POLAND AND ITS APPROACH TO BRING ITS AGRICULTURAL UP TO THE EUROPEAN

STANDARDS IN FOOD SAFETY

Agnieszka Wierzbicka Warsaw, Poland, 2006

Workshop on Good Agricultural Practices15-16 May, Sofia, Bulgaria

Introduction

Different existing law regulations in Poland caused many changes in food law due to make high standards in food safety which allow for concurrency on the EU markets.

Poland put in to life EU regulations in food law due to gave quality assurance in Poland and on the EU market as well as other markets like Russia, Bulgaria, USA etc.

Poland changed or laying down 132 regulations.

Poland laying down GLP, GHP, GMP, HACCP systems.

Systems and Organizations Responsible for Food Safety System

Poland took decision in 2001 to build up food safety system by:

Rapid Alarm System for Food and Feed RASFF, Food Safety Authority - an independent scientific point

of reference in risk assessment,

reference laboratories, networking of quality checking laboratories, networking of laboratories regional and interregional

level,

Rapid Alarm System for Food and Feed (RASFF)

RASFF laying down: 57 regulations ensuring Food Safety System;

regulations on all stages of the production, processing and distribution of food, and also of feed produced for, or fed to, food-producing animals;

the principles and requirements of food law;

procedures in matters of food safety;

health and label requirements.

Rearrangement of Polish food control authority

Poland took decision to focus on the 4 control authority: sanitary, veterinary, trade and quality inspections.

Poland because of being on the border of EU had to establish or make stronger boarder control inspections (sanitary and veterinary).

Polish qualification of Food Producers

A category - food producers fully fill up the EU regulations,

B category - food producers which are in progress of preparing in to EU regulations,

C category - food producers which can produce only on the domestic market,

The Polish Food Quality Checking System

Poland build up networking of quality checking laboratories (19) and reference laboratories (3),

Poland adopted existing networking of laboratories of excellence, at regional and interregional level, with the aim of ensuring continuous monitoring of food safety, playing an important role in the prevention of potential health risks for citizens.

Main EU Regulations Adopted in Poland for Food Safety

(EC) No 178/200, (EC) 1605/2002, (EC) No 1642/2003, laying down matters of food safety, the general principles and requirements of food law, establishing the European Food Safety Authority and laying down procedures;

(EC) No 852/2004 laying down the hygiene of foodstuffs; (EC) No 853/2004 laying down specific rules on the

hygiene of food of animal origin for food business operators;

(EC) No 854/2004 laying down specific rules for the organization of official controls on products of animal origin intended for human consumption.

Main EU Regulations Adopted in Poland for Food Safety

(EC) No 882/2004 laying down official controls performed to ensure the verification of compliance with feed and food law, animal health and animals welfare rules.

Directive 2004/41/EC repealing certain directives concerning food hygiene and health conditions for the production and placing on the market of certain products of animal origin intended for human consumption.

(EC) No 1774/2002 laying down heath rules concerning animal by-products not intended for human consumption.

Prime Minister

Minister of Agricultural Minister of Health

Main Assig. of State Plant

Health and Seed Insp. Service

Voivodeship Plant

Inspection

Regional Plant Inspectors

Polish Food Safety

Authority

Main Sanitary Inspection

Main Commercial Inspection

Regional contact points

Voivodeship Sanitary

Inspection

Country Sanitary

Inspection

Voivodeship Commercial Inspection

Country Commercial Inspection

Main Veterinary Inspection

Voivodeship Veterinary Inspection

Country Sanitary

Inspection

Frontier Seaport Sanitary-

Epidemiological Station

Frontier Sanitary

Inspection

Main Inspectorate

Department of Crops Protection

Phytosanitary Supervision Division

Seed Material Supervision Division

Sells and application of plant protection products

Integrated production

Checking of plant protection effectiveness

Phytosanitary checks

Import

Internal production

Seed systems OECD

List of plants

Ecological farming

Phytosanitary checks of seeds

Main Assignments of State Plant Health

and Seed Inspection Service

The frame of supervision of plant health

The frame of the supervision on use

and marketing of plant protection products

The frame of the supervision on producing,

estimation and marketing of seed material

The frame of supervision of plant health

1. Phytosanitary checks of plant, plant products;2. Estimation of the state of risk;3. Issuing of decisions on control of harmful organisms;4. Establishment and improvement of methods and timings

of harmful organisms’ control, 5. Issuing of phytosanitary certificates, plant passports and supervision

on units authorized passports;6. Checks of treatments of cleaning, disinfections and processing of plants,

plant products and objects;6. Notifying of plant protection services of origin’s countries about destroying of plants;8. Supervision of import, movement and research with the use of quarantine pests,

plants, plant products and objects infested by quarantine pests, or those that do not meet a special quarantine requirements, as well as of those plant,plant products and objects, whose introduction on the territory of Poland and movement within is prohibited;

9. Maintaining of producers’ register;10. Issuing of certificates for producers using integrated plant production;11. Laboratory testing of plant, plant products and objects;12. Issuing of decisions on conducting with plant, plant products and objects subject

to border phytosanitary checks.

The frame of the supervision on use and marketing

of plant protection products

1. Issuing of permission and control of subjects dealing with re-packing and marketing plant protection products,

2. Control of the quality of plant protection products allowed for marketing,3. Control of proper use of plant protection products,

2. Authorization of organization units for checking of sprayers used for application of plant protection products, as well as supervision on conducting of those checks and technical state of the equipment,

5. Authorization of organizational unit for conducting of trainings and supervision on those trainings,

6. Control of organizational unit authorized for conducting of testing of plant protection products efficacy,

7. Monitoring of plant protection products usage.

The frame of the supervision on producing, estimation and marketing

of seed material

1. Field, laboratory, and external features estimation of seed material;2. Control of identity of seed material;3. Control of observing of rules and requirements in the scope of producing,

estimation, storage of seed material, including genetically modified;4. Issuing of accreditation in the scope of sampling and estimation

of seed material, as well as control of their observing;5. Issuing of official labels and seals, as well as supervision of units

for labels’ filling;5. Control of seed material imported from third countries and establishment

of its certification grades;5. Conducting of seed material’ estimation in a case of complaints from

an estimation done by accredited subjects;8. Maintaining register of producer engaged in marketing of seed material

and register supplier of nursery material, propagating material or planting material of vegetable and ornamental plants;

9. Maintaining data base of ecological seed material; 10.Maintaining register of the seed multiplication’s agreements

in the third country register

New Control System of Plant

Plants Quarantine

Forbidden goods

Special requirements

Protected area

Registration Procedure

Plant passports

Phytosanitary checks of plant

Potato sales

Main VeterinaryInspectorate

Department of hygiene animal

origin products

Department of trade animal origin products

Department of animal health protection and animal identification

RASFF system

List of meat plant production

Production control

Distribution control

Certificates

Laboratories

Control

Animal identification

Animal dieses control

Laboratory diagnosis

Farming control

Main Veterinary Inspectorate

System TRACES (TRAde Control and Expert System)

CELAB integrated informatics system of management lab results.

Requirements for Veterinary Inspection from the 29 of January 2004 (Dz. U. from the 2 March 2004).

Communicable Diseases Control

Main Sanitary Inspection control

Nutrition and Daily Use Objects Hygiene

Environmental Hygiene

Health Promotion and Health Education

Legal and Organizational Matters

Main Sanitary Inspection Duties

Main Commercial Inspection

Laboratory Food Quality Control Catering Control

Trade Control of Food Product

Main Commercial Inspection Duties

Task of Food Quality Control and Safety Assurance

The free movement of safe and wholesome food is an essential aspect of the internal market and contributes significantly to the health and well-being of citizens, and to their social and economic interests.

A high level of protection of human life and health should be assured in the pursuit of Community policies.

The free movement of food and feed can be achieved only if food and feed safety requirements do not differ significantly from Member State to Member State.

Task of Food Quality Control and Safety Assurance

Give a high level of health protection. Give a high level of insurance for consumers.

Adopt measures aimed at guaranteeing that unsafe food is not placed on the market and at ensuring that systems exist to identify and respond to food safety problems in order to ensure the proper functioning.

Give a high level of insurance for international trading partners and trade organizations.

Traceability of Foodstuff of Animal Origin

Traceability of Foodstuff of Animal Origin

Livestockslaughterhouse

Caracas boning

Case ready production

Distribution/Transport

Retail

Trace back Paddock of place traceability Trace forward

Traceability of foodstuff of animal origin

Rapid Alarm System for Food and Feed (RASFF) 57 regulations laying down

ISO 9000: 2000 ISO 9001:2000 ISO 9004 ISO 22000:2005

Livestockproduction

Primaryproduction

StorageCase ready production

Distribution/Transport

Retail

Trace back Paddock of place traceability Trace forward

Traceability of foodstuff of plant origin

ISO 9000: 2000 ISO 9001:2000 ISO 9004 ISO 22000:2005

Rapid Alarm System for Food and Feed (RASFF) 57 regulations laying down

National Phytosanitary regulations

National’s Product Traceability Process

Problem Discovery

Customer

Find cause of problem

Find responsible process step

Determine extent of problem

Informed affected customers

Identify affected customers

Determine affected shipments

Identify:• Date code,• Lot numbers,• etc.

Backwardtraceability

Forwardtraceability

National’s Product Traceability Process

Problem Discovery

Customer

Find cause of problem

Find responsible process step

Determine extent of problem

Informed affected

customers

Identify affected customers

Determine affected shipments

Identify:• Date code,• Lot numbers,• etc.

Backwardtraceability

Forwardtraceability

Main tasks of Food Safety Assurance System

Food shall not be placed on the market if it is unsafe.

Unsafe Food has to be taken from the market immediately.

Thank you for your attention.