EUROPEAN COMMISSION HEALTH & CONSUMERS DIRECTORATE-GENERAL

Transcription

1 EUROPEAN COMMISSION HEALTH & CONSUMERS DIRECTORATE-GENERAL Directorate F - Food and Veterinary Office DG (SANCO)/7708/ CP Final COUNTRY PROFILE OF CYPRUS ON FOOD AND FEED SAFETY, ANIMAL HEALTH, ANIMAL WELFARE AND PLANT HEALTH

2 TABLE OF CONTENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY...3 INTRODUCTION COMPETENT AUTHORITIES AND OVERALL DISTRIBUTION OF RESPONSIBILITIES COMPETENT AUTHORITIES AND DISTRIBUTION OF RESPONSIBILITIES IN RELATION TO INDIVIDUAL CONTROL SYSTEMS Control system for animal health Control system for food of animal origin Control system for imports of animals and food of animal origin Control system for feedingstuffs and animal nutrition Control system for TSE and Animal-By-Products (ABP) Control system for veterinary medicinal products (VMP) and residues Control system for foodstuffs and food hygiene Control system for imports of food of plant origin Control system for Plant Protection Products (PPP) and residues Control system for animal welfare Control system for plant health FOLLOW-UP OF FVO INSPECTIONS Animal health Food of animal origin Imports of animals and food of animal origin Feedingstuffs and animal nutrition TSE and Animal-By-Products (ABP) Veterinary medicinal products (VMP) and residues Foodstuffs and food hygiene Imports of food of plant origin Plant Protection Products (PPP) and residues Animal welfare Plant health...75 ANNEX I - ACRONYMS, ABBREVIATIONS, SPECIAL TERMS AND WEBSITES...76 ANNEX II - OVERVIEW OF STAFF RESOURCES...79 ANNEX III - TRAINING SYSTEMS

3 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Overview The Ministry of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Environment (MANRE) and the Ministry of Health (MH), together with their associated control bodies, the Department of Veterinary Services and the Department of Agriculture of MANRE, and the Department of Medical and Public Health Services of MH, are responsible for almost all controls on food safety, animal health, animal welfare and plant health in Cyprus. The State General Laboratory of the Ministry of Health provides many of the laboratory services required by these bodies. The Department of Veterinary Services is responsible for controls on: animal health; food of animal origin; imports of live animals and products of animal origin; TSEs and animal by-products; residues of veterinary medicines; and animal welfare. The Department of Agriculture is responsible for controls on: feedingstuffs; marketing and use of plant protection products; and plant health. The Department of Medical and Public Health Services is responsible for controls on: food hygiene; GMOs and pesticide residues in foodstuffs; imports of food of plant origin; and certain foods of animal origin (honey and ice-cream). Eight of the larger autonomous municipalities also perform food hygiene controls. The control systems are largely centralised. At regional level, the Department of Veterinary Services has 5 District Veterinary Offices, the Department of Agriculture has four district offices, and the Department of Medical and Public Health Services has five District Health Inspectors Offices. Multiannual Control Plan (MANCP) The Cyprus Multiannual National Control Plan required under Regulation (EC) No 882/2004 was submitted on 18 March The Annual Report, as required under Article 44, was submitted on 17 October An FVO general audit of the Cypriot control systems is scheduled for Audits All bodies have internal audit units, reporting at Director level. In 2006 the Department of Veterinary Services established a new internal audit unit reporting to the Director. In 2007, it carried out internal audits on: fish and fishery products; white meat; scrapie; and feed (animal proteins). In 2008 it carried out internal audits on: animal welfare; intra-community trade; brucellosis; and tuberculosis. Audits for other sectors are ongoing. The Internal Audit Service of the Department of Agriculture, which reports to the Director, was established in June In 2007, it carried out internal audits on plant health, and in 2008, on feed and organic farming. In 2007, the Department of Medical and Public Health Services performed audits on: official controls of food premises; import controls; and food sampling programmes. These audits identified some weaknesses, which are being addressed. In 2008, audits were designed to assess the actions taken in response to those performed in An audit manual was adopted in August

4 Inspections in Cyprus by the Food and Veterinary Office (FVO) Since 2003, the FVO has carried out 20 inspections and 2 general review missions in Cyprus. The following table gives an overview of the main sectors that have been or will be covered by these missions: SECTOR Total per Sector 1. Animal Health Food of Animal Origin Imports of animal and food of animal origin Feedingstuffs and animal nutrition TSEs/ABP Veterinary medicines and residues Foodstuffs and food hygiene Imports of food of plant origin 0 9. Plant Protection Products Animal Welfare Plant Health General Review Total sectors * Some missions included multiple sectors Total Total missions Progress on FVO recommendations For all 20 completed inspections, final reports have been issued and action plans received from the Cypriot authorities setting out how they have responded, or intend to respond, to the reports' recommendations. These action plans have been assessed by the FVO to determine whether sufficient progress is being made by the Cypriot authorities to deal with the weaknesses in control systems identified in the inspections Of the 213 recommendations made in these reports since 2003, 173 have been closed. Of the remainder, there was one case where appropriate remedial action by the authorities was still required, and 39 cases where evidence was required to verify that promised action has been taken. Progress on these recommendations was reviewed during a general review mission carried out by the FVO in November The following table summarises the results of this review. 4

5 Pre-General Review Mission 2008 Post-General Review Mission 2008 Action taken / No longer relevant Outstanding / Action still required 1 1 For verification / In progress Total number of recommendations The main areas of the control systems in Cyprus where issues still require to be addressed by the authorities include: Sector specific issues The Cypriot authorities have not taken the necessary measures to ensure that journey times and resting periods of animals transported to other Member States meet the requirements of Directive 91/628/EEC. Sheep and goat identification: the FVO inspection of December 2006 confirmed the findings of an earlier inspection. Five percent of the sheep and goat population (21,000 animals) did not carry the required identification. During the general review mission the Cypriot authorities indicated that these animals would be identified before the end of Scrapie: the final report of the FVO mission carried out in June 2007 reported a number of shortcomings. The Cypriot authorities have taken action to address all recommendations, as described in Part 3.5. For some recommendations, further follow-up is necessary. Meat and milk: national legislation is expected to be adopted by June 2009 to bring controls over rabbit and cheese production sectors into line with Community requirements. The Cypriot authorities have provided deadlines for actions to address all issues identified during the mission, such as shortcomings in implementation of general and specific requirements of EU hygiene regulations. Recent FVO inspections that have not reached final assessment stage All inspections have reached the final assessment stage. Future FVO inspections The following inspections are planned for Cyprus in 2009: Ref No. Sector Subject of Inspection Current Status Issue Date Food of animal origin Foodstuffs and food hygiene. Plant Protection Products and residues Poultry meat and poultry meat products General food hygiene, bottled water, and pesticide residues (food of plant origin) TSE and ABP Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) 5

6 Ref No. Sector Subject of Inspection Current Status Issue Date Veterinary medicinal products and residues Imports of animals and food of animal origin Feedingstuffs and animal nutrition Residues and the use of veterinary medicinal products in food producing animals Import/transit control system and Border Inspection Posts Feed hygiene Animal welfare Animal welfare Animal health Contingency plans for epizootic diseaseseradication programme for Brucella melitensis 6

7 INTRODUCTION This country profile has been drawn up by the Food and Veterinary Office (FVO), a directorate of the Directorate-General for Health and Consumers of the European Commission. The aim is to present in summary form, the latest information available to the FVO on how control systems for food and feed safety, animal health, animal welfare and plant health are organised in Cyprus. The country profile will also form an important part of the preparation for the general audit due to take place in Cyprus in The information in the country profile has been compiled from: written submissions and background documentation from the Cypriot competent authorities detailing how control systems are organised; the results of missions to Cyprus carried out in recent years by inspection teams from the FVO and, in particular, a general review mission in Cyprus in November 2008 to evaluate the full range of control systems for food and feed safety, animal health, animal welfare and plant health. The country profile is presented in three parts: Part 1 describes the overall organisation of the Cypriot authorities and the respective responsibilities of Ministries and government agencies in relation to the different components of the control systems. A chart is used to help the reader better understand the inter-relationships between the responsibilities of the different bodies. Part 2 gives a more detailed description of the main responsibilities for each of the eleven separate systems that form the complete range of control systems in Cyprus covering the whole chain of plant, animal and food production. As in Part 1, organisation charts are used to help the reader. Part 3 contains an overview of the missions carried out by the FVO to Cyprus since 2003 and, for each control system gives an assessment of progress on specific recommendations reviewed in the general review mission of November It also provides an overview on more recent FVO missions. The country profile will be updated at regular intervals based on the results of future FVO missions and other relevant information received by the Commission from the Cypriot competent authorities. A list of acronyms, abbreviations, special terms and websites is given in Annex I to the report as a guide for the reader. 7

8 1. COMPETENT AUTHORITIES AND OVERALL DISTRIBUTION OF RESPONSIBILITIES General Overview The Food Safety Board is responsible for proposing food safety policies, defining priorities and co-ordinating activities between institutions. All competent authorities are represented on the board, and it is chaired by the permanent secretary of the Ministry of Health. The board meets every six months. The main issues discussed at meetings in the past two years included the multiannual national control plan, allergens, risk assessment of oils and fats used for frying, avian flu and the establishment of a Food Safety Authority. The Ministry of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Environment (MANRE) and the Ministry of Health (MH) are responsible for controls on food safety, animal health, animal welfare and plant health. The two ministries are responsible for all transposition, with the exception of Directive 1999/45/EC, relating to classification, packaging and labelling of dangerous preparations, for which the Department of Labour Inspection (DLI) is responsible. Ministry of Agriculture Natural Resources and Environment The Ministry of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Environment comprises three Divisions: Agriculture Division, Natural Resources Division; and Environment Division. The Agriculture Division is the only part of the Ministry of relevance to the country profile. It comprises the Veterinary Services, the Department of Agriculture, and the Agricultural Research Institute. Veterinary Services Veterinary Services (VS) operates at central and regional levels. The central level is organised into two Divisions, the Animal Health and Welfare Division, and the Veterinary Public Health Division, and two sections, State Veterinary Laboratories and Veterinary Medicinal Products. At regional level there are five District Veterinary Offices (DVOs). In addition, six Regional Veterinary Stations, under the DVOs, operate local offices in the most remote areas. All divisions and sections, as well as the District Veterinary Officers operate under the Director of VS. Animal Health and Welfare Division The Animal Health and Welfare Division (AHWD) of VS is responsible for: controls on animal diseases; epidemiological surveillance programmes; eradication programmes; contingency plans for contagious diseases; maintaining the animal identification database; animal welfare; management of border inspection posts; control of intracommunity trade of live animals; and semen collection and storage centres. 8

9 Veterinary Public Health Division The Veterinary Public Health Division (VPHD) is responsible for controls on: food of animal origin (except ice-cream and honey); intra-community trade; certification of exports of foods of animal origin to third countries; and the preparation and implementation of the National Residues Control Plan (NRCP). There are eight full-time co-ordinators in VPHD, each responsible for one of the following sectors: red meat; poultry meat; meat products and preparations; milk; fish; intra-community trade; the national residues control plan; and ABP/feedban controls. State Veterinary Laboratories The State Veterinary Laboratories (SVL), which report directly to the Director of VS, comprise the Laboratory for Animal Health (LAH) and the Laboratory for the Control of Foods of Animal Origin (LCFAO). LAH performs analyses for the investigation and diagnosis of animal diseases. It is subdivided into laboratories for:virology; bacteriology serology; pathology (bacteriology and parasitology); histopathology; and TSE. LCFAO performs the following tests on food of animal origin, water and feedingstuffs: microbiological and physicochemical examinations; and tests related to parasites and residues of veterinary medicines. It participates in studies for food borne diseases. Veterinary Medicinal Products Section The Control and Inspection of Veterinary Medicinal Products Unit (CIVMPU) of the Veterinary Medicinal Products Section (VMPS) performs controls on all aspects of veterinary medicines. The Council of Veterinary Medicinal Products is the competent authority responsible for taking decisions on Veterinary Medicinal Products. The Veterinary Medicinal Products Section is subdivided into five units: CIVPMU; Registration of VMP Unit; Archives; Pharmacovigilance/Legislation Unit; and Medicated Feedingstuffs Unit. Analysis of veterinary medicinal products is subcontracted to the State General Laboratory's accredited Laboratory of Pharmaceutical, Food Supplements and Cosmetics. The annual monitoring programme is jointly drafted by the veterinary services and the laboratory. Department of Agriculture The Department (DA) is responsible for controls on: plant health; plant protection products; and feedingstuffs. It has a single Director (who also acts as Chairman of the Animal Feeds Board and of the Pesticides Authorisation Board). DA has recently divided its control and advisory functions into a Plant Health and Quality Control Service (PHQCS), and a Plant Protection Service (PPS), the latter being responsible for advisory work. There are 47 staff in total at the PHQCS, of whom 37 are involved in controls on plant health and plant protection products. It is subdivided into to five sectors: Plant Health Control; Plant Protection Products and Biocides; Quality Control; Plant Propagating Material; and Seed Control. The Plant Health Control Sector, is responsible for plant health controls. The Plant Protection Products and Biocides Sector (PBS-PHQCS), with seven staff, is involved in 9

10 registration of plant protection products (PPP) and is responsible for controls on marketing of PPP and biocides. Plant health and PPP controls are performed through four district offices at Larnaca port, Larnaca airport, Limassol port and Paphos district. The head office is in Nicosia. The Department's controls on feedingstuffs are managed at central level by the Animal Feeds and Feed Additives Division of the Analytical Laboratory and Feed Control Section (ALFCS). This division has five scientific staff, including an officer in charge, and one technical staff member. Analysis is carried out by the Fertiliser and Animal Feeds Quality Control and Agricultural and Environmental Samples Analysis Laboratory of ALFCS. Further details are available in Parts 2.4, 2.9 and 2.11, and Annex II. Agricultural Research Institute The Agricultural Research Institute performs some laboratory analyses for genetically modified organisms, and for organisms harmful to plant health. Ministry of Health The Ministry of Health comprises five departments: Medical and Public Health Services; State General Laboratory; Pharmaceutical Services; Dental Services; and Mental Health Services. The first two departments are relevant to the country profile. Department of Medical and Public Health Services The Department of Medical and Public Health Services (DMPHS) is the main competent authority responsible for official controls on general food hygiene, GMO and pesticide residues in foodstuffs, and import controls on food of plant origin. Implementation of controls is the responsibility of the Public Health Services (PHS), a division of the Department. The Head of PHS supervises the activities of the five District Health Inspectors Offices (DHIOs), and, for general food hygiene only, of the eight autonomous municipalities. PHS is also responsible for controls on food of animal origin in relation to honey and ice-cream. It has three different divisions: Food Safety Division (responsible for the registration and control of food premises); Food Safety and EU Division (responsible for transposition and implementation of legislation, and for food control); and Environmental Health Division, which does not come within the scope of the country profile. The State General Laboratory The State General Laboratory (SGL) is the official laboratory for food controls and the National Reference Laboratory for a number of areas. It co-operates with VS and PHS in drafting and implementing control plans and participates in risk assessment. It is designated as the official laboratory for food control. SGL comprises 19 laboratories, 17 of which are accredited to ISO 17025: chemical (12); microbiological / biological (4); virology (1); radioactivity (1); and ecotoxicology (1). It also has: an electromechanical services unit; a quality assurance team; and an Information Technology Unit. It has a total of 174 staff, including contract staff. Of 10

11 these, 137 are scientists, mostly with post graduate degrees in chemistry, biochemistry, microbiology, or biology. Laboratories LAH of VS is the National Reference Laboratory (NRL) for animal health. It has been accredited since March 2008 to ISO 17025:2005 under the Hellenic Accreditation System (ESYD), using criteria of the Cyprus Organization for the Promotion of Quality. The scope of accreditation includes eight validated methods. The validation of four additional methods will be assessed during an audit by the accreditation body in March LAH and three district laboratories carry out the Rose Bengal Test (RBT) for the annual monitoring programme for bovine brucellosis and ovine and caprine brucellosis. LCFAO of VS performs analyses on food of animal origin and on foodborne diseases, and antimicrobial residues. It is accredited under ISO 17025:2005. The scope of accreditation includes 11 validated methods. The validation of eight additional methods will be assessed during an audit by the accreditation body in March It is the NRL for: salmonella; listeria; campylobacter; verotoxin-producing E. coli (VTEC); staphylococcus; milk and milk products; marine biotoxins; and trichinella spirallis. It also operates as a Routine Control Laboratory for screening analyses for residues of veterinary medicines in meat and milk. Accreditation of official control laboratories is mandatory under the Food Law. All SGL food control laboratories, excluding the Radioactivity Laboratory, are accredited to ISO for several fields of food analysis, and participate in proficiency tests organised by a number of bodies including the Community Reference Laboratories. For the NRCP, three of the SGL laboratories are NRLs for all commodities and all substance groups listed in Annex I to Council Directive 96/23/EC. The SGL Veterinary Drug Residues laboratory is the NRL for residues analyses for samples of animal origin under the National Residues Control Plan (NRCP). It is accredited to ISO 17025:2005, and participates annually in proficiency tests organised by the CRLs and FAPAS. Its relatively new LC/MS-MS enabled it to validate a high number of methods based on a documented quality system. A number of foreign contract laboratories provide analytical services for the NRCP, as the laboratory capacity in Cyprus is insufficient for the entire plan. All contract laboratories are accredited to ISO 17025:2005. The SGL Pesticide Residue Laboratory is the official accredited control laboratory for the pesticides monitoring programme and also the NRL. In co-operation with DMPHS, it reports to the Commission according to Regulation (EC) No 396/2005, on pesticides. It analyses foodstuffs for pesticide residues under the national control programme and the control programme for exports. The SGL Food Contamination Laboratory is the official accredited control laboratory and NRL for mycotoxins, heavy metals, PAH, and 3 MCPD. It participates annually in proficiency tests organised by the CRLs, FAPAS and NFA. Apart from the NRCP, SGL performs analyses for locally produced and imported foodstuffs of animal and non-animal origin, including include histamine in fish and tuna; aflatoxins; and food additives, such as Sudan I-IV, Para Red and 3-MCPD. 11

12 The Analytical Laboratory and Feed Control Section of DA operates a laboratory for the analysis of feed and feed additives. For plant protection products (PPP), the Laboratory for Formulation Analysis of the DA conducts tests for identity and content of active substances and for some physicochemical properties. It performs analyses both for the authorisation process and for controls on marketing. The laboratory is working towards accreditation and takes part in CIPAC collaborative studies. The Pesticide Residues Laboratory of the DA is responsible for the analysis for pesticide residues under the Preventative Pesticide Residue Monitoring Programme. It is at the final stage of accreditation. For plant health, samples are analysed in the Plant Protection Laboratory (PPL) of the Plant Protection Section of DA, and in the Laboratory of the Agricultural Research Institute (ARI). In some cases samples may be sent abroad for further clarification. Small diagnostic laboratories have been set up at Larnaca airport and Limassol port. Implementation of Regulation (EC) No 882/2004 Designation of competent authorities The designation of competent authorities is well described in the MANCP, apart from some gaps such as information on VS controls on veterinary medicines, DA controls on the marketing and distribution of plant protection products, and Customs controls on imports. In general, good co-operation exists between all competent authorities but the MANCP does not fully reflect co-operation between bodies in specific sectors. Co-ordination takes place between the the control bodies and the Food Safety Board. Twelve meetings have taken place since Within all competent authorities there is a direct chain of command between central and district levels, and good co-operation exists. For some sectors, such as feed, which is under DA control, all activities take place at the central level. The MANCP does not fully describe reporting and supervision arrangements from district level to central level, nor the role of sectoral co-ordinators. In regard to delegation, Customs are exclusively responsible for checking personal luggage and private mail for products of animal origin. Enforcement is sometimes delegated to bodies such as the police or the Attorney General s office, as described below under Enforcement measures. A number of foreign laboratories provide analytical services for the NRCP and for animal health analyses, such as the discriminatory tests for scrapie. All are accredited to ISO 17025:2005. The other competent authorities do not delegate any specific tasks. The Veterinary Services have not yet decided whether delegation of functions will take place. The development of contingency and mutual assistance plans (other than for animal diseases and feed) was planned to commence in The MANCP contains specific information on contingency plans for animal diseases and for feed. The MANCP also indicates that PHS have begun consultation with other services on crisis co-ordination for food. 12

13 Resources for performance of controls Community legislation has, in general, been transposed or given effect in Cypriot law. The country profile describes certain areas where further legislation is being adopted by the authorities such as: national legislation on small establishments for food of animal origin under Regulation (EC) No 853/2004; legislation governing sanctions related to sheep and goat identification; the registration of sheep and goat dealers; and an amendment to plant health legislation to introduce administrative fines. The situation on legal powers relating to enforcement is described below under Enforcement measures. The MANCP does not fully describe the up to date situation in relation to national legislation governing controls in each sector, and the extent to which it has been screened in relation to the requirements of Regulation (EC) No 882/2004. Details of staff resources for all services are provided in Annex II of the country profile. In total, 571 staff are involved in controls on food and feed safety, animal health and animal welfare, including 352 in VS, 91 in PHS, 6 for feed controls in DA, and 46 for plant health and plant protection product controls in DA, 50 in SGL and 26 in the 8 municipalities. Legislation is in place to prevent conflict of interest, on the part of staff. Twenty three of the technicians working in SGL operate on the basis of a two year contract, which is normally not renewed. This imposes an additional burden on SGL to regularly train new staff. The plant health services are assigning priority to establishing an intranet service between the central and district offices. In general, training has been provided by all services based on identified needs. Audit and supervision are used to monitor the effectiveness of training. In addition, the effectiveness of training is due to be evaluated in 2009, under a new Government initiative. Detailed information on training provided by all services is contained in Annex III of the country profile. The MANCP contains detailed information on staff qualifications and training for all services. Organisation of and implementation of official controls While the country profile contains information in the relevant sections of Part 2 on the registration and approval of establishments, the MANCP does not fully provide the upto-date situation on registration and approval for each sector. The approval and registration process has been completed for ABP plants. The authorisation of wholesalers of veterinary medicines, and of feed establishments using animal protein in feed has been completed. But further work is required in some areas. The authorities plan to approve all rabbit slaughterhouses by the end of The registration process for small cheese producers and the approval process for feed mills producing medicated feed remain to be completed. Details of the prioritisation of controls are summarised in the relevant sections of Part 2 of the country profile, such as risk based controls for animal identification, the feedban, feed imports, and general food hygiene. The MANCP contains a general text linking frequency of inspections to risk, with additional details in the annexes. However, there is no reference to risk in the MANCP 13

14 for a number of sectors, including: animal health; animal identification; animal welfare; and the marketing and use of veterinary medicines and of plant protection products. Details of laboratories used for control purposes are contained in Part 1 and the relevant sections of Part 2 of the country profile. In general, analyses take place in laboratories which are accredited or are working to achieve accreditation before the end of 2009 While the MANCP overall framework document contains information on the designation of NRLs, detailed information on the accreditation status of all laboratories used for official controls in each sector is not given in the MANCP. The country profile contains information in Parts 2 and 3 on documented procedures in certain areas such as for SRM, veterinary medicines, pesticides, and plant health. The MANCP contains information on documented procedures and reporting of control activities for DA and PHS, with the exception of procedures for the control of plant protection products and reports on controls for feed. However, for VS, the MANCP is not fully clear about documented procedures, or whether reports are drawn up after each control. On transparency, the Cypriot authorities have informed the Commission that in general, the results of controls are not published. However, PHS have published the 2007 Annual Report on their webpage and intend to publish it every year. SGL has created a new Communications Unit to disseminate information and data to all stakeholders. SGL publishes its annual reports and publications on various topics, including food safety, on its website. It has also informed the media, especially in cases of food crisis. DA intends to publish the Annual Report on controls on its website to show the results of controls on feed. For the other services, the overall situation on transparency is unclear in the MANCP. Enforcement measures Measures in case of non-compliance are described in the MANCP for DA, and in the Annual Report on Controls for PHS. For VS, the measures in case of non-compliance are not set out in the MANCP. VS use the police to implement most sanctions, and for more serious offences, the Attorney General's office. DA uses the Attorney General's office to implement all sanctions. PHS use private lawyers, but have powers to impose administrative fines under the Food Law. New legislation is being adopted in a number of sectors to allow greater use of administrative fines, such as for animal identification, controls on plant protection products, and plant health. The MANCP does not set out objectives or measures to be taken by each service to ensure that sanctions are effective, proportionate and dissuasive. Verification and review of official controls and procedures While the supervisory system for PHS in relation to its 5 districts is described in the MANCP, details on how the districts report to the central services are unclear. While the reporting system for feed controls by DA is described in the MANCP, that for plant health is not clear. Furthermore, the VS system for supervision and reporting between districts, divisions and the Director is unclear in the MANCP. 14

15 Part 3.2 of the country profile summarises the measures taken by the Public Health Division of VS to verify the effectiveness of controls on food of animal origin. All bodies have internal audit units, reporting at Director level. In 2006, VS established a new internal audit unit reporting to the Director. In 2007, this unit carried out internal audits on fish and fishery products, white meat, scrapie and feed (animal proteins). In 2008 it carried out internal audits on animal welfare, intra-community trade, brucellosis and tuberculosis. Audits are continuing for all sectors. The Internal Audit Service of DA, which reports to the Director, was established in June In 2007, it carried out internal audits on plant health. In 2008, it carried out internal audits on feed and organic farming. DMPHS performed audits on official controls of food premises, import controls of food of plant origin, and food sampling programmes in its 5 districts, in the second half of An audit manual was adopted in August Their audits identified some weaknesses, which are now being addressed. Their 2008 audits were designed to assess the actions taken in response to 2007 audits. Multi-annual National Control Plan (MANCP) The Multi-annual National Control Plan was prepared for the period The Department of Public Health of the Veterinary Services is the national contact point. The Annual Report on Controls carried out by the Cypriot authorities for 2007 was submitted to the Commission in October It contains information on the results of audits in some sectors, and the actions to be taken in subsequent years as a result of these audits. The competent authorities indicated their intention to update the MANCP to take the observations contained in the country profile into account, including comments on the following horizontal issues related to implementation of Regulation (EC) No 882/2004: designation of competent authorities; resources for performance of controls; organisation of and implementation of official controls; enforcement measures; and verification and review of official controls and procedures. 15

16 OVERALL ORGANISATION OF RESPONSIBILITIES The following chart gives an overview of the distribution of responsibilities in relation to control systems and operational levels. Sector Policy co-ordination Co-ordination of controls Implementation of controls Laboratories Risk assessment, scientific advice 1. Animal Health VS (AHWD) DVOs SVL 2. Food of Animal Origin VS (VPHD) DVOs SVL 3. Imports of animal and food of animal origin VS (AHWD) VS (VPHD) DVOs & BIPs SVL, SGL 4. Feedingstuffs and animal nutrition DA of MANRE & VS (AHWD) 5. TSEs/ABP VS (AHWD) VS (VPHD) DAOs DVOs DVOs ALS-DA, SVL SVL 6. Veterinary medicines - authorisation, marketing &distribution VS (VMP Section) Veterinary - residues medicines VS DVOs DA (centre) SGL SVL 7. Foodstuffs and Food hygiene GMO 8. Imports of food of plant origin 9. Plant protection products - authorisation, marketing and use Plant protection products - residues MPHQ & VS (VPHD) DMPHS, DVOs, Municipalities SGL SVL MPHS DMPHS SGL DA of MANRE DA of MANRE LFA-DA PRL-DA MPHS DMPHS SGL 10. Animal Welfare VS (AHWD) DVOs 11. Plant Health DA of MANRE DA of MANRE DA ARI More detailed descriptions of the allocation of responsibilities between authorities for each control system are given in the following chapters. 16

17 2. COMPETENT AUTHORITIES AND DISTRIBUTION OF RESPONSIBILITIES IN RELATION TO INDIVIDUAL CONTROL SYSTEMS 2.1 Control system for animal health VS AHWD NRL DVO Department of Veterinary Services Animal Health and Welfare Division National Reference Laboratory District Veterinary Office Competent Authorities VS, through its Animal Health and Welfare Division (AHWD), is the CCA for animal health. Official controls are carried out by official veterinarians working in the DVOs. Holding registration, animal identification and movement controls A database for registration of cattle, sheep, goats and pigs is in operation. The AHWD of VS operates the central register of holdings and the database for the identification of bovines, small ruminants, pigs and dogs. The bovine database meets the requirements laid down in the relevant EU legislation and has been recognised as fully operational by Commission Decision 2004/590. When severe irregularities are detected, the owner of the farm is prosecuted. Criteria for checks on bovine identification on the basis of risk analysis have been in place since During 2007, 99 out of the 351 bovine holdings in Cyprus were inspected. When a delay in recording data on the database is found, a letter is sent to the DVO requesting the system to be updated. 17

18 Sheep and goats are identified in compliance with Article 4 of Council Regulation (EC) No 21/2004 if they have ears anatomically fit to bear eartags. Animals that cannot bear eartags are not identified by any other means, which means that traceability is not possible for more than 21,000 animals. Errors and omissions regularly found in movement documents raise questions about the reliability of the information available in case of disease outbreaks. However the authorities plan to address this problem by the end of 2009 (see Part 3.1). The central database for sheep and goats was found to be satisfactory in 2006, and provided almost complete information on all issues, with the exception of the 21,000 unidentified animals. A legislative amendment is expected to be adopted in March 2009 to transpose the requirements of Council Directive 91/68/EEC concerning the need for all ovine and caprine dealers to be registered. This legislation is also expected to contain provisions ensuring that sanctions meet the requirements of Regulation (EC) No 882/2004. Risk based controls for sheep and goat identification are expected to start in Pig movements are recorded in a pig database in operation since January Pig movement documents have been completed by farmers since October Animal health controls Co-financed programmes for the eradication of bovine brucellosis and ovine and caprine brucellosis have been implemented between 2004 and The national authorities described the system at the central level in the VS aimed at ensuring compliant implementation of the brucellosis and tuberculosis eradication programmes. For brucellosis eradication, this includes a brucellosis committee at central level, consisting of three veterinary officers, the Head of AHWD, the officer responsible for brucellosis, and the officer responsible from the brucellosis NRL. The committee reports to the Director who takes the final decision and issues instructions to the DVOs. Internal audits also take place on implementation of the eradication programmes. In the past for some farms, not all animals over six weeks old were tested for tuberculosis. These farms were thus not assigned officially free status. Currently a farm is assigned officially free status only if all animals over six weeks old react negatively to two consecutive intradermal tuberculin tests, conducted at an interval of at least six months. The relevant written instructions have been forwarded to the DVOs. Two semen collection centres for pigs are approved in Cyprus. Compulsory routine tests for animals kept at the approved semen collection centre are performed, as provided for in Council Directive 90/429/EEC. Animal health analyses are performed either in the VS laboratory, or in a private laboratory subject to controls by the VS. Cyprus has been recognised as officially-free from enzootic bovine leucosis (EBL) by Commission Decision 2004/320/EC. Checks continue to take place for EBL on animals over 24 months of age in order for holdings to obtain or maintain officially-free status. The annual surveillance programmes for 2007 were in place for all relevant animal diseases. For Bluetongue, a surveillance programme based on the serological examination of sentinel animals has been in place since September Approximately 190 sentinel animals of bovine, ovine and caprine species are tested on a monthly basis. All five 18

19 districts are represented in the sampling. Nineteen farms are included in the surveillance programme. The following categories of animals are tested for rabies: dead wild animals; animals captured or found dead along the buffer zone; and imported pet animals that die during quarantine. No cases have been reported. Contingency plans The Cypriot authorities have taken steps to adapt contingency plans to local conditions since the 2005 FVO mission. A seminar was held in June 2006 for veterinary inspectors on contingency plans, and a simulation exercise on avian influenza took place in October In November 2007, a number of suspected cases of FMD were identified. Seven hundred and seventy holdings were tested and 203 seropositive animals were culled. All restriction measures for FMD were lifted by the Commission in February Laboratories LAH is the NRL. It carries out tests or forwards samples to external laboratories for testing of diseases covered by contingency plans. The CCA stated that in case of virus isolation (FMD, CSF and BT), samples will be sent abroad and contracts with community laboratories have been established for this purpose. For ND and AI, virus isolates are sent to the Community Reference Laboratory for typing as the NRL does not carry out intra-cerebral pathogenicity index or intra-venous pathogenicity index testing. LAH has been accredited since March The scope of accreditation includes eight validated methods. The NRL in LAH, and three district laboratories carry out the Rose Bengal Test (RBT) for the annual monitoring programme for bovine brucellosis and ovine and caprine brucellosis. The NRL carries out the confirmation test in case of positive test results on RBT. The NRL has organised annual ring tests for RBT for the three district laboratories. The LAH Virology laboratory is the NRL (and sole laboratory) for the diagnosis of Bluetongue in Cyprus. It has been participating in CRL ring tests since In case of sero-conversion, samples are forwarded to laboratories at IZS Terramo and IAH- Pirbright for confirmation of test results. 19

20 2.2 Control system for food of animal origin Report VS (VPHD) Reporting -National control plans -Instructions, guidelines, checklists -Formal approval of establishments -Supervision of 5 DVOs -Training -Audit LCFAO Control Pig slaughterhouse trichinella labs Analyses 5 DVOs -Controls (Ante&Post-mortem, operational hygiene, traceability) -Sampling Info on animal health status of farms Establishments VS VPHD LCFAO DVO Department of Veterinary Services Veterinary Public Health Division Laboratory for the Control of Food of Animal Origin District Veterinary Office Competent Authorities VS, through its Veterinary Public Health Division (VPHD), is the Central Competent Authority for controls on food of animal origin, with the exception of ice cream and honey, for which DMPHS is responsible. Official controls are carried out by inspectors working in the DVOs. VS inspectors are categorised as Official Veterinarians, trained Veterinary Inspectors (technicians and auxiliary personnel), and Private Veterinarians under contracts with VS. The Internal Audit Department, which is independent of VS line management, audits all DVOs on an annual basis. Registration and approval of establishments Details of approved and conditionally approved establishements have been provided to the Commission. Follow-up inspections of conditionally approved establishments. took place in 2008, with a view to final approval. In September 2008, further instructions were issued to all VPHD coordinators and to DVOs on the need to ensure compliance with requirements for conditional and full approval. National legislation for small capacity rabbit slaughterhouses and cheese from small cheese producers is expected to be in force by June All rabbit slaughterhouses are 20

21 expected to be approved before the end of The deadline for registration of all cheese producers producing small quantities of cheese is not yet clear. The official list of approved establishments is published on the VS website: An annual inspection of fishing vessels operating under the Cyprus flag is a prerequisite for licence renewal. Official controls and inspection at establishments The Cypriot authorities have provided information on recent actions taken, including: new checklists; HACCP audits; verification of FBO own-checks by DVOs; improved communication with FBOs; improved post-mortem inspections; and suspension of an establishment. Additional information may be found in Part 3.2. Official controls on identification mark and traceability The implementation of the health mark is satisfactory. The Cypriot authorities provided information on recent actions taken to ensure that goods sent for further processing bear appropriate identification marks. Laboratories LCFAO, the reference laboratory, has been accredited since March The validity of its accreditation has recently been extended according to ISO 17025:2005. CMIO (Cyprus Milk Industry Organisation) is the routine control laboratory which performs analyses for total plate count, somatic cells count, aflatoxins and delvo Test. CMIO is a semi-governmental organisation and its laboratory is accredited. All approved pig slaughterhouses have laboratories for trichinella examination. These are controlled regularly by LCFAO. 21

22 2.3 Control system for imports of animals and food of animal origin Cyprus Ports Authority -Agreement -Information exchange -Training VS (AHWD) ((IATCS)) Co-ord Department of Civil Aviation Agreement Hermes Consortium Instructions & guidelines Supervision Customs Incinerator operator BIP officials Backup staff DVOs Controls Controls -Pets -Personal luggage & mail for POAO Destruction of rejected consignments -Import controls -Kitchen waste VS AHVD IATCS BIP DVO POAO Department of Veterinary Services Animal Health and Welfare Division Imports and Animal Trade Control Section Border Inspection Posts District Veterinary Office Products of Animal Origin Competent Authorities AHWD of VS is the CCA for the control of imports and live animal movement and trade. At central level, two veterinarians in the Imports and Animal Trade Control Section (IATCS) of AHWD deal with import controls. The two listed BIPs at Larnaka Airport and Lemessos Port function under direct instructions from the IATCS of the AHWD. The Lemessos and Larnaca BIPs each has one veterinary officer assigned on a permanent basis. Back-up staff is provided by the DVOs. MH is responsible for RASFF messages. Within VPHD of VS, a liaison person dispatches messages to the BIPs and also forwards notifications from the BIPs to the Ministry of Health. BIPs also receive RASFF messages directly via the internet. Customs are exclusively responsible for checking personal luggage and private mail consignments for products of animal origin (POAO). Products seized by Customs are transferred for incineration under the supervision of VS, Customs and Sigan management. Customs have been delegated by VS to do documentary checks on pet animals (dogs and cats) from Member States arriving in Cyprus. Whenever the Customs documentary check suggests non-compliance of MS pets, VS perform the checks. VS also perform checks on all pets from third countries, as required by Regulation (EC) No 998/2003, and checks on pet birds in accordance with Commission Decision 2005/759/EC. 22

23 Import controls The import control plan has not yet been integrated into the Multi-annual National Control Plan. VS have put in place a monitoring plan for each BIP as required by Article 1 (2) of Regulation (EC) No 136/2004, which requires laboratory checks and analyses (including residues). For supervision of the BIPs, IATCS carries out at least four inspection visits per year. Records of supervision are kept at central level and at the BIPs. A manual containing operational guidelines, instructions and procedures for import control at BIPs is in place. It is updated on an ongoing basis through circulars issued by the Director of VS and the AHWD. Letters are systematically sent to inform BIPs staff, Customs, airport and port authorities about the requirements of new legislation. Implementing instructions are sent to the BIPs, the DVOs and the veterinary laboratories. There have been ongoing improvements in the level of co-ordination with bodies involved in import controls (Customs, and Cyprus Ports Authority). Customs have provided VS with access to the THESEAS manifest database information. The Lemesos BIP has also been given access to the Cypos system, the Cyprus Ports Authority (CPA) electronic system, through which the search of transhipping consignments is facilitated. There are no Private Interest Deposit Warehouses (PIDW) in Cyprus for products mentioned in the positive list. The destruction of rejected consignments started in December 2006 in the newly commissioned incinerator. Laboratories The State Veterinary Laboratories (SVL), the State General Laboratory (SGL), and private contracted laboratories in Cyprus and the EU are used for import controls. SVL performs microbiological tests and screening tests for the presence of antimicrobial residues. SGL performs some confirmatory antimicrobial residues analyses for the VS. The private laboratories perform analyses for some antimicrobial residues, heavy metals, pesticides and dioxins. All laboratories performing analyses must be accredited and have relevant validated methods. 23