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European initiatives to support food traceability

• Consumer socio-economic concerns and
• preferences relating to the origin of food-
• BSE,
• dioxins,
• Sudan red,
• regional foods,
• type of production
• EU FPVI Food 2003 2A T 4.1 Development of
  reliable traceability methods and systems to
  establish the origin/mode of production of food
  products

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European Commission -DG Research
(IP) - tracing the origin of food
Consumer Awareness Behaviour
Demonstration, Training, Dissemination
Fork
Farm
TIMCS
Traceable data capable of verifying the origin of
food

Traceability systems
Analytical Tools
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Twinning Supporting EU Enlargement

• EU-funded Twinning Programme
• Aims to assist Accession States and Candidate
  Countries develop modern and efficient
  administrations comparable to those of Member
  States
• Experts from Member States work with the
  beneficiary States for at least a year to build
  capacity in clearly defined areas
• Twinning is open to public sector organisations
  only

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Support to new Member States - TWINNING

• CSL will work with Accession Countries to build
  capacity in Phytosanitory Regulations and Food
  Safety

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Twinning CSLs portfolio of projects

• Phytosanitary support for Poland (with NI-CO
  200406)
• Phytosanitary support for Estonia (with CABI
  PDIR 200407)
• Plant protection training in Lithuania (with PSD
  SASA 200506)
• Phytosanitary support for Hungary (tba)
• Food safety support in Malta (with FSAI 2005-06)
• Establishment of Food-Chain Laboratories Agency
  in Republic of Serbia (with FSA NI-CO 2005-07)

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EU FP6 PORT CHECK

• Coordinator CSL (I Barker)
• Network of EU Plant Health testing labs and
  inspection services (38 partners)
• Strong SME presence
• Principal stakeholders included

RD partners (black) SME partners (grey) Ring
testing partners (green)
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EU FP6 PORTCHECK On-site testing
EU FP6 PORTCHECK On-site testing

• Feasibility of transferring real-time
  PCR technology to EU inspection services
  (quarantine plant diseases).
• Improved policing of EU borders to protect our
  crops and native species.
• Contingency planning animal health and
  agri-bioterrorism.

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Sixth Framework Programme - ERA-NET Scheme

• Aim To improve the cooperation and coordination
  of research programmes through
• Networking of research activities conducted at
  national or regional level.
• Mutual opening of national and regional
  research programmes.
• EUPHRESCO (EU PHytosanitary RESearch
  Coordination)
• ERA-NET Coordination Action (CA)
• Maximum funding 3 million Euros (100 eligible
  costs)
• Initiated by the COPHS and also supported by
  SCAR
• Coordinator Defra CSL, UK
• ca. 4 years duration
• Proposal to be submitted to the final FP6 call
  4 Oct 2005

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EUPHRESCO - Partners

• Eligible partners are research funders/programme
  managers acting on behalf of Member State legal
  entities
• Full partners must also have an existing research
  programme in the phytosanitary field.
• 24 Full partners, representing 17 countries UK,
  Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech
  Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany,
  Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Slovenia, Spain,
  Switzerland and Turkey.
• 6 Observers Estonia, Greece, Hungary, Lithuania,
  Malta and Portugal.

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Sustainable Agriculture and Food Safety

• EU and national strategy shifting from
  agricultural competitiveness to underpinning
  sustainable rural economy and environmental
  objectives.
• Pro-active approach of EU Agencies to food
  safety, with increases in national monitoring
  programmes and controls on food imports.
• National requirements to maintain capacity for
  risk management and contingency responses.
• Consolidation of the science base in national
  institutes and within ag-chem and food industries.