Belgian Federal Agency for the Safety of the Food Chain

Traceability in agriculture – the

Belgian example

Herman Diricks – June 5th 2013

Belgian Federal Agency

for the Safety

of the Food Chain

Belgian Federal Agency for the Safety of the Food Chain

Presentation outline

• Introduction

– the Agency

– traceability

• Animal production -> Sanitel

• Plant production

• Traceability exercises

Belgian Federal Agency for the Safety of the Food Chain

Food Safety

• The Belgian Model

– European context

– Belgian Policy

– The Food Safety Agency

– Implementation of self-

checking

FBO implementation

and self checking

Member state: Impl. legislation and

enforcement

EU basic

legislation +

FVO

3

Belgian Federal Agency for the Safety of the Food Chain

6/6/2013 4

FASFC : The Food Agency

• Agency : all inspection and control services in agri- food chain

• Food Safety

• Animal Health

• Plant Health

• Animal Welfare

• Competences : – Operational regulations

– Registration, authorization, approval of operators

– Certification

– Prevention, sensitization and information

– Laboratories

– Monitoring the various links of the chain (products and production processes)

Belgian Federal Agency for the Safety of the Food Chain

24-6-2010 5

Suppliers

of agriculture (feed industry, raw materials, pesticides)

Agriculture

Food industry

Wholesale business

Retail

Hotels, Restaurants, Pubs

Transport

GIFS

MIS

MiA-A (2)

MiA-P (2)

Our goal : optimizing Food chain

checks

Belgian Federal Agency for the Safety of the Food Chain

Traceability - Rationale

• The ability to trace food and feed throughout the food chain is of

prime importance for the protection of public health and

consumers’ interests because it

– facilitates targeted withdrawal and recall of food;

– enables consumers to be provided with accurate information concerning

implicated products, thereby helping to maintain consumer confidence; -

– Facilitate risk assessment by control authorities.

• Traceability also helps to ensure

– Fair trading amongst operators;

– The reliability of information supplied to consumers

• Register IN – link in/out – Register OUT

Belgian Federal Agency for the Safety of the Food Chain

The Belgian Identification and

registration system for farm

animals.

Belgian Federal Agency for the Safety of the Food Chain

• DATABASE system

• Development started in the ‘90’s

– Bovines 1992

– Pigs 1995

– Small ruminants & Deer 1996

– Poultry 1999

– Fish 2010

• Reengineered in 2006 – 2009 – From “static tool” to dynamic internet application

– More auto-control = integrated business rules

8

Belgian Federal Agency for the Safety of the Food Chain

• Registration of

– Holders • Sanitary responsible person (natural person)

• Unique holder number

– Holdings • Address – geographical coordinates

• Species kept = HERD

• Unique holding number / HERD number

• Housing systems

– Animal recording • Bovines: individual identity

• Pigs: farm capacity & animal count 3x/year

• Small ruminants & Deer: animal count 1x/year

• Poultry: farm capacity

• Fish: 0

9

Belgian Federal Agency for the Safety of the Food Chain

• BASIC PRINCIPLE IN SANITEL:

1 holding = 1 / more herds (species)

1 holder = 1 / more holdings

1 holder = 1 / more herds

1 HERD = 1 SPECIES = 1 HOLDING = 1 HOLDER

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Belgian Federal Agency for the Safety of the Food Chain

• Registration of

– Animal movements

• Bovine: individual movements

• Pigs: group movements

• Small ruminants & Deer: group movements

• Poultry & Fish: non

– Sanitary status diseases (risk)

• Official diseases:

– Brucellosis, Leucosis, Tuberculosis

• FMD, CSV, BSE,

• Salmonelosis

• FISH-diseases

• Non official diseases

– Para-TBC, IBR, BVD, ….….

11

Belgian Federal Agency for the Safety of the Food Chain

• Registration of

– Residues status (risk)

• Antibiotics (herd level)

• Hormonal substances (herd level)

• Contaminations (animal level or herd level)

– Treatments

• Official vaccination programs

– Blue tongue

– Aujeszky

– Other operators dealing with live animals:

• Dealers / assembly centers / control post

• Transporters

• Slaughterhouses

• Approved veterinarians – Epidemiological surveillance

12

Belgian Federal Agency for the Safety of the Food Chain

• Competent Authority = FASFC

– Legislation, Control, Supervision

– Development of the central database

• Implementation in the field

– Approved animal health associations

(DGZ/ARSIA)

• Sharing database with other authorities

– Federal public services

– Regional authorities

– Limited access

13

Belgian Federal Agency for the Safety of the Food Chain

• Farmer’s communication to the database:

– Paper way systems: documents send by post

– Voice responding systems

– Computer • Direct internet access to SANITEL

• Management systems SANITEL

• Delegation to 3th party

– Ex. Breeding associations

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Belgian Federal Agency for the Safety of the Food Chain

• BOVINES (& veal)

• Individual identification

• 2 ear tags

• Passport

• Individual movements

• Holding register/ per herd

– Paper on farm

– Computer – In SANITEL

15

Belgian Federal Agency for the Safety of the Food Chain

• PIGS

• Group identification

• 1 ear tag / frapping hammer

• Movement document

• Holding register / per herd

– Paper on farm

– Animal count 3x /year

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Belgian Federal Agency for the Safety of the Food Chain

• Small ruminants

• Individual identification

• 2 ear tags

• Movement document

• Holding register / per herd

/ per species

– Paper on farm

– Animal count 1x / year

17

Belgian Federal Agency for the Safety of the Food Chain

• Other uses/users of the database:

– Certification - TRACES

• EU Commission project BOVEX

– Slaughterhouse data

– Food Chain information

– Holders: • only information of the own holding/herd:

• Connect with Management packet

• To fulfill other (legal) obligations (other Authorities)

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Belgian Federal Agency for the Safety of the Food Chain

Food Chain Information

Belgian Federal Agency for the Safety of the Food Chain

Plant production

• On farm registers

– Use of plant protection products

– Presence of plant pests

– Results of analysis

– Use of fertilisers

– crops

– Seeds/plants used

Belgian Federal Agency for the Safety of the Food Chain

Plant production

• Vegetables and fruit, Potatoes

– Country of origin

– Identification operator

– Batch number

• Sprouts

– Commission (EU) No 208/2013 of 11 March 2013

on traceability requirements for sprouts and seeds

intended for the production of sprouts

• EC Plant Passport System

Belgian Federal Agency for the Safety of the Food Chain

Traceability excercices

• Poultry feed and poultry meat

• Porc Meat

• Potatoes

– Food safety

– Phytosanitary

Belgian Federal Agency for the Safety of the Food Chain

Traceability excercices - example

Lancement de l’exercice :

Résultat non conforme pour un contaminant sur différents lots de pomme de terre

Traçage vers l’amont

Producteur Pdt conso

Marché du frais

Transformation

Négociants/Préparateur-emballeur

Distribution

Tra

ça

ge

ve

rs l’a

va

l

5 lots contaminés

Distribution

Exportateur

Exportateur

Négociants/Préparateur-emballeur

Valorisation alimentation animale

Distribution

Lundi - Mardi Mercredi à Vendredi

18 opérateurs

622 opérateurs

Résultats de l’exercice filière « pommes deterre

de consommation

Belgian Federal Agency for the Safety of the Food Chain

Closing remarks

• Thanks for your attention

• If you have any questions do not

hesitate …..