The Czech Republic Date: September 2008 Twinning Light – the detailed project Fiche
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Twinning Light – THE DETAILED Project Fiche Basic Information CRIS Number: CZ06/018-182.07.01.08 Twinning number: CZ/06/IB/AG/08-TL Title: Improved Implementation of Acquis in the Area of Food Safety Surveillance Sector: Agriculture Location: Czech Republic, Czech Agriculture and Food Inspection Authority Objectives Overall Objective(s): Obligations stemming from the acquis in the area of food safety are adhered in the Czech Republic and competent authorities are performing control activities in such a way that free movement of goods is fully ensured, while high level of consumer protection is maintained Project purpose: The food law enforcement by the Czech Agriculture and Food Inspection Authority (CAFIA) is strengthened (Regulations No 178/2002/EC, 852/2004/EC, 882/2004/EC, 396/2005, 401/2006, 856/2005, 2073/2005, 2568/91, 213/2001 etc.) Inspection and laboratory capacities and skills are strengthened (Implementation and enforcement of acquis in various food business operators, namely the foreign substances and contaminants control and detection, irradiation of food and radioactivity, food labelling, and enhancing the laboratory capacity of the National Reference Laboratory in Prague and the laboratory in Brno). Justification The project reflects general food law requirements laid on the official control bodies and food business operators, as described in the Regulations No 178/2002/EC, 852/2004/EC and 882/2004/EC. It responds to the findings and recommendations of the recent FVO (Food and Veterinary Office – under the European Commission) missions to the Czech Republic, links to the Comprehensive Monitoring Report on the Czech Republic’s Preparations for Membership (CMR) and the EC Draft Report on Irradiated Foodstuffs. Furthermore, in the report No IE/CZ/AGR/05008 from the 19th of April 2006 the contribution of the TWL projects is well appreciated. Since the change in the food safety legislation is expected, additional requirements for training of CAFIA staff have emerged. The proposed project particularly responds to the Article 8 (Regulation No 178/2002/EC): “Food law shall aim at the protection of the interests of consumers and shall provide a basis for consumers to make informed choices in relation to the foods they consume. It shall aim at the prevention of: (a) fraudulent or deceptive practices; (b) the adulteration of food; and (c) any other practices which may mislead the consumer.” and to the Article 11 (Regulation No 178/2002/EC): “Food and feed imported into the Community for placing on the market within the Community shall comply with the relevant requirements of food law or conditions recognised by the Community to be at least equivalent thereto or, where a specific agreement exists between the Community and the exporting country, with requirements contained therein.” and to the Article 10 (Regulation No 852/2004) “As regards the hygiene of imported food, the relevant requirements of food law referred to in Article 11 of Regulation (EC) No 178/200 shall include the requirement laid down in Articles 3 to 6 of this Regulation) as well as to the Article 17, Paragraph 2 (Regulation No 178/2002/EC): “Member States shall enforce food law, and monitor and verify that the relevant requirements of food law are fulfilled by food and feed business operators at all stages of production, processing and distribution.“ In general the project also responds to the Article 6 of the Regulation No 882/2004, concerning the staff performing official control and their training. In particular it responds to different control techniques, such as auditing, sampling and inspection, specific control procedures and various hazards in food production as requested in the Annex II, Chapter I on the Subject matter for the training of staff performing official control. The project also strives to fulfil the recommendations of the European Commission latest report on food irradiation according to which member states must strengthen their controls against food, which has been illegally irradiated. With respect to the recent changes in food law, particularly in the area of pesticides, mycotoxins, enterotoxins and food labelling (alergens, fats and oils, and undeclared ingredients), e.g. the Regulations No 396/2005, No 401/2006, No 856/2005, No 2073/2005, No 2568/91 and No 213/2001, the project activities will be targeted at the up-to-date techniques and methods of determination of particular substances. Through project seminars and study stays the shortcomings stated in the latest FVO mission reports would be overcome. The shortcomings addressed by this project are in particular defined in point 7 and 8 of article 8 of the mission report DG (SANCO)/7628/2005 or article 3.9 of the DG (SANCO)8027/2006 mission report (recommendations to “consider increasing the number of samples taken for monitoring and follow-up, the range of pesticides and metabolites in the analytical screens and the capacity for routine analysis to ensure adequate enforcement of pesticides MRLs as specified in Council directives 76/895/EEC, 86/362/EEC, 90/642/EEC, as amended, and Commission Directives 91/321/EEC and 96/5/EC, as amended”, or point 5 of article 8.1 of the DG (SANCO)/7314/2004 mission report (recommendation to “proceed with the development of analytical procedures for irradiated foods, sudan red and for fusarium toxins”). The core of the project is therefore focused on training in application, implementation and enforcement of the specific EC Regulations where further assistance is needed. Similarly, the CMR reports “Further efforts are still needed to complete alignment and implementation of legislation in the area of foodstuffs”. This statement is a conclusion derived from a sentence describing the state of acquis transposition until September 2003: “Transposition of the foodstuffs acquis is almost complete, though further amendments to framework legislation (notably for the deletion of the pre-market approval for food for particular nutritional uses) and to national measures on labelling, official control irradiation, novel foods, labelling of genetically modified foodstuffs and monitoring of temperatures are necessary to ensure full alignment” (Chapter No 1, Free movement of goods).. Since the publication of the Comprehensive monitoring report (CMR) a lot of work has been done and the proposed project is not focused on national measures, but mainly on implementation and enforcement of EC legislation, however, reflects some of the above mentioned areas – labelling and irradiation. Lastly, to be in line with current trends in food safety systems (as stated in Paragraph No 30, the preamble of the Regulation No 178/2002/EC: “A food business operator is best placed to devise a safe system for supplying food and ensuring that the food it supplies is safe; thus, it should have primary legal responsibility for ensuring food safety. Although this principle exists in some Member States and areas of food law, in other areas this is either not explicit or else responsibility is assumed by the competent authorities of the Member State through the control activities they carry out. Such disparities are liable to create barriers to trade and distort competition between food business operators in different Member States.”) a training in fulfilment of acquis in specific types of food premises and audits of controlled subjects has been included as well. Description Background and justification: Food safety issues still have a very high profile. Food emergencies have arisen in recent years, globalisation affects trade in food and consumers are better informed than ever before. Rapid changes have been reflected by legislation development as well. Since the last enlargement the European Union has been more and more diversified in each aspect. Beside many benefits it could also lead to different understanding and implementation of EC legislation, especially by the new member states. Therefore, a review of the way in which safety controls are carried out is necessary. In the EU, reform has mainly come in the shape of attempts at standardising Member State food law and control systems. These changes mean food safety controls staff must become acquainted with new sets of rules and, training is a key factor. EU tackles this challenge by the initiative called “Better training for safer food”. The provided training is at very high level, however, only a few employees from CAFIA can participate and the trainings are focused only on a few food safety topics. Consequently, transfer of knowledge is limited in quantity and scale. Since an international cooperation is the best way for knowledge sharing and networking among control bodies carried out official foodstuffs control, the Transitional Facility programme is the optimal tool for the new member states, which still lack behind the old ones in terms of experiences. Moreover, the TF projects are tailored to the institutions’ needs and therefore should lead to the harmonization of control procedures in the specific areas. CAFIA is one of the key players in the food safety system of the Czech Republic. It bears responsibility for enforcement of EC legislation for foodstuffs of non-animal origin. It endeavours in the near future to be involved in all those measures and activities that are necessary to improve food safety standards and systems. The project reflects the above-mentioned facts by proposed training activities focused on application, implementation and enforcement of the specific EC Regulations where further assistance is necessary (No 882/2004/EC, No 852/2004/EC, No 178/2002/EC, 396/2005, 401/2006, 856/2005, 2073/2005, 2568/91 and 213/2001). These Regulations consist of the Regulations adopted before the accession, the Regulations adopted nearly simultaneously with the accession and those adopted after the accession of the Czech Republic to the EU. By definition the purpose of the Transition Facility is to continue in assistance to the new Member States in their efforts to strengthen their administrative capacity to implement Community legislation and to foster exchange of best practice, as a follow-up of the assistance provided until accession under Phare. The reason why further assistance in case of the recent EC Regulations mentioned above is needed, in contrast to the old Member States, is that the Czech Republic did not take part in negotiations during preparation of this legislation and therefore, is not acquainted with the heart of the legislation, its construction and implications to that extent as the old Member States. It created factual disparity, which should be tackled by the proposed project. The project content could be regarded as a tool, which would enable and contribute to the change from the present to the desired state. The desired state means the situation when the new EC Regulations are used in precise and accurate way, smoothly implemented, the capacity of laboratories and human resources is enhanced and the CAFIA’s ability to face the requirements that stem from the EU membership and recent development in the area of food safety is strengthened. Furthermore, it means that the CAFIA has the capacity to participate in twinning-out projects focused on applicant countries. Finally, it means that the minor drawbacks reported by the two latest FVO missions are eliminated or at least reduced. The project activities are aimed not only at issues specified in various EC reports, but also in areas where CAFIA is aware of need for further training and improvement of its activities. Linked activities: Necessary modernisation and restructuring measures have taken place since mid 90´s, utilising own capital, state subsidies and Community support. Firstly CAFIA participated as a beneficiary in the projects CZ 9809-04-01&02 Support to the Czech Agriculture and Food Inspectorate and CZ 9809-04-03&04 Servers, personal computers and cabling and telecommunication equipment. The objective of the former was to provide necessary technical assistance to bring the Czech food control system in line with EU standards from the point of view of legislation and inspection practices. The purpose was especially to provide sufficient training to the relevant CAFIA staff in the selected fields of the official control of foodstuffs and legislation. The objective of the latter was to improve the information system in order to establish a well functioning system linking up the CAFIA head office with the regional offices and the customs authorities via the investments in the telecommunication equipment, which allowed a faster distribution of information about the foodstuffs. The investments into the CAFIA information system were also focused on modernization of IT equipment and unification of net operation systems. The above-mentioned activities were further developed in the CZ2002/IB/AG/01 Strengthening Food Safety Policy project. The project went further and provided a follow-up on a number of components, namely on training CAFIA´s staff skills and competence; CAFIA was certified according to the ISO 9001:2000 series standard for quality management systems and a food safety information system was built. In the sphere of further education of CAFIA employees, the project contributed to a deeper knowledge and skills of CAFIA personnel and ensured a smooth functioning of a new organisational structure of CAFIA via professional and management training. CAFIA addressed other authorities involved in food safety issues in the Czech Republic to co-operate in establishing the common information system which would serve for collecting data about dangerous foodstuffs and for their transfer to either surveillance authorities or to consumer based on the nature of the data. The information system contains inspection data of the State Veterinary Administration, State Phytosanitary Administration, Central Institute for Supervision and Testing in Agriculture, Public Health Service and Customs Authorities. Additional expertise has been obtained through the Phare 2004/082-071-077 “Safe Food All Over Europe” project (coordinated by Veneto Region, Regional Government, Padova, Italy) run within the Phare Small Projects Programme scheme. This project, commenced in November 2004, enabled an exchange of experience and information among experts coming from countries in eastern and southern Europe. Surveillance bodies and food research institutions in EU and Phare countries were put together to compare their practices in dealing with implementation of EU food safety acquis. Exchange of know-how, exchange of information concerning methods, procedures and tools used in the food control, establishment of personal contacts among inspectors in the cross-border region with the purpose of long-term co-operation were the specific objectives of the recently finished project CZ.04.4.83/3.1.00.1/0043 entitled “Co-operation of the Czech and Austrian food inspectors in the Czech-Austrian cross-border region”. The project ran under the Initiative INTERREG IIIA and has led to a better integration and harmonization of control procedures in both countries. Exchange of know-how was carried out through short study stays of inspectors to the partner’s border regions. The CAFIA also carried out the Phare TWL project CZ 03/IB/AG/03-TL “OFFCOS” focused on the strengthening of the official control system of food of non-animal origin coming to the Czech Republic from the third countries. The knowledge concerning EU customs legislation, awareness of high-risk non-animal products and organization and functioning of control systems for non-animal food in other member states was obtained. The outcome of this project enables to take effective and coordinated measures and actions against non-complying foods. The next TF project CZ 04/IB/AG/01-TL “COSTRA” dealt with risk management and communication. By the end of the project the CAFIA learned to forestall and face critical situations, withstand pressures imposed from different stakeholders and communicate effectively. “Enhancing the Food Law Enforcement by the Czech Agriculture and Food Inspection Authority” is the title and the main goal of the project CZ06-IB-AG-02-TL. The project consists of the training sessions focused on applicability and enforcement of the regulations adopted before (Regulation No. 178/2002/EC) and nearly simultaneously with the accession of the Czech Republic to the EU (Regulation No. 852/2004/EC and No. 882/2004/EC). The second part strongly responds to the gaps identified by the FVO missions, the CMR and previous Phare projects. The project also includes the supply of equipment - liquid chromatograph with mass spectrometer LC/MS/MS – triplequad and transfer of know-how via study visits. The currently proposed project supplements these activities, especially those activities connected with liquid chromatograph LC/MS/MS – triplequad, issues of official control of foodstuffs and laboratory capacity enhancement. The project commenced in September 2007. “Strengthening Food Safety Strategy through E-commerce Surveillance of Foodstuffs”CZ05-06-01-05 is the technical assistance project that also started in September 2007. The goal of the project is to enhance the capacity of the CAFIA in application and implementation of EC legislation related to the e-commerce (Directive 2000/31/EC, etc.) and to improve the cross-border online services in the European Union and to provide legal certainty to business and citizens alike. Results: Specific results stemming from the individual parts of the project Twinning Light Training The result of introductory (1) seminar will be a written report taking down all important information on the mission, vision, food surveillance activities, system of inspection and control procedures of project partners. The participants will have a general overview on way of acquis implementation and inspection methodology in the partner’s authority. The report will be handed out to the participants in the subsequent trainings. The seminar will also serve for clarification of the training activities` content between the beneficiary and the project provider Note: CAFIA had experienced a loss of time caused by introduction of project partner’s institution and its activities to different audience at the beginning of every seminar during previous projects’ implementation, therefore the introductory seminar was proposed. After the training activities will have been finished the following outcomes will be achieved: Foreign substances and contaminants in foodstuffs (2) and irradiation of food and radioactivity (3) are the seminars that will extend CAFIA’s inspectors’ knowledge in the proposed areas and therefore, will contribute to more efficient preparation for official controls. In this respect, the trainings will contribute to the fulfilment of the Article 6 (Regulation No 882/2004/EC) where it is stated that the competent authority shall ensure that all of its staff performing official controls receive, for their area of competence, appropriate training enabling them to undertake their duties competently and to carry out official controls in a consistent manner (including possible risks for human health). The outcome of the trainings in fulfilment of acquis in specific types of food premises (7) and in food labelling (8), will be that by the end of the project the trained CAFIA’s staff will be able to formulate specific control procedures to ensure proper implementation of the relevant acquis. The seminars concerning molecular biological methods for food authenticity (4), chemometrics (5), proteomics (6), good laboratory practice (12), measurement of uncertainty, validation and quality assurance (10), inter-laboratory proficiency testing scheme (11) and detection of fats and oils adulteration (9) will improve the enforcement of the Article 8 (Regulation No 178/2002/EC) and the Article 12 (Regulation No 882/2004/EC) and therefore, will assist with the protection of consumers’ interests and enhancement of official control laboratories capacity. It will also contribute to the improvement of control procedures and in this respect to the prevention of fraudulent or deceptive practices, the adulteration of food and any other practices, which may mislead the consumer. The trainings in pesticides analysis by LC/MS/MS triplequad, analysis of mycotoxins recently included into EC legislation and allergens and enterotoxins analysis by ELISA (Exploring Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay) method (9) will result in the fact that the CAFIA’s laboratory in Prague will have the capacity and well qualified and experienced staff to fulfil the duties stemming from the role as the national reference laboratory. Furthermore, the acquis in relevant areas will be properly implemented. Benchmark: approx. 280 CAFIA staff trained in 15 different topics (on the whole approx. 18 training sessions held in the Czech Republic – see table on the next page), necessary professional knowledge and information gained and practical skills enhanced. Note: Some of the employees may attend more than one training session. The number of staff trained within the project is just preliminary and will be fine-tuned during project implementation with respect to effectiveness, efficiency and impact of the project. Transfer of know-how via study visits By the end of the project employees taking part in study visits will be able to apply learned methods and use obtained know how. Practically it means that trained staff in charge will be capable to carry out analysis in order to ensure that duties and requests stemming from the relevant acquis (Article 8, Regulation No 178/2002/EC; Directive No 2003/13/EC; Directive No 2003/14/EC; Regulation No 396/2005/EC; Recommendation No 2006/26/EC; Regulation No 401/2006; Regulation No 856/2005; Decision No 2006/504/EC; Directive No 2003/89/EC; Regulation No 2073/2005/EC; Regulation No 2568/1991/EC; Regulation No 213/2001/EC; Directive No 2000/36) are fulfilled. Benchmark: international experience for approx. 10 CAFIA staff members obtained; programme of study visits successfully completed, practical skills of the CAFIA staff established, participants have a comprehensive overview of recent methods used in connection with pesticide and mycotoxins analysis, allergens and enterotoxins determination, detection of fats and oils adulteration, and molecular biological methods. 3.4 Activities: Within the framework of the twinning project the training activities (seminars, workshops) and international experience (study visits) are envisaged. 1. Twinning Light Training All the training activities are targeted at the better implementation of acquis in the areas where further improvement is needed. The areas were identified by CAFIA’s expert team as the topics by which the CAFIA lack behind the old EU member states in terms of experiences obtained during the preparation of the legislation as well as the implementation. Therefore the training plan reflects the requirements given by relevant EU legislation. The set up of the plan is driven by our policy of a continuous improvement of the official authority inspections. The training should enhance both the theoretical knowledge and practical implementation of EC legislation.
Introductory seminar Foreign substances and contaminants in foodstuffs Irradiation of food and radioactivity Molecular biological methods for food authenticity (DNA identification) Chemometrics – statistical methods, development and use of databases Proteomics – protein based methods Fulfilment of acquis in specific types of food premises Food labelling Enhancing the capacity of CAFIA’s laboratory in Prague recognised as the national reference laboratory Measurement of uncertainty, validation and quality assurance Inter-laboratory proficiency testing scheme Good laboratory practice Since indicators of achievement have to be quantifiable and verifiable, an internal training evaluation form will be used to assess the quality of seminar, the fulfilment of the seminars’ objectives and their impact on the target groups. Every participant of a training session will be obliged to fill in the form and an average mark will be regarded as the indicator of achievement.
The target group will be selected from inspectors, senior inspectors, lawyers, laboratory staff and middle management from both the headquarters and all regional inspectorates according to their specialization and duties. Transfer of know how (via study visits) All study visits are connected with laboratory activities carried out in the CAFIA laboratories situated in Prague and Brno and are a follow-up to the seminars described under the training. The laboratory in Prague was designated as the National Reference Laboratory by the Ministry of Agriculture in accordance with Article 33 of Regulation No 882/2004/EC for the following areas: Pesticides in fruits and vegetables Pesticides single residue methods Pesticides in cereals Mycotoxins The CAFIA laboratory situated in Brno is a member of the European Network of GMO laboratories (ENGL). The study visits should foster human resources in terms of experiences, knowledge, technical and managerial skills in the new advanced analytical methods. The proposed study visits are following:
study stay focused on multiresidue methods as well as single methods for determination the residues of polar pesticides measured by use of the liquid chromatograph with mass spectrometer LC/MS/MS triplequad (Regulation No 396/2005/EC; Recommendation No 2006/26/EC) study stay focused on detection of mycotoxins where limits have been recently set up by EC legislation, e.g. zearalenon, T2 toxin, HT2 toxin, fumonisins (Regulation No 401/2006; Regulation No 856/2005; Decision No 2006/504/EC) study stay focused on allergens and enterotoxins determination by ELISA methods by e.g. peanuts, nuts, soy beans, staphylococcal enterotoxins etc. (Directive No 2003/89/EC; Regulation No 2073/2005/EC) study stay focused on analytical methods for detection of fats and oils adulteration (cocoa butter, olive oils, vegetable oils) and methods for detection of vegetable fats used as substitution of cocoa butter (Regulation No 2568/1991/EC; Regulation No 213/2001/EC; Directive No 2000/36) study stay focused on molecular biological analytical methods for food authenticity based on DNA identification (Regulation No 882/2004/EC).
The study visits will be carried out in order to transfer the best practices and to use full potential of the equipments, used for detection of mentioned substances, in terms of capacity and a range of methodologies. During the study visits expert knowledge will be obtained, participants will learn how the equipments could be effectively controlled, ”best-practice” examples will be demonstrated and comprehensive guidelines transferred.
Transfer of the latest pieces of knowledge and demonstrations of best laboratory practices is feasible only by hands-on experience that will be provided by the proposed study visits. The indispensability and added value of the study visits lies in the opportunity to experience the related equipments and analytical methods in common daily operation including whole process of sample preparation, measurement and evaluation. Furthermore, the participants could observe how things are done in another Member State, establish contacts and learn from people with a similar job and responsibilities who would not probably take part as lecturers in training activities because of limited number of experts coming to the Czech Republic. Participants will also be acquainted with development and validation of analytical methods and the effective control of the equipments and ways how to use its full potential.
Senior experts assigned to the Contract must be nationals of an EU Member State, civil servants or staff of mandated bodies. a) General requirements: should be educated at a University degree level should have previous experience of working in foreign countries, particularly in countries with economies in transition be fluent in English possess necessary computer skills experience in relevant food safety issues related to the content of seminars and workshops good oral and presentation skills experience with implementation of projects in the related areas ability to conduct discussions and develop close interaction with seminar participants Note: Prior to their project activity EU experts have to be acquainted with the situation in the relevant fields in the Czech Republic. This requirement responds to former projects where a seminars’ content was not precisely adjusted accordingly to CAFIA staff knowledge in the relevant fields; in order to prevent from similar drawbacks, selected experts should be acquainted with the present situation and knowledge in their field in the Czech Republic. Information could be obtained via CAFIA web sites – www.szpi.gov.cz, from the report of the first introductory seminar and through consultations with appropriate CAFIA experts.
Two experts as lecturers per training session are expected. The requested experts’ profiles are specified bellow. Introductory seminar Experts profile: members of staff who are well acquainted with the surveillance body functioning (competencies, staff, control plans, methodology of inspection, technical equipment of an inspector (including sampling equipment), use of information technologies and information systems in the inspection process, application of crucial aspects of food safety law) Note: Participation of the project leader as one of the experts is required. Foreign substances and contaminants in foodstuffs Experts profile: expert (methodologist and/or inspector) from a supervisory body carrying out inspections of foodstuffs of non-animal origin should be familiar with relevant EU legislation practical experience with official control targeted at detection of foreign substances and contaminants in foodstuffs knowledge of foodstuffs that are contaminated most frequently, the source of contamination knowledge of impact of foreign substances and contaminants in foodstuffs on health of consumers comprehensive knowledge and practical experience with sampling and evaluation of results of laboratory analysis Irradiation of food and radioactivity Experts profile: expert (methodologist and/or inspector) from a supervisory body carrying out inspections of foodstuffs of non-animal origin should be familiar with relevant EU legislation practical experience with official control targeted at detection of both legally and illegally irradiated foodstuffs comprehensive knowledge and practical experience with sampling and evaluation of results of laboratory analysis Molecular biological methods for food authenticity (DNA identification) Experts profile: should be familiar with relevant EU legislation (limits and requirement on methods) comprehensive knowledge of laboratory methods and methodology development, validation and accreditation in the proposed areas practical experiences with analysis in the proposed areas Chemometrics – statistical methods, development and use of databases Experts profile: should be familiar with relevant EU legislation (limits and requirement on methods) comprehensive knowledge of laboratory methods and methodology development, validation and accreditation in the proposed areas practical experiences with analysis in the proposed areas Proteomics – protein based methods Experts profile: should be familiar with relevant EU legislation (limits and requirement on methods) comprehensive knowledge of laboratory methods and methodology development, validation and accreditation in the proposed areas practical experiences with analysis in the proposed areas Fulfilment of acquis in specific types of food premises Experts profile: expert (methodologist and/or inspector) from a supervisory body carrying out inspections of foodstuffs of non-animal origin should be familiar with relevant EU legislation practical experience with official control in various types of food premises comprehensive knowledge and practical experience with preparation for inspection, control procedures and techniques applied in various types of food premises, etc. Food labelling Expert profile: expert (methodologist and/or inspector) from a supervisory body carrying out inspections of foodstuffs of non-animal origin should be familiar with relevant EU legislation practical experience with official control targeted at current food labelling requirements ability to explain the interpretation of the relevant acquis clearly. It should be based on the personal experiences obtained during the negotiations of these regulations in Council and Commission working groups Series of seminars on: Enhancing the capacity of CAFIA’s laboratory in Prague recognised as the national reference laboratory Experts profile: expert (preferably laboratory staff) from a supervisory body carrying out inspections of foodstuffs of non-animal origin should be familiar with relevant EU legislation (limits and requirement on methods) comprehensive knowledge of laboratory methods and methodology development, validation and accreditation in the proposed areas practical experiences with analysis in the proposed areas Note: 4 experts are envisaged – one per one training session Measurement of uncertainty, validation and quality assurance Experts profile: should be familiar with relevant EU legislation comprehensive knowledge of laboratory methods and methodology development, validation and accreditation in the proposed areas practical experiences with the topic Inter-laboratory proficiency testing scheme Experts profile: expert (preferably laboratory staff) from a supervisory body carrying out inspections of foodstuffs of non-animal origin should be familiar with relevant EU legislation (limits and requirement on methods) comprehensive knowledge of laboratory methods and methodology development, validation and accreditation in the proposed areas practical experiences with the topic Good laboratory practice Experts profile: expert (preferably laboratory staff) from a supervisory body carrying out inspections of foodstuffs of non-animal origin should be familiar with relevant EU legislation should have practical experience with good laboratory practice The following number of experts should be available for the project implementation: Approx. 20 EU senior experts with minimum experience of 8 years, preferably up to 15 years (i.e. Class 2 expert), in the field of food safety policy, with the capacity to run the seminars as described in 3.4. 1 project leader + 1 senior expert (both from the group of experts mentioned above) to attend the introductory seminar due to the surveillance body presentation and preparatory arrangements Note: Fewer senior experts may participate in the project provided that some of them meet the above experts profiles for more seminars. On the whole, the twinning partners will spend approx. 80 man-days at CAFIA. The required project’s leader profile Project leader has to comply with the general requirements for senior experts (mentioned above). Furthermore, has to meet the following specific requirements: Specific requirements: experience as a project leader with implementation of projects in related areas minimum of 10 years professional working experience in the field of food safety strong management, communication and organisational skills fluent in English Lessons learned: With respect to the last Interim Evaluation Report on the projects carried out in the agricultural sector, representatives of Senior Programme Officer (SPO) and Programme Authorising Officer (PAO) will be invited to both the initial meeting (introductory seminar) and the final meeting with the project leader. Both SPO and PAO will be regularly updated about the project development. The institutional enhancement of CAFIA is considered a continuous process which can guarantee the effective use of the national as well as the external resources invested for the achievement of this purpose. Compatibility with the administrative and operational procedures of EU coordination rules is amongst the main priorities in this area. Any changes in the project content will be carried out based on a prior approval by the administration body of the Ministry of Finance. Furthermore the project participants are expected, as in previous projects realized at CAFIA, to pass the newly acquired knowledge over to their colleagues who have not participated in the project activities. This should lead to an even better sustainability of project outcomes. The need for acquaintance with the situation in the relevant fields in the Czech Republic is based on the experiences obtained during previous projects’ realization especially in connection with seminars’ preparation and the necessity of their adjustment to CAFIA staff knowledge and competence. This was incorporated in the project design as a specific requirement for senior experts. The project fiche has been prepared by a working group that includes representatives from different CAFIA units to meet their training needs and other requirements. Careful attention was paid when designing the fiche to avoid an over-ambitious project. The project is therefore targeted to specialised components of food safety where need of further assistance is felt by CAFIA. Institutional Framework Main co-ordinators of legal regulations connected with food safety are Ministry of Agriculture (MoA), which is mainly responsible for veterinary, phytosanitary regulations and regulations associated with production and labelling of foodstuffs (apart from catering), and Ministry of Health (MoH), mainly responsible for hygiene regulations in the area of catering and objects and materials coming into contact with foodstuffs, and, in relation to food production, for specification of microbial requirements for foodstuffs, for the area of natural and artificial additives, and flavourings of foodstuffs, determination of contents of contaminants, residues of pesticides and veterinary drugs in foodstuffs and conditions for food irradiation. Given Ministries co-operate in transposition and implementation of regulations so that all areas are covered in a corresponding manner and safety is reached in the whole food chain from feeding-stuffs to final products. The inspection of foodstuffs within the Czech Republic is ensured by the two ministries (MoA, MoH) in mutual co-operation, which is managed by members of the government. The complex inspection of food safety, including protection of consumer, pursuant to the European documents as "White paper on Food Safety", is delegated by the law to the following administration bodies: Czech Agriculture and Food Inspection Authority (MoA), State Veterinary Administration of the Czech Republic (MoA), Central Supervising and Testing Institute for Agriculture (MoA), State Phytosanitary Administration (MoA), and competent bodies of public health protection (MoH). Customs authorities, subordinated to Ministry of Finance (MoF), are involved in food safety issues as well since they release imported foods into circulation within the Czech Republic. CAFIA is a state authority responsible for supervision of safety, quality and labelling of foodstuffs. Within the assigned competencies CAFIA inspects foodstuffs, raw materials for their production, agriculture and tobacco products and fresh cut flowers. The above mentioned competences apply to the production, storage, transport and sale (including import). To ensure that the project focus is in line with all required principles, a Steering Committee will be established. It will consist of the institutions co-operating in the project (CAFIA, EU twinning partner, Centre for Foreign Assistance of MoF, Central Finance and Contracts Unit (CFCU) of MoF, Ministry of Agriculture – SPO representative), will coordinate and supervise the implementation of activities and will hold a meeting every three months. Detailed Budget (M €)
Parallel co-financing for the study visits from CAFIA’s resources is estimated approx. at 5 000 €. In addition, the Czech Authorities will cover all costs necessary for the implementation of the TWL contract (travel costs, seminar venues, office space and facilities for MS experts). Contributions from the Czech administration for an effective implementation of the twinning light may be further detailed in the twinning contract. VAT does not constitute eligible expenditure except where it is genuinely and definitely borne by the final beneficiary. VAT, which is considered recoverable, by whatever means, cannot be considered eligible, even if it is not actually recovered by the final beneficiary or individual recipient. Directory: mae -> gemellaggi -> transition%20facility mae -> Richard bryant miles mae -> Kirkwood History Project Interview of Maebelle Reeves (1) and Shannon Ruff (2) Interview number: khp12 Transcription date: June 8, 2004 Transcribed by: ab interviewer 1 transition%20facility -> The Czech Republic Date: june 2008 Transition Facility – the Detailed Project Fiche Download 181.04 Kb. Share with your friends:
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