dgal activity report - agriculture · the new national food programme (pna), presented by stéphane...
TRANSCRIPT
DGAL ACTIVITY REPORT
KEY FACTS2014
ThE FRENCh DIRECTORATE GENERAL FOR FOOD
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In 2014, the French Directorate General for Food (DGAL) continued to engage in a wide range of diverse activities, whose overall aim is to ensure that all citizens have access to safe, healthy, high-quality food. In the current context of an increa-sing world population, trade globalisation and climate change, the directorate’s role of ensuring food safety and public health has become very important.
Our work on the Future of Agriculture, Food and Forestry Act played a central role as one of our key projects in 2014. The Act was promulgated on 14 October 2014 and has given French agriculture fresh momen-tum by setting out a path towards agro-eco-logy while addressing the challenges of economic competitiveness and ecological, health and social issues.
The Act has helped to confirm and stren-gthen the key strategic priorities of our actions: •reaffirming public food policy on the
basis of four priorities, namely so-cial justice, educating young people about food, combating food waste and ensuring actions are rooted in their local context;
•managing agricultural inputs, plant health products and antibiotics;
•taking better account of animal wel-fare;
•transparency and improving the ef-fectiveness of inspection services.
In addition to these ambitious projects, which guided our actions in 2014 and will be continued in 2015, it is important not to forget our ongoing efforts in the areas of food safety, dealing with outbreaks of animal and plant diseases and managing health alerts, which constitute our core business.
Similarly, at the international level, the DGAL has also actively pursued its ef-forts to influence matters at a European and international level and to promote the quality of the French food safety system to other countries. As a result, it has been able to facilitate access to external markets for French products by lifting health and plant health barriers. I hope you enjoy reading our report, which demonstrates the ongoing commitment of the teams who work to improve the daily lives of citizens and respond to their concerns.
Patrick Dehaumont Director General for Food
Editorial
EDiToriAL ................................................................................................................................................... 3MAJor ProJECTS ..................................................................................................................................... 62014 oVErViEW .....................................................................................................................................18ANiMAL HEALTH & ProTECTioN .......................................................................................................22PLANT HEALTH AND ProTECTioN ....................................................................................................32SAFE, HiGH-QUALiTY FooD For EVErYoNE ...............................................................................40CoMBATiNG FooD CriME ....................................................................................................................54HEALTH CriSES AND ALErTS .............................................................................................................60MANAGEMENT AND orGANiSATioN ................................................................................................68NEGoTiATioNS AND iNTErNATioNAL TrADE ..............................................................................72THE DGAL iN FiGUrES ..........................................................................................................................82
Contents
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MAJor ProJECTS
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The French Directorate General for Food implements a food policy aimed at ensuring healthy, safe, accessible, balanced and high-quality food to help protect consumers and citizens and respond to food safety expectations. It manages a number of projects that are central to its activities in these areas:•the health aspect of the Future of Agriculture, Food
and Forestry Act, which signals a marked shift in favour of agro-ecology and the multiple roles of French farms,
•food policy, which promotes a model for the future in res-ponse to societal expectations,
•the implementation of a new form governance in ani-mal and plant health following the national debate on health that took place in 2010,
•the Écophyto Plan, which aims to reduce the use of plant health products whilst reconciling the need for competitive-ness with respect for public health and the environment,
•the Écoantibio Plan, which advocates cautious, rational antibiotic use,
•a public policy on animal welfare.
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The Future of Agriculture, Food and Forestry Act
Achievements in 2014
2014 was a year of intense activity at the DGAL, first in preparing the Act and then during its examination by the French Parliament, with the first rea-ding in the National Assembly and the Senate, followed by the second rea-ding and finally, voting in both cham-bers. The Constitutional Council issued a favourable opinion on the Act on 9 October and it was published in the Official Gazette on 14 October.
The DGAL was proactive in ma-king proposals on health-related issues and food policy. Many of
the measures it proposed have been en-shrined in the Act and will be included in secondary legislation (orders and de-crees) in 2015.
Main measures affecting the DGAL
Food policy•Refocusing of the national food pro-
gramme on four priorities identified by the Government: social justice, educating young people about food, combating food waste and ensu-ring actions are rooted in their local context,
•strengthening the position of the National Food Council (CNA) as a Parliament for Food, contributing to the social debate,
•promoting local produce and short food supply chains in the context of regional sustainable agriculture plans (PRAD) and local food pro-jects.
Transparency and improving the effectiveness of inspection services•Transparency through publishing
inspection results in conditions to
be defined by decree: consumers will have access to the results of inspections carried out throughout the food chain,
•administrative policing of sites: in-troduction of new tools for services, such as automatic consignment and emergency measures,
•terms of service for public-service work commissioned from analytical laboratories run by councils in the départements.
Antibiotics and veterinary medicines: control and transpa-rency•Measures aimed at limiting and
monitoring the use of antibiotics in veterinary medicine to prevent and combat antibiotic resistance,
•reduction targets laid down in law: 25% reduction in three years for third and fourth generation cepha-losporins and fluoroquinolones,
•monitoring of commercial practices.
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Control of phytopharmaceuticals•Obligations related to integrated
control,•transfer of decisions on marketing
authorisations of plant health pro-ducts and fertilising materials from the DGAL to ANSES, the French na-tional risk-assessment agency,
• introduction of a plant health phar-macovigilance system to monitor the impact of plant health products on the environment and human health,
•stronger efforts to combat counter-feiting and illegal imports,
•ban on any public and trade adverti-sing outside except at sales outlets and in specialist media,
•trial of a plant health products sa-vings certificate scheme,
•easier access and promotion of use of biological controls as an innovative alternative to plant health products.
recognising the role of wildlife in health systems•Recognition of hunters as key actors
in preventing, monitoring and com-bating health hazards,
•Recognition of the health responsi-bilities of the National Office of Hun-ting and Wildlife (ONFCS) under the French Rural and Maritime Fishing Code,
•Adaptation of prevention and control tools to wildlife.
Livestock traceability• Identification of camelids (see key
fact p.25).
Monitoring•Organisation of animal health, plant
health and food monitoring, by de-fining the respective missions and obligations of the key actors, the terms under which they exchange information and how they coordi-nate activities.
Animal welfare•Appointment of national referral
centres for animal welfare res-ponsible for providing technical ex-pertise and contributing to the dis-semination of research results and technical innovations,
•adaptation of provisions relating to the transportation of live animals to European Union law,
•tightening of the rules applicable to the trade in domestic pets, in par-
ticular by redefining the declaration threshold for breeding cats and dogs, and regulating or prohibiting certain methods of selling verte-brates or transferring them free of charge.
The new Act sets a course towards agro-ecology and emphasises the need for French agriculture and the food-pro-cessing and forestry sectors to perform in multiple ways in response to econo-mic, environmental, health and social requirements. It marks an important step in the pursuit of our public policy, namely promoting innovative practices and culti-vation systems as part of an agro-ecolo-gical approach.
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Public food policyA model for the future in response to societal expectations
The new National Food Programme (PNA), presented by Stéphane Le Foll on 11 December 2014, is the result of both four years of experience imple-menting French public food policy and a new ambition.
T he new National Food Programme builds on the approach already underway, the partnerships deve-
loped and the actions taken until now, and it also embraces the new framework for this public policy enshrined in the Future of Agriculture, Food and Forestry Act.
Access to high-quality food for everyone
Through institutional food servicesPromotion of local sourcing, in parti-cular through access to methodologi-cal tools designed to make it easier to source high-quality, local produce.
For vulnerable groupsReform of the French food-aid system, begun in 2010 via the Agriculture and Fishing Modernisation Act, is now opera-tional at the national and regional level. Eighteen network leaders were accredited nationally between 2013 and 2014. The process was rolled out to the regions in 2014 by introducing local accreditations aimed at local associations.
To find out more: http://agriculture.gouv.
fr/Habilitation-associations-caritatives
The programme priorities for 2014-2017 are focused on four key areas:•social justice,•educating young people about food,•combating food waste,•ensuring the actions taken are
rooted in their local area and valuing our food heritage.
To find out more:
http://alimentation.gouv.fr/pna-2
Achievements in 2014
*Our model is for the future
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Since 1 January, 2014: the Food Distribution Programme for the Most Deprived Persons (MDP) has been replaced by the Fund for Eu-ropean Aid to the Most Deprived (FEAD)
•The FEAD, launched in January 2014, is defined by Regulation (EU) No 223/2014 of the European Parlia-ment and of the Council of 11 March, 2014.
•The French operational programme to implement the FEAD at the natio-nal level was approved by the Euro-pean Commission on 31 July 2014.
Promoting more sustainable consumption
Social justice•Monitoring committee appointed
to ensure monitoring of the National Pact to Combat Food Waste, eva-luate it and track the progress made between now and 2025,
•on 16 October 2014, National Day to Combat Food Waste, Stéphane Le Foll awarded eight “anti-waste” prizes to the winners in eight catego-ries of committed stakeholders,
•a parliamentary mission given to Guillaume Garot, with the aim of re-
moving the barriers that continue to exist throughout the food chain, putting forward recommenda-tions and promoting good prac-tices currently in place.
improving product quality•Launch of the “quality ingredients”
pact at the Paris International Agri-cultural Show in February 2014;
•signature of three new collective agreements (increasing the number of recognised collective agreements to four):- the artisanal bakery sector agree-
ment;- the agreement with Herta;- the cold non-alcoholic beverages
sector agreement.
To find out more: http://alimentation.gouv.
fr/accords-collectifs
Nutrition section of the Food observatory (oqali)The data available to Oqali cover 25 of the 27 industrial sectors representing over 80% of the processed food products sup-ply.
An initial study of almost all sectors has now been carried out to establish a base-line, with nine sectors undergoing a fol-low-up study.
Food products from the south-west region.
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Consolidation of existing bodies and tools•National (CNOPSAV) and Regional
(CROPSAV) Guidance Councils on Animal and Plant Health Policy.
The CNOPSAV or “Health Parliament”, chaired by the Minister or his represen-tative, is a consultation body for health strategies and associated technical mea-sures:The following took place at the natio-nal level:•3 CNOPSAV plenary meetings,•3 CNOPSAV meetings specialised in
animal health,•3 CNOPSAV meetings specialised in
plant health.
CNOPSAV meetings provide a forum for: •the health situation, particularly in re-
lation to emergencies and alerts (e.g. PED (Porcine Epidemic Diarrhoea) in animal health or xylella fastidiosa),
•European and national health strate-gies.
In the regions, the plenary sections esta-blished in 2013 met and the first specialist sessions were held.
Key playersThe CNOPSAV includes representa-tives from trade organisations and agri-cultural trade unions, veterinary sur-geons’ representatives, GDS France, FREDON France, agricultural technical institutes and the National Federation for the Environment, amongst others.
The work of the specialist sections is also supported by representatives of the administrative authorities concerned, ANSES, FranceAgriMer, the ONF (Natio-nal Forestry Office), INRA (National Ins-titute for Agricultural Research), ONFCS (National Office of Hunting and Wildlife) and the presidents of the DD(CS)PP (Departmental Directorates of Social Cohesion and Public Protection) and DRAAF (Regional Directorates of Food, Agriculture and Forestry).
New governance system
Gaec Guilbert’s Holstein cattle producing organic milk for “Les 2 Vaches”. The herd is fed on a mix
of fodder when the cows are indoors.
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Achievements in 2014
roll-out of the new health governance system continued in 2014.
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Animal healthCategorisation of health hazards:following the order issued in July 2013, two new hazards have been added to the list: Porcine Epidemic Diarrhoea (PED) as an emerging hazard in category 1 and contagious agalactia in category 2 for the Aquitaine region.
An “animal welfare” group was created within CNOPSAV in late 2013. The group is part of CNOPSAV’s Animal Health section. The permanent profes-sional members of the animal welfare expert group are from CNOPSAV Animal Health. Other participants are represen-tatives of NGOs and scientists. Additional members may be invited to participate in the group’s work depending on the topics under discussion.
The expert group examines draft regula-tions but also works on defining priorities for national action in respect of animal welfare. CNOPSAV’s animal welfare group has met three times, in November 2013, March 2014 and November 2014 respectively.
Plant health•Prioritisation and categorisation
of health hazards: a major priori-tisation exercise was carried out by ANSES and CNOPSAV met several times to propose two lists of orga-nisms to be regulated in categories 1 and 2. The order on categorising plant health hazards for main-land France was published on 26 December 2014.
•Corn rootworm (Diabrotica virgi-fera virgifera) was deregulated at the national level following de-regulation by the European authori-ties. Professionals in the sector will continue to monitor it, however, and report on it in the context of biologi-cal surveillance.
•Xylella fastidiosa : the CNOPSAV was consulted on the alert situation facing France following the disco-very of an outbreak in Italy (Puglia region)
•Changes in European regula-tions: the CNOPSAV was informed about changes to European Direc-tive 2000/29/EC, particularly on the changes to provisions relating to the chestnut gall wasp (establi-shment of protected areas) and Mo-nilinia fructicola, a fungus affecting apple trees (deregulation).
More information: http://agriculture.gouv.
fr/Le-conseil-national-d-orientation-de-la-poli-
tique-sanitaire
Continued implementation of the scheme
•Recognition of health organisa-tions (organisations à vocation sani-taire – OVS) and veterinary tech-nical organisations (organisations vétérinaires à vocation technique – OVVT), by order in both the animal and plant sectors.
Recognition of both kinds of organisation will help to clarify the framework used by the state to award or delegate health-re-lated roles to third-party organisations.
Health organisations (OVS) have sub-mitted their applications for ISO 17020 certification to the French accreditation committee, COFRAC.
•Adoption of the order defining Regional Plans for Control of Health Hazards (order of 31 De-cember 2014).
•Regional plans will be based on local assessments and enable re-gional actors in animal and plant health to identify priority actions and organise their implementation. The plans will constitute the regio-nal health strategy in addition to re-gulatory measures.
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Écophyto Planreconciling competitiveness with protection for public health and the environment
Key figures400,000 professionals trained
1,900 pilot farms used to identify
almost 100 resource-efficient, high-performance
cultivation systems
3,500 plant health notifications in 2014
42 agricultural colleges committed
(over 200 teachers and over 5,000 students involved)
41 experimental projects implemented at 170 sites
2014 showed that it is possible to re-duce the use of plant health products and combine environmental and eco-nomic performance whilst protecting health.
Thanks to the tools developed in re-lation to the Écophyto Plan, farms have significantly reduced their
consumption of plant health products. In the Dephy farm network, for example (De-monstration, Experimentation and Pro-duction of data on systems that reduce consumption of plant health products), use of these products has declined by an average of 12% in three years in poly-culture, livestock and field-crop farms. Use on tree farms has declined by 11%.
involving professionals, central government and local elected representatives
Training programmesOver 400,000 professionals, including al-most 270,000 farmers, attended training courses and obtained the “Certiphyto” certificate required for selling, advising on and using plant health products on a professional basis.
Training for landscaping professionals: the Certiphyto applies to them too!
Helping users of plant health products change their practices
Almost 1,900 pilot farms selected for demonstration purposes and to establish agronomic, economic and plant-health benchmarks contributed to identifying 95 economic, high-performance cultivation systems.
4,000 observers in the epidemiological monitoring network observing around 15,400 plots of land. Over 3,500 plant health notifications were published in 2014 across all regions to provide objective in-formation in real time on the plant health situation and how it might change in the short term, helping guide farmers to target their treatments more effectively.
42 agricultural colleges involved in the Écophyto approach involved over 5,000 students and 200 teaching staff. 128 culti-vation systems were studied and assessed for their performance.
Achievements in 2014
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Dissemination of tools developed to publicise the principles of a coordinated attack on threats to crops
Around 5,000 monthly visits to the Éco-phytoPIC portal on coordinated crop pro-tection, which now has five platforms for specific sectors.
http://agriculture.gouv.fr/Ecophytopic
Guides to designing resource-efficient sys-tems for plant health products aimed at far-mers, advisers and trainers are available.
Support for research projects
150 Écophyto-labelled research pro-jects have been launched and funded by the Plan since its launch. The call for research projects on biological controls, launched in 2013-2014, resulted in 70 submissions; 17 of these 70 projects are funded by the Écophyto Plan for a total of €2,178,000 and will begin in 2015.
Numerous initiatives at a regional and local level.
outlook for 2015
The new Act is introducing new tools:• introduction of an experimental plant
health products savings certificate scheme,
•support for the development of bio-logical controls,
• implementation of a plant health phar-macovigilance scheme
•obligation for individual advice, etc.
Furthermore, in accordance with European Directive 2009/128 and in the absence of a significant and long-term reduction in the use of plant health products in France, French Prime Minister Manuel Valls tasked member of parliament Dominique Potier with establishing recommendations for a new version of the Écophyto Plan on 30 May 2014. After a significant amount of consultation and reflection, Dominique Potier submitted his report to Manuel Valls on 23 December 2014 in the presence of Ségolène Royal, Minister for Ecology, Sustainable Development and Energy and Stéphane Le Foll, Minister for Agriculture, Food and Forestry.
On 30 January, on the basis of the report, Stéphane Le Foll announced new direc-tions and the publication of a new Éco-phyto Plan 2 in June 2015.
The new plan is needed because, although many actions have been taken, the ex-pected results have not been achieved: French agriculture’s dependence on plant health products continues to increase. The challenge of disseminating best practices is significant in terms of both health and competitiveness.
To find out more: http://agriculture.gouv.
fr/plan-ecophyto-2015
Key playersFarmers but also economic stakehol-ders, consumers and amateur garde-ners, associations, elected representa-tives, research organisations, technical institutes, government departments, local authorities, etc.
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Écoantibio Plan1 plan, 5 key areas, 40 measures
Key area 1 raise stakeholder awareness
Campaigns to raise awareness and promote good livestock farming prac-tices (for cattle, pigs and poultry) by professional organisations and technical institutes.
Cattle health inspections took place on an annual basis from 2014, with 128,000 farms visited and antibiotic resistance discussed with farmers.
Ongoing training for public-health veterinarians 359 veterinary surgeons took part in one of the 31 information sessions on antibiotic resistance and pharmacovigilance delivered from Sep-tember onwards. Communications cam-paign launched in September 2014 targe-ting pet owners: the aim of the campaign is to change owners’ practices and make them more aware of the issue of antibio-tic resistance. Training day organised by IFIP – the French Pork and Pig Institute – and ANSES, attended by 200 actors in the pig sector including around 50 pres-cribing veterinary surgeons.
Key area 2 Develop alternatives
Several scientific studies have been re-ported and will serve as the basis for DGAL’s future decision-making.
Report from ANSES’ review of the risk of emergence of antibiotic resistance re-lated to the use of antibiotics in veterina-ry medicine.
The Écoantibio plan advocates cautious, rational antibiotic use and is hinged around:
quantitative objectives: Reduce antibiotics consumption in veterinary medicine by 25% in five years: only
strictly necessary and appropriate amounts should be prescribed and administered to animals.
qualitative objectives: Focus particularly on reducing the use of critically important antibiotics in veterinary medicine and, in particular, fluoroquinolones and third and fourth-generation cephalosporins.
Achievements in 2014
*Let’s produce differently
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Key area 3 Strengthen the legislative framework
The Future of Agriculture, Food and Fo-restry Act provides for:•several measures for better mo-
nitoring of commercial practices: all kinds of commercial incentives are now prohibited when selling an-tibiotics,
•a legislative basis for better mo-nitoring of antibiotic prescrip-tions, particularly antibiotics of critical importance, has been esta-blished in order to reduce cases of inappropriate use. Prescriptions will now only be provided for medical purposes,
•an objective of a 25% reduction in the use of antibiotics of critical importance has been set between 2013 and 2016,
• improvements to the conditions and monitoring of the use of anti-biotics, in particular by prohibiting the use of antibiotics for preventive purposes on farms and setting out a legislative basis for monitoring use,
•bolstering criminal penalties in the event of an offence.
Key area 4 improve monitoring of antibiotic consumption and antibiotic resistance
Sales monitoring: publication of the 2013 ANSES report: confirmation of the reduction in animal exposure to antibiotics since 2007, and an in-crease in decline, of 12.7% between 2011 and 2013.
For the first time, exposure is lower (re-duced by 5.5%) than it was in 1999 when monitoring was introduced.
Key area 5 Promote the approach
Organisation of a seminar in November 2014 with the French Directorate General for Health (DGS) on the theme of antibio-tic resistance in humans and animals.
At the European level:France, the Netherlands and Denmark have taken the initiative and are calling on Member States to act to combat anti-biotics resistance; 27 of the 28 Member States have signed up to the initiative, which will be taken into account in the reformulation of European legislation on veterinary medicines and medicinal foods. A meeting was organised with European Chief Veterinary Officers at the Paris International Agricultural Show with the aim of engaging in dialogue and consultation in the presence of the Minis-ter, Stéphane Le Foll.
The plan involvesfarmers in the various livestock sec-tors; veterinary surgeons, doctors and pharmacists; scientists and risk asses-sors (ANSES); teachers; the pharma-ceutical industry; public authorities; and the general public, including all animal owners.
Moving salt-meadow sheep to summer pasture in Baie de Somme
(AOC salt-meadow lamb).
To find out more: agriculture.gouv.fr/
plan-ecoantibio-2017
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January16Meeting with Russian veterinary ser-vices in Berlin.
22CNOPSAV plenary meeting.
23-24DGAL – regional services (DRAAF) seminar on “Plant quality and protec-tion” (National Organisation for Plant Protection – ONPV)
February5Annual General Meeting of the French National Cattle Federation in Les Sables d’Olonne.
11French-Moroccan Agricultural Com-mittee.
12-14Mission in Indonesia and Singapore on health and plant health issues.
22 February – 2 March• Participation in the Paris Inter-
national Agricultural Show.• European Chief Veterinary Of-
ficers invited to the show for a meeting on antibiotic resistance in the presence of the minister.
• Signature of the bakery collec-tive agreement.
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Participation by the DGAL’s Forest Health Department, which is celebra-ting its 25th anniversary, in the Inter-national Day of Forests.
27-28Meeting of the Mediterranean Animal Health Network (REMESA) in Malta.
31 March – 4 AprilMeeting of the International Plant Pro-tection Convention (IPPC) in Rome.
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April2Day organised by the Ministry on agro-ecology.
2-3Meeting of the European Commission for the Control of Foot-and-Mouth Di-sease (EuFMD) in Brussels.
6French-Dutch veterinary meeting in Utrecht.
15-16Annual General Meeting and 60th anniversary of the Groupements de défense sanitaire (GDS) France (local livestock farmers’ associations) in Strasbourg.
17Closing seminar of the French-Tuni-sian partnership on animal health mo-nitoring in Tunis.
22Forum organised by the DGAL on “Bio-logical control, the way forward for a new way of producing” in Paris.
May6-7
French-Italian veterinary meeting in Ajaccio.
12-13Trip to China by the Minister with a fo-cus on food safety.
21CNOPSAV plenary meeting.
23Annual General Meeting of the Federa-tion of Veterinarians of Europe (FVE) in Biarritz.
25-3082nd General meeting of representa-tives from the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) in Paris.
June5French National Food Council sympo-sium on “French excellence in food and international influence” in La Rochelle.
12-13French-Spanish veterinary and plant health meeting (San Sebastian).
16Launch, as every year, of strengthe-ned inspections as part of the “holi-day food” inter-ministerial operation, until mid-September.
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Meeting of the OIE Europe Task Force in Belgrade.
30DGAL strategic plan steering com-mittee.
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July1Inaporc general meeting.
2French-Belgian meeting in Lille.
3French-German meeting in Berlin.
August23 August – 7 Sept.
Participation in the World Equestrian Games, Normandy.
28Participation in the conference for networks of the Ministry working in-ternationally (agricultural advisers and attachés).
September2Meeting with environmental protection associations.
15Launch of the Ministry’s campaign on antibiotic resistance and domestic pets (Écoantibio Plan run by the DGAL).
16-19Attendance at the SPACE international livestock farming show in Rennes.
23-24Council of the European and Mediter-ranean Plant Protection Organisation (EPPO) in Paris.
23-26OIE Europe Regional Conference (Bern).
29 Sept. – 1 OctoberDGAL – decentralised services semi-nar on “Animal health and protection” in Metz.
october1-3Livestock farming summit in Cournon.
7-8Presentation by Stéphane Le Foll on new priorities in public food policy.
9• Signature of a collective agree-
ment with the cold non-alcoholic beverages sector.
• Awareness-raising day on ra-bies organised by the DGAL and ANSES, Paris.
12Launch of French and Algerian twinned veterinary services.
13Promulgation of the Future of Agricultu-re, Food and Forestry Act.
13-14Executive Committee of the Euro-pean Commission for the Control of Foot-and-Mouth Disease (EuFMD), Sofia.
13-15Visit to the DGAL by a delegation of re-
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presentatives of U.S. cities on school food programmes.
16National Day to Combat Food Waste.
17Conseil supérieur de l’ordre des vétéri-naires (CSOV) congress in Lyon.
19-23Participation in the Global Food Market-place (SIAL), Paris.
28French and Russian Agricultural Com-mittee.
As well as...•monthly meetings of the DRAAF and IGAPS (General Inspectors
providing support to staff and facilities) and the heads of SRAL (Regional Food Services)/SALIM;•monthlymeetingsoftheChiefVeterinaryOfficers(CVO)and
Chief Plant Health Officers (COPHS) in the European Union;•StandingCommitteesonplants,animals,animalfoodstuffsandani-
mal feed (ScoPAFF).•periodicseminarsfortechnicalstaff.
November3-4REMESA meeting in Tunis.
4CNOPSAV committee meeting – Ani-mal Welfare.
12• Symposium on “Antibiotic resis-
tance in humans and animals” organised with the Directorate General for Health (DGS).
• DGAL strategic plan steering committee.
13Establishment of the Standing Tech-nical Committee on Selection (CTPS).
December1Launch of the annual “Festive Sea-son” operation.
3-4OIE Europe Task Force in Madrid.
16CNOPSAV plenary meeting.
16Committee-Council of the World Ani-mal Health and Welfare Fund (OIE).
17Meeting at the DGAL with consumer associations.
23Report by the French MP Dominique Potier on “Pesticides and agro-eco-logy” regarding a new version of the Écophyto plan submitted to the Prime Minister.
19-20
Meeting with Russian veterinary ser-vices in Moscow.
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ANiMAL HEALTH & PROTECTION
Traceability, animal diseases, animal welfare, epidemiological monitoring, veterinary pharmacy, and more.
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Cattle movements: better traceability and simplification of the systemA framework agreement was signed on 27 February 2014 by the French Ministry of Agriculture, Agro-Food and Forestry with professional organisations in the cat-tle-farming sector. The three-year agreement relates to a project to digitise the documentation required for cattle movements in France, which will make the sys-tem both simpler and more reliable.
The digitisation project is designed to allow those involved in the sector to connect directly to a centralised in-
formation system to check that an animal can be moved in accordance with the regu-lations. A passport (showing identity, place of birth, blood lines, etc.) and a health cer-tificate confirming that the animals come from a herd that is free from contagious diseases are currently required to ensure the traceability of over 30 million catt-le movements within France. The future scheme will be both simpler and more reliable, as well as less expensive to run
for both the administrative authorities and the sector.
The cost of the project in its pilot phase is €1.5 million, 80% of which will be fun-ded by the Ministry of Agriculture and the remainder by the National Livestock Far-ming Confederation (CNE), Interbev (Na-tional Interprofessional Association for Li-vestock and Meat), the APCA (Permanent Assembly of Chambers of Agriculture) and the CNIEL (National Interprofessional Centre for the Dairy Sector).
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Cross-border trade
Simplification of certification between Belgium, Luxembourg and FranceJean-Luc Angot, Deputy Director General of the DGAL and Chief Veterinary Officer (CVO) signed an agreement on cross-border trade in animals reared for meat with his counterparts in Luxembourg and Belgium on 29 September 2014.
The protocol aims to simplify certi-fication procedures for the trade in animals intended for immediate
slaughter, by substituting the traditional European health certificate with a sta-tement issued by a veterinary surgeon, which provides the main health informa-tion. The favourable epidemiological si-tuation, which is comparable in Belgium, Luxembourg and France, has made it possible to simplify the system.
The initiative is part of a trial of re-gulatory changes expected in fu-ture animal health legislation wit-hin the European Union, which will be adopted in 2015. This is the first initiative of its kind between three bordering member states and heralds possible changes at a European level. Discussions are underway with Italy and Spain.
Horse trading
Agreement between the United Kingdom, ireland and FranceThe new provisions of the tripartite agreement (TPA) between the United Kingdom, Ireland and France on trading horses between the three countries came into effect on 18 June.
F rom then onwards, horses moving between these countries must have either an intra-community health
certificate or a DOCOM commercial do-cument (valid only for race horses, bree-ding stock and high health-status sport horses). If they are not eligible under the conditions of the agreement, they must be accompanied by either a health decla-ration or health certificate. The new pro-visions aim to consolidate the traceabi-lity of horses to anticipate any health problems whilst ensuring the fluidity of movements needed for organising com-petitions.
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Animal health law: progress to dateThe DGAL is participating in the development of the European animal health law. A draft was submitted to the European Council and Parliament by the Commission in May 2013. The aim was to develop a single piece of legislation that pays more attention to prevention and simplifies trade-related constraints.
The draft was examined in the Council by a group of veterinary experts invol-ving representatives of the 28 Member
States at around 20 two-day sessions. A text was agreed upon and adopted in December 2014. The European Parliament had adopted a final report of the first reading on 15 April 2014, comprising 330 amendments relating primarily to taking more account of animal welfare and biodiversity. The new European regulation could be finally adopted during the first half of 2015. It would not come into effect until 2020, however, to allow time to produce the 100 or so pieces of implemen-ting legislation it will require. In addition to the general satisfaction of a text that was greatly improved by the debates in the
Council, France, which played a leading role in the discussions, is particularly pleased by the following progress:•clarifications in relation to biosecurity
(article 9)• the arrangements for establishing lists
and categories of disease (articles 5 and 8)
•more flexible regulations on assembly centres
• the inclusion of non-commercial move-ments of domestic pets
• the establishment of an initial program of priorities for producing the imple-menting legislation (with guarantees on deadlines for transposition into na-tional legislation)
identification
of camelidsSupported by members of the French parliament, article 41 of the new Agricul-ture Act adopted on 13 October 2014 is designed to make it obligatory to identify camelids (camels and llamas) in France and to register their owners. Between 5,000 and 10,000 animals are affected. Until now, identifying them was optional and as a result, not very reliable.
Camelids are prone to carrying statuto-ry diseases such as tuberculosis or brucellosis. It is important to have
a clear understanding of the sector be-cause of their proximity to other farm animals. The plan is to implement a com-pulsory declaration scheme for camelid owners and to identify camelids by implan-ting either a transponder or two ear-rings (one with an electronic identity tag) in or-der to ensure better health monitoring.
The task of managing camelid identifi-cation has been entrusted to the French Horse and Horse Riding Institute (IFCE) which runs the SIRE database and which, as the body responsible for identifying horses, is already familiar with issues such as ordering transponders or ear tags, printing identity and ownership cards and working with identifying veterinary sur-geons. A draft decree and draft order are currently being produced and should be published during 2015.
Llama
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World Equestrian Games (23 August – 7 September)
Safeguarding health
The DGAL and decentralised services in Normandy worked for two years on a scheme to safeguard health and ensure that the international sporting event ran smoothly. The aim was to avoid diseases circulating between horses from 72 countries with different health situations and the sizeable herd in Nor-mandy.
The World Equestrian Games welco-med around 1,100 “competition” and 500 “entertainment” horses,
including the Republican Guard, Moroccan Royal Guard and horses drawing carriages.
The scheme put in place had three main components: guaranteeing that horses were “healthy” upon arrival, defining a de-manding and effective biosecurity plan to avoid contamination at sites, and detect and manage any diseases, and ensuring increased traceability. A total of 50 staff
from the DDPP (Departmental Directo-rates of Public Protection) of the dépar-tements concerned (Calvados, Manche and Orne), the DRAAF Basse Normandie and the DGAL, all of whom were closely involved, monitored health conditions throughout the 15-day competition. All horses were inspected upon arrival and six were placed in quarantine for non-com-pliance. In total, 571 health certificates were issued to animals that had to travel back to another country.
Foot-and-mouth disease and African swine fever
raising awareness among travellersAn information campaign was insti-gated by the DGAL in September 2014, in conjunction with the customs and civil aviation departments, to remind travellers that bringing animals and products of animal origin back into the European Union is prohibited.
P eople who have visited a livestock farm during their stay must make sure they clean and disinfect their
shoes thoroughly at the end of their visit. Clothing and shoes used in these coun-tries must be cleaned on their return before visiting any animals that might be sensitive to the diseases concerned. Bio-security measures at international mee-tings in France have been strengthened.
The European Union has been free from foot-and-mouth disease since 2007, unlike numerous countries in va-rious parts of the world in Asia, Africa and the Middle East. Among countries that are geographically close to Europe and cur-rently affected by the disease are Egypt, Turkey, Tunisia and Algeria.
World Equestrian Games 2014. Warm-up area. Show-jumping.
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People travelling from and to North Afri-ca were asked to be especially vigilant in the run-up to the Aïd-el-Kébir festival. Although foot-and-mouth disease is not dangerous to humans, it is highly contagious and can cause severe losses on farms. African swine fever does not represent a threat to human health either. Nonetheless, it is a highly contagious viral disease that affects pigs, African hogs (warthogs and red-river hogs) and European and American boars. Until recently, African swine fever, which is endemic in the sub-Saharan region and Madagascar, was only present in Europe in Sardinia. It reached eastern Europe (Ukraine and Byelorussia) in 2012 and spread to Poland and Lithuania in January 2014, and to Latvia in June 2014. People who travel to an area affected by either disease must take certain precautions so as not to risk bringing the disease back to Europe and transmitting it to herds.
international coordination for greater vigilanceThere were several discussions with other countries about health risks to ensure international coordination in 2014, for example with Italy, on African swine fever and bluetongue disease, or with countries around the Mediterranean , on foot-and-mouth disease in the context of the Mediterranean Animal Health Network (REMESA), which has around ten member countries (see key event page 73).
Meeting between France and italy on animal health
The DGAL organised a bilateral mee-ting between France and Italy in May 2014 so that the central and
local authorities in both countries could discuss surveillance and management of animal diseases in Corsica and Sardinia. The geographical proximity of the two islands, which lie 14 km apart, and the high level of commercial trade between them create a strong epidemiological link. This facilitates the movement of di-seases from one island to the other, as illustrated by the introduction of serotype 1 of the bluetongue disease virus into southern Corsica from Sardinia in Sep-tember 2013.
The meeting was held on 6 May at the prefecture in Ajaccio, in the presence of
representatives from the DGAL, the Corsi-can authorities (DRAAF and DD(CS)PP), a representative from the Italian Directorate General for animal health and veterinary pharmacy, two representatives from the veterinary authorities in Sardinia and an expert in bluetongue disease from the Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale (the Italian equivalent of ANSES).
The meeting provided an opportunity to update the health situation of both is-lands with regard to bluetongue disease and African swine fever. It was agreed to establish a protocol for exchanging spe-cific information on health issues related to Corsica and Sardinia, and to continue discussions on harmonizing surveillance methods and ways of combating animal and plant diseases on both islands.
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rinary medical interventions, paid to the veterinary surgeon named by the farmer.
Health inspections have been intro-duced in the poultry sector and are set to be deployed in the pig-farming sector in 2015.
Health requirements and managing threats
In 2014, the DD(CS)PP placed 2,441 farms under surveillance as a result of suspec-ted first- or second-category health threats. In all, 380 required improvement. Par-ticular attention is paid to the speed with which suspected threats are treated: 78% were treated within less than 60 days for tuberculosis and 63% in less than 30 days for other threats (influenza, brucellosis, salmonellosis, etc.)
Jeunes bœufs à l’état semi-sauvage, en pâture sur l’île Saint-Aubin.
Cattle health inspectionsCattle health inspections are intended to raise awareness of health risks amongst farmers; since 2014 they have been carried out annually rather than every two years. The theme of inspections in 2014 was on declaring abortions in order to improve the pro-cess.
The aim of monitoring abortions in cattle is to ensure swift detection of a potential reappearance of brucellosis
but it can also detect other diseases such as neosporosis, Q fever and BVD. Nonetheless, just one farmer in four is thought to declare abortions in their herd.
The farms targeted were those with at least five adult females, making around 160,000 farms to visit. The completion rate for the 2014 campaign was 80%.
Each cattle health inspection is funded by the state up to the amount of four vete-
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Animal exposure to antibiotics The lowest level in 15 yearsThe very encouraging results of the Écoantibio Plan in 2014 reflect the determi-nation of the actors involved, and the veterinary and livestock farming sectors in particular, to reduce the use of antibiotics.
T his is illustrated by the 2013 report of sales of antibiotics in veterina-ry medicine produced by ANSES,
which confirms the downward trend seen since 2007. For the first time, animal ex-posure to antibiotics is 5.5% lower than it was in 1999, when monitoring of the sales of antibiotics in livestock farming was introduced. The downward trend accelerated in 2012 and 2013, the first years of implementation of the national Écoantibio plan: in these two years alone, the decline in animal exposure to antibio-tics was 12.7% lower in 2013 compared
with 2011. At the European level, France is just below the European average in terms of consumption of veterinary anti-biotics. French livestock farmers expose their animals to fewer antibiotics than in Italy, Spain or Germany. In the last three years, France has been ranked behind the Netherlands as the second-best European country in terms of efforts to reduce the consumption of veterinary antibiotics. Although the figures are good, further progress is still required to address the variations between sectors and families of antibiotics.
Domestic pets
Stronger regulationsNew obligations were introduced in 2014 on activities related to domestic species of pet animals. The order of 3 April 2014 laid out the health and ani-mal welfare regulations that such acti-vities must meet.
The new rules provide, amongst other things, for:•the appointment of a veterinary sur-
geon for each facility,•two compulsory inspections a year
by the veterinary surgeon (with the possibility of an exemption of one inspection per year for small facilities or pet shops without any domestic carnivores),
•a set of health regulations for each facility (produced in consultation with the veterinary surgeon and to be presented during inspections),
•capacity building for professionals, including setting targets for looking after animals and compulsory com-pletion of self-assessments.
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Group farming of gestating sows
Full compliance with European standardsFrance has been involved in pre-litigation proceedings with the European Com-mission regarding the compliance of buildings to house gestating sows, which have had to be kept in groups since 1 January 2013. The proceedings are now over and full compliance has been achieved.
B etween January 2013 and June 2014, over 4,700 inspections were carried out on farms to
ensure compliance with European re-quirements and thus achieve a 100% compliance rate. Farrowing was sus-pended by the administrative authori-ties on almost 70 farms because their
gestating sows were still being kept in individual stalls. In early July 2014, the French authorities assured the European Commission that all of the 5,416 farms still involved in farrowing activities were now compliant with Eu-ropean requirements.
Professional organisations are being en-couraged to produce good practice guides for professionals in each type of activity. The aim of the guides is to describe how to meet the objectives set out in the order. The intention is for them to be validated by the French Ministry of Agriculture.
Producing the order involved an extensive consultation process over three years between the administrative authorities, organisations representing activities re-lated to domestic species of pet animals and the DD(CS)PP inspectors. The test is therefore the result of a consensus between the various actors involved in the sector and is based on the principle of the “new approach”, which is geared more towards achieving specific objectives than simply allocating resources. This is a new development in the area of protecting do-mestic pets.
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Protecting animals at the abattoirVeterinary services at abattoirs worked hard in 2014 to ensure animals are well treated and have done so since the entry into effect of Regulation (EC) no. 1099/2009 on the protection of animals at the time of killing.
Over 900 exhaustive inspections have been carried out in order to monitor implementation,
on the one hand, of the methods laid down by the legislation in terms of im-mobilisation and stunning and on the other, the effectiveness of facilities’ procedures and self-assessments in terms of proper treatment. Over 3,000 operators have been trained in animal welfare, entitling them after they have been assessed, to receive a certificate
of competence in slaughtering animals. Finally, at the French government’s ins-tigation, cattle abattoir professionals have produced a guide to good practice to define the methods that should be used in practice to avoid any avoidable pain, distress or suffering when ani-mals are being slaughtered. Work on other species of productive livestock carried out in 2014 should be comple-ted in 2015.
Veterinary inspection at an abattoir. Recommendations from a veterinary inspector to the quality, safety and hygiene manager.
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PLANT HEALTH AND ProTECTioN
Biological monitoring throughout the country, the Écophyto Plan, seeds and sustainable agriculture plan, plant protection and quality, combating harmful organisms, and more.
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Forum on biological control, the way forward for a new way of producing
On 22 April 2014 Minister Stéphane Le Foll met actors in the biological control sector (businesses, professional farmers’ organisations, members of parliament, associations, etc.) to identify development drivers for the sector and to promote the use of biological control products in agriculture.
S upport mechanisms will be re-quired to achieve this. The minister invited forum participants to make
themselves spokespeople for biological control and develop and disseminate it widely so that it becomes a building block for sustainable agriculture and healthy, diverse food. Around 250 people, repre-senting over 120 businesses, took part in the forum.
Following on from the biological control forum, several tangible actions were taken, led by the DGAL:•selection and funding of 18 research
projects by the Écophyto Plan,•a large-scale trial of the use of biolo-
gical control products on field crops,• funding of a study to produce seven
“basic substances” files to be sub-mitted to the European authorities for approval,
•a quarter of new products autho-rised since April 2014 are biological controls.
To find out more:
http://agriculture.gouv.fr/Biocontrole
What do we mean by “biological control”?
The term covers various natural plant protection techniques using microor-ganisms (bacteria, viruses, fungi, etc.), natural substances (such as nettle spray and algae), chemical mediators (pheromones) and macroorganisms (such as predatory insects).
Using alternatives of this kind contri-butes to reducing risks for human health and the environment.
It is also a sector with potential for the future in France, which could develop in the next few years to secure a 15% share of the market for plant protection products.
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Combating the illegal trade in phytopharmaceutical productsAn initiative was begun in 2013 as part of the Écophyto Plan to establish an action plan to combat the illegal trade in plant health products and imports of non-identified chemical products.
Fraud, illegal trade and counterfeit phytopharmaceutical products are thought to represent around 3% of
the market in the United Kingdom, 4% in Italy and 6% in Germany, Spain and France. The figure in France is thought to be as high as 20% in cross-border areas (Coceral estimates 2013). Com-bating illegal practices of this kind is a challenge for the economy of the sector but also for the health of professionals and consumers, as well as for protecting the environment. The campaign, which has received €124,000 of funding, was launched on 20 May2014 and has two main components:
•distribution of a leaflet (10,000 copies) and information posters fea-turing the campaign slogan “Illegal plant protection products are not for me”; the campaign has been commu-nicated in the regional and specialist press, amongst others, and on the French Ministry of Agriculture web-site; the website www.info-phytos.fr has also been set up and has re-ceived over 10,000 visits
•creation of a telephone informa-tion service for professionals (Toll free number 0805 532 532). The campaign will continue and expand in 2015.
DES PHYTOS HORS-LA-LOI, CE N’EST PAS POUR MOI
Importations illégales, contrefaçons, produits non autorisés, produits chimiques non identifiés...
Les phytos hors-la-loi constituent une menace pour votre santé et celle des consommateurs, pour l’environnement, mais aussi pour votre activité.
Vous êtes un professionnel ? Sécurisez vos achats de produits phytosanitaires :
Rendez-vous sur :www.info-phytos.fr
Appelez le 0805 532 532(appel gratuit)
Contactez votre distributeur agréé
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Plant health products
Marketing authorisation decisions transferred to ANSESThe Future of Agriculture, Food and Forestry Act (LAAAF) of 13 October 2014 provides for marketing authorisation decisions on phytopharmaceutical products, fertilising materials and growing media to be transferred to ANSES.
Currently, the Ministry of Agriculture approves, changes or withdraws marketing authorisations for these
products, based on the assessment opi-nions issued by ANSES, representing al-most 2,000 individual decisions a year. It is important to remember that these active substances are permitted within the Eu-ropean Union. Products containing active
substances are subject to national eva-luation and authorisation. The DGAL and ANSES have been working closely together since 2014 to prepare for the various as-pects of the simplification measure, which will come into effect on 1 July 2015. The new Act also defines a mecha-nism to monitor the undesirable effects of phytopharmaceutical products on humans,
farm animals (including domestic bees), cultivated plants, biodiversity, wildlife, wa-ter and soil, air quality and good, as well as the appearance of resistance to these kinds of product. The monitoring mechanism, known as phyto-pharmacovigilance, will be implemented within the Agency to help the public authorities to make informed deci-sions.
Rare pear trees
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Aerial spraying
New legislationA new order, published on 19 September 2014, lays down strict conditions for granting exemption to the prohibition on aerial spraying of plant health products, with the aim of developing alternative methods and reducing the use of aerial treatment.
T he order repeals the previous pro-visions, set forth in the order of 23 December 2013, and strengthens
the requirements with the aim of impro-ving protection for people and the envi-ronment.
On 6 May 2014, the Conseil d’Etat sus-pended implementation of the order of December 2013 following a request from
environmental organisations in Guade-loupe. The new order, which repeals its predecessor, sets forth strict conditions for granting exemptions to support the end of aerial treatments on 31 December 2015. Areas treated using aerial spraying were reduced by 77% between 2008 and 2013 for the four main sectors involved (vine, banana trees, rice and oak).
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Xylella fastidiosaThe French authorities seek stronger European measures
I n light of the pest risk analysis publi-shed by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) on 6 January 2015,
France has asked the European Commis-sion to strengthen the requirements in relation to the bacterium Xylella fastidiosa without delay. As a result, France has re-quested the introduction of containment measures within the European Union on plants (namely, a ban on removal from the demarcation area in Italy) and on the dispersal of insects that transmit the bac-terium. At the same time, the European Commission has been asked to impose a total ban on imports from contami-nated third countries of material used for planting.
The bacterium Xylella fastidiosa is trans-mitted and dispersed by insect vectors. It can affect over 200 plant species and has attacked Californian vineyards and ci-trus fruit in Brazil, among others. It is not found in France. Following its discovery in Europe for the first time, in Italy in late 2013, the Commission imposed European measures in 2014 to prevent both further introductions and the spread of the bac-terium across the European Union. The producers concerned have been invited by the Ministry of Agriculture and speci-fically, the DGAL, to play an active role in phytosanitary protection of their crops by avoiding sourcing plants from areas where the plant health risk is highest.
“Seeds and sustainable agriculture” planreview and update
The plenary committee of the Standing Committee on Cultivated Plant Selec-tion (CTPS) met on 13 November 2014, chaired by Patrick Dehaumont, Direc-tor General of the DGAL. The meeting provided an opportunity to identify the challenges faced over the next few years.
Operational implementation of a large number of actions in the Plan was discussed, along with the actions
to be taken on the basis of a cross-cutting approach and a medium/long-term point of view. The discussions focused, in particular, on continued actions to improve the envi-ronmental value of varieties, contributing to preserving genetic resources and identifying key communications and promotional ac-tivities. In France, every variety is listed on the basis of a decision by the Ministry of Agriculture; over 600 new varieties are added to the catalogue each year. The Ministry bases its decisions on the opinions of the CTPS. This is a consultative com-mittee, which brings together all partners in the varieties and seeds sector, along with representatives from consumer groups and environmental organisations. The CTPS was reappointed for five years and will be chaired by Alain Moulinier from the CGAAER (Gene-ral Council for Food, Agriculture and Rural Areas), who will replace Paul Vialle.
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European plant health regulationProgress of negotiations
In 2013, the European Commission put forward a draft regulation to update the rules on plant health protection. The main objectives are to consolidate what has been achieved in health, prioritise public action and increase operators’ level of responsibility. Negotiations are currently underway and will conclude by the end of 2016 at the earliest and come into effect by 2020. Thanks to the discussions conducted as part of the national debate on health, France has been able to put forward its ideas on categorising health dangers and producing emergency plans.
A mongst other things, there are plans to draw up a list of prio-rity-regulated harmful organisms
on the basis of criteria defined in the regu-lation. Emergency plans are also to be de-veloped, to prepare for the appearance of particularly dangerous organisms. These provisions could apply from 2019 and further strengthen the recent changes in French regulations. One of the two ma-jor issues in the legislation concerns the measures applied to inspections of plants imported into the European Union. Seve-ral options are currently being discussed, from the status quo to the introduction of a preventive import strategy, which is supported by the French authorities in
particular. Preventing the introduction of organisms that are harmful to plants into Europe is essential. This contributes to ensuring safer agricultural produce, less use of plant health products and agricul-ture that is more respectful of our environ-ment; as a result, it is a factor in perfor-mance and competitiveness for European plant production, particularly on the ex-port market. The regulation currently un-der discussion is intended to last for 20 to 30 years: detailed reflection is critical to making the right decisions that will enable the European Union to maintain its plant health status and, as a result, protect its economic interests. Prevention is better than cure in plant health too!
Forest healthOverall, 2014 was a good year for fo-rest health, despite a number of pro-blems in the landscape. The launch of the web-based application Ephytia Forests will make it easier to identify forest health problems, using health data sheets.
Main health problems iden-tified•Browning of Douglas firs, which
kills trees in plantations 5 to 10 years old. Extensive browning jeo-pardises the future of affected plan-tations. The Puy-de-Dôme, Allier and Loire areas were severely affected by this phenomenon in 2014. A special survey was conducted in around 40 plantations in the area to gain a bet-ter understanding of the problem and to identify its causes.
•Red-band disease mainly affects the Corsican pine. The disease emerged in the 1990s as the spe-cies was extended to more planta-tions and poses real management problems. The recurrence and re-gularity of these events suggests a limited future for the Corsican pine. The DGAL’s Forest Health Depart-ment (DSF) has launched a six-year collaborative plot observation pro-ject with the ONF, CNPF (National Forestry Ownership Centre) and IRSTEA (National Research Institute of Science and Technology for Envi-ronment and Agriculture) to address
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questions from forest managers.•Chalara ash dieback, another
emerging disease that arrived in France in 2007, is being monitored in two ways, first for distribution and secondly for impact. Chalara continued to spread in 2014; it now affects 53 départements in the north of the country, in a line from Mont-Saint-Michel to Gap.
Ephytia ForestsEphytia is a web-based application deve-loped by INRA in Bordeaux, which provides information on recognising and diagno-sing health problems. Almost 200 health data sheets on the main problems encoun-tered in the last 25 years have been publi-shed online – including insects, diseases, fungi and regulated organisms – with details of their biology, the damage they
cause, and their symptoms, with around 700 photos to help identify them. A second stage will use the data sheets to introduce a diagnostic system. The DSF has been working with the Swiss canton of Jura as part of its partnerships with other Euro-pean countries. Discussions with the WSL (Federal Institute of Research on Forests, Snow and Landscape) have focused on outbreaks of the Asian long-horned beetle (Anoplophora glabripennis), which has been found in three outbreaks in Switzerland and four in France (Gien, Corsica, Strasbourg and Saint-Anne-sur-Brivet). The DSF has also visited the Spanish Basque country to observe the problems with Pitch canker (Fusarium circinatum, a regulated orga-nism). Around 6,000 ha of radiata pines are affected in Cantabria and Galicia, on the French border.
Forest health in 2014 involved 2,000 plots of trees inspected, 2,000 quadrats of 16 km2 covered, 1 300 identifications of regulated organisms,
3 700 observations of plantations with a health problem and 300 different problems identified. In total, around 10 000 forest observations!
The DGAL’s Forest Health Department celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2014.
To mark the occasion, the DSF’s contacts and observers shared their experiences on the Ministry’s website, providing an opportunity to find out more about their roles and activities, including surveillance planning, health expertise, crisis management and gi-ving advice. All of the DSF’s publica-tions since 1989, i.e. almost 750 items, have been made available to the gene-ral public and partners via the website agriculture.gouv.fr/sante-des-forets.
Maladie des bandes rougesRed-band disease North-West Forest health centre
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SAFE, HIGH-QUALITY FooD FOR EVERYONE
Food safety, inspections, improvements to supply, help for the most vulnerable, combating food waste, local links, education and training, high-quality products, accessibility, diversity of regional produce, and more.
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Social justice
Mobilising efforts for food aidThanks to significant efforts by the French government and charitable associations, the overall budget available for food aid has been maintained.
Funding for the FEAD* has been maintained at the level of the MDP for the period 2014-2020 (€3.8
billion). The share allocated to France is €500 million for the whole period, or approximately €70 million a year. The French operational programme to im-plement the FEAD at the national level was approved by the European Com-mission on 31 July 2014. France was the first Member State to have its pro-gramme approved. The reform of the French food aid system, begun in 2010 via the Agriculture and Fishing Moder-nisation Act, has introduced an accre-ditation obligation for legal entities under private law that wish to receive contributions aimed at implementing food aid. The aim of the provisions is to clarify the system for allocating pu-blic resources, whether these are finan-
cial or contributions in kind. Eighteen network leaders were accredited na-tionally between 2013 and 2014. The accreditation process, jointly managed by the DGAL and DGCS, was rolled out to the regions in 2014 by introducing local accreditations aimed at local as-sociations.
To find out more: http://agriculture.gouv.
fr/Habilitation-associations-caritatives
*On 1 January 2014, the Food Distribution Programme
for the Most Deprived Persons (MDP) was replaced
by the Fund for European Aid to the Most Deprived
(FEAD); as the mechanism is now governed by cohe-
sion policy rather than the Common Agricultural Policy,
the body appointed to manage it in France is the
Directorate General for Social Cohesion (DGCS).
The DGAL continues to provide technical expertise.
improving food product qualityThe “ingredient quality” pact, launched in February 2014, has resulted prima-rily in the recognition of the collective agreement with the artisanal bakery sec-tor, which has agreed to reduce the salt content of its loaves. The agreement also includes a sustainable development sec-tion. Two other collective agreements were recognised in 2014, one with Herta and the other with the cold non-alcoholic beverages sector.
To find out more: http://alimentation.gouv.
fr/accords-collectifs
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Educating young people about foodDiscussions with an American delegation
In October 2014, the DGAL welcomed a delegation of representatives from the cities of New York, Chicago, Dallas and Miami, who were keen to unders-tand more about one of the key de-terminants of the French food model, namely educating our children about taste, pleasure, diversity and a ba-lanced diet.
Three emblematic schemes from the National Food Programme (PNA) on educating young people about food
were presented as an illustration of the ac-tions taken in schools at different “times”: the “Fruit at recess” programme, about gi-ving children fruit outside meal times, the “taste education” classes for children in primary school which address multidiscipli-nary topics associated with food at school, and the “Fun in the canteen” programme to promote meal-time in schools.
Combating food wasteThe National Day to Combat Food Waste on 16 October 2014 provided an oppor-tunity to review the progress of various key players’ commitments.
The Minister for Agriculture, Food and Forestry, Stéphane Le Foll, awarded eight “anti-waste” prizes to the win-
ners from eight categories of committed stakeholders. The National Pact to Com-bat Food Waste, a commitment by various key players in the food chain to halve food waste by 2025, was launched in 14 June 2013. A committee has been appointed to monitor the pact, evaluate it and track the progress made between now and 2025.
The French Prime Minister has appointed Guillaume Garot to work with Ecology Mi-nister Ségolène Royal and Stéphane Le Foll with the aim of removing the barriers that continue to exist throughout the food chain, putting forward recommendations for legislation and regulations, enshrining these recommendations in a European and global framework and promoting good practices currently in place.
Food aid and combating waste “Le jardin de cocagne” collects fresh fruit and vegetables from wholesalers at the Val de Loire national market. Sorting and cutting carrot tops for food
solidarity bags by workers on a social integration programme.
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institutional food services
Developing local, high-quality sourcingThis objective meets a strong expectation among French people, who want to know where their food comes from and how it has been produced.
It is also a way of providing an outlet for local agricultural production and as a result, organising supply and driving
local economic dynamism. Establishing lo-cal roots and promoting heritage together constitute one of the four food public-poli-cy priorities presented by Stéphane Le Foll to the French Cabinet on 8 October 2014. In relation to this, the Minister presented a practical guide at a press conference in early 2014, detailing the legal mechanisms available to facilitate local, high-quality
sourcing in institutional food services. Work will continue in 2015, with the pu-blication of another guide, aimed at facili-tating the introduction of collective sour-cing platforms as a solution for organising supply. The guide is the result of working groups launched in March 2014 and run by the Ministry.
To find out more: http://agriculture.gouv.
fr/approvisionnement-local-restauration-
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National Food Programme 2014
Call for projects launchedOn 7 October 2014, the DGAL launched a national call for projects for the Na-tional Food Programme.
With a budget allocation of €600,000, the call for projects aims to support large-scale,
replicable projects that are aligned with the four priorities of the new food poli-cy outlined in the Future of Agriculture, Food and Forestry Act. The winning pro-jects were announced by the Minister at the Paris International Agricultural Show in February 2015.
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A new order of 24 September 2014, amending the order of 2006, extends the scope of exemption
for health authorisation. In the case of donations to charitable associations, it removes the restrictions related to the maximum permitted distances and quantities when the authorisation is im-plemented.
This should help promote food dona-tions as well as short food supply chains. Canteens, for example (excluding authorised
central kitchens), will find it easier to source their supplies from butchers and caterers in rural communities, because of the increase in permitted quantities eligible for exemp-tion.
A memorandum on the legislative and regulatory framework applicable in res-pect of food safety, donations made by bu-sinesses in the food sector and definitions of ownership and responsibility in relation to operations of this kind was published in the Official Gazette.
Finally, the exemption scheme has been extended to products that were not previously eligible for inclusion: preparations based on eggs “in their shells” and/or treated raw milk (other than cheese and other processed dairy products, which were already permitted) have now been included so that they can be delivered on the basis of an exemp-tion from health authorisation.
Making food donations easierAs part of efforts to combat food waste, the food safety regulatory framework for gifts to charitable associations has been clarified.
Food aid and combating waste “Le jardin de cocagne” collects fresh fruit and vegetables from wholesalers at the Val de Loire national market.Preparing leeks for food solidarity bags by workers on a social insertion programme.
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results of official inspections soon to be publishedSince October 2014, the DGAL conducts a study for the Ministry on defining the terms of publishing inspection reports transparently and adapting them appro-priately to the needs of consumers and professionals. Meetings with stakeholders (consumers’ associations and trade federations) have begun. A test phase will be implemented in 2015.
European regulations in the food sector are asking competent au-thorities in the Member States
to conduct their activities with a high level of transparency and therefore make relevant information they hold accessible to the public as quickly as possible. The official food-safety inspections carried out by DGAL staff throughout the food chain result in the issuance of an inspection report, which among other things, contains an overall assessment by the inspector of the level of compliance achieved by the organisation inspected.
Inspections of this kind are designed to promote stakeholders’ (operators and consumers) confidence in the com-pliance of products on the market. Ins-pections are used to detect discrepan-cies, identify non-compliances and take the necessary measures, but also to in-form stakeholders of the actions taken
by the inspection authorities and results achieved. The Future of Agriculture, Food and Forestry Act (LAAAF) of 13 October 2014 provides for publication of the results of official inspections car-ried out for food-safety purposes at food-processing facilities, including retail shops.
Publication of the results of official ins-pections is part of a move towards greater transparency about the activi-ties of the administrative authorities in general and inspection organisations in particular. This is a legitimate consu-mer expectation and will help to re-esta-blish confidence in the food sector.
A trial in commercial catering outlets will begin in July 2015.
The scheme will start to be implemented throughout the food chain in 2016.
A food-hygiene inspector from the DDPP carrying out a health inspection in the
seafood section of the national market (MIN) in Rungis. Checking the freshness of a
red-label Scottish salmon.
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A nutrition section:an innovative tool for monitoring the nutritional quality of food suppliesThe nutrition section (Oqali) of the French Food Observatory aims to monitor changes in the nutritional quality of food products processed on the French market.
This is the oldest section of the Obser-vatory and was created in 2008, on the
basis of professional voluntary partici-pation. It is run by ANSES and the INRA. The data available to Oqali now cover 25 of the 27 industrial sectors representing over 80% of the processed food products supply.
An initial study of almost all sectors has now been carried out to establish a ba-seline, with nine sectors undergoing a follow-up study.
The Food observatory: a valuable toolThe aim of the Food Observatory, created by the Agriculture and Fishing Moder-nisation Act of July 2010, is to provide information for economic actors and the public authorities on changes in food supply and consumption. It consists of three sections, as described below.
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“official controls” regulation Progress to dateThe DGAL is contributing to the re-view of the European regulation on “Official controls and other official activities”. The aim is to improve the current provisions by expanding them to animal health, plant health and controls on seeds and plants.
A draft was examined in the Coun-cil by a group of veterinary ex-perts involving representatives
of the 28 Member States and the Com-mission at around 18 two-day sessions in 2014. Discussions are continuing in 2015. The European Parliament had adopted a final report of the first rea-ding on 15 April 2014, comprising 313 amendments. The European regula-tion could be adopted in late 2015 or in 2016, and come into effect based on a staggered timetable. It will stren-gthen quality requirements for all key actors in the food chain in relation to controls by official authorities in the 28 Member States. The aim is to ensure a consistent level of consumer safety and fair treatment of all professionals undergoing controls in all European Union countries.
The health section: supporting transparencyThe health section is an innovative pro-ject at a national and European level: it ensures access, outside of crisis situa-tions, to a monitoring system for provi-ding objective information and monito-ring the health quality of foods produced and marketed in France. The system is based on indicators developed from pu-blic- or private-sector monitoring data relating to microbiological and chemical contamination of food products at diffe-rent stages of the food chain. ANSES was commissioned by the DGAL to carry out a prototyping study between 2011 and 2013. As part of the study, a cooperative project was carried out between the ad-ministrative authorities, food-processing professionals, consumer associations and ANSES in order to develop a metho-dology and identify hindrances and dri-vers for each party. An implementation stage is underway until June 2015, to de-monstrate the added value of the scheme in partnership with five areas covering the whole of the food chain, from animal feed to distribution to the consumer. An impact study of communications about the scheme was carried out in 2014. It will also help to assess the type and for-mat of food safety information that might be communicated to the general public.
A socioeconomic sectionA bibliographical review was car-ried out in 2013 on sustainable food consumption and practices. This confirmed the complexity of the subject, given that sustainability incorporates several dimensions such as place of pro-duction and packaging.
Two studies for the Ministry were com-pleted in 2014:•“Innovation levers that contri-
bute to limiting food waste: an assessment of consumer percep-tions and the economic impact of their implementation in the food industry.” The study, which was co-financed by the French Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry for In-dustrial Recovery, was presented on 21 November 2014, followed by testi-monials from four professionals who came to share their experiences.
•“Social inequalities and food: what are the food-related needs and expectations of people suffering from food insecurity and how can food assistance programmes be adapted to respond to them as effectively as possible?” The study was co-financed by the French Ministry of Agriculture and FranceAgriMer.
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ANSES Expertise and health-risk assessmentThe role of ANSES is to assess health risks related to food, the environment and work. One of its main activities in 2014 was preparing to transfer the issue of marketing authorisations for phytopharmaceutical products from the DGAL to ANSES.
The agency is unusual insofar as it is placed under the supervision of five bodies, namely the Ministry
of Agriculture (Directorate General for Food), Consumer Affairs (Directorate General for Competition, Consumer Af-fairs and Combating Fraud), Environment (Directorate General for Risk Prevention), Health (Directorate General for Health) and Employment (Directorate General for Employment). In 2013, the government requested that the frequency of the ro-tating chairmanship shared by the five ministries be extended to a year rather than six months, to improve the stability of the management structure.
On 1 January 2014, the DGAL, represen-ting the French Ministry of Agriculture, took over the chair for the first one-year
term. Amongst other things, it has or-ganised and run meetings between the five Directors General of the ministries concerned and the Director General of ANSES, liaison committees (the more technical equivalent of the meeting of the five Directors General), and pre-Board meetings (preparatory to the Agency’s four annual board meetings). One of its main activities in 2014 was preparing to transfer the issue of marketing authorisa-tions for phytopharmaceutical products and fertilising materials from the DGAL to ANSES on 1 July 2015, and the imple-mentation of a phyto-pharmacovigilance scheme. The adoption of the Future of Agriculture, Food and Forestry Act on 13 October 2014 now paves the way for the transfer of new responsibilities in prac-tice by mid-2015. Several opinions and
reports relevant to the DGAL were publi-shed in 2014, including:•an inventory of livestock-farming
practices with the potential to favour the development of antibiotic resis-tance in animal health, calling among other things, for a halt to the use of antibiotics for preventive purposes,
•an estimate of the mortality rate among bees in Europe and iden-tifying certain causes of bee deaths as part of the European EPILOBEE study,
•a comparative analysis of models used in Europe to assess residents’ exposure to plant health products.
•an analysis of the results of the IN-SERM joint expert assessment of “pesticides and health”.
In 2014, 53 cases were referred to ANSES by the DGAL,
with 20 related to plant health, 27 to animal health
and 6 to food.
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Laboratories
A responsive, leading networkAt the latest audit of the Food and Veterinary Office (FVO) in the area of diseases with emergency plans, in 2014, the audit team was able to observe the technical excellence of the networks of official laboratories that give France the ability to respond to all kinds of crisis.
A s with all state control authorities, France’s official laboratories are regularly inspected by the Food
and Veterinary Office (FVO), the body res-ponsible within the European Union among other things for ensuring compliance with European legislation in the areas of food safety and quality, animal health and wel-fare and plant health matters.
The National Referral Laboratories (LNR), which specialise in one or more areas of competence, run the networks for which they are responsible. Accredited labora-tories consist mainly of the Departmen-tal Analysis Laboratories (LDA) run by the councils for each département. Their COFRAC accreditation and participation
in the activities of the networks run by the LNR guarantee the reliability, quality and comparability of analysis results, re-gardless of the geographical origin of the laboratory carrying out the analysis.
The network of laboratories that carry out official analyses is equipped to deal with both emergency analyses in the event of a crisis and routine, scheduled analyses in relation to surveillance or monitoring plans. In 2014, following the end of BSE tests at abattoirs for healthy cattle born after 1 January 2002, the laboratories adapted to reflect the decline in demand, most of which is now concentrated on analyses during slaughter.
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Contribution to the development of the 3rd National Health and Environment Plan (PNSE3)The DGAL has played an active role in the development of the PNSE3, as a member of the steering committee, by participating in various preparatory working groups and coordinating the response of the various Ministry departments involved.
The PNSE3 (2015-2019) was publi-shed in November 2014 following a public consultation phase. It is
organised on the basis of four themed areas:•the health issues raised by patholo-
gies connected to the environment,• issues around knowledge of expo-
sure, its effects and possible ac-tions,
•research into environmental health,•strengthening the momentum for
environmental health at a territorial level.
The DGAL is closely involved in nume-rous areas: food, which has for the first time been the subject of dedicated ac-tions, such as continuing to acquire data on chemical contaminations; pesticides (aerial surveillance, exposure of popu-lations living close to areas where they
are applied, more detailed understan-ding of toxicity in combination, etc.) but also veterinary medicines (including the problem of antibiotic resistance) and nutrition.
Taking account of the increasing im-pact of the environment on human health is a complex and wide-ranging subject. Three national Health and En-vironment Plans (PNSE) have been pro-duced by the government since 2004. The first PNSE (2004-2008) was pro-duced with a team of scientists whilst the second (2009-2013) was developed and monitored closely in conjunction with stakeholders (the state, NGOs, employee trade unions, employers/in-dustrialists, people with particular qua-lifications, politicians, representatives of associations and professionals in the healthcare system).
The third PNSE was also produced in consultation with stakeholders, taking into account the reviews of the two pre-vious plans. Actions have been devolved to the local/regional level and new tools for monitoring activities have been intro-duced.
The Environmental Conference on 27 and 28 November 2014 provided an op-portunity to explore certain themes in the PNSE3 in more detail, in particular continuing to reduce exposure to cer-tain substances (including endocrine disruptors, nanomaterials, etc.). Actions to be taken in these areas starting in 2015 will be set out in “roadmaps”.
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Endocrine disruptors
Contributing to the development of the national strategyThe DGAL has played an active role in developing the national strategy, in particu-lar on topics related to phytopharmaceutical products and those regarding certain contaminants present in the environment, and which can be found in the food chain, such as perfluorinated compounds.
The main aim of the national strate-gy on endocrine disruptors (SNPE), which came out of the 2012 Envi-
ronmental Conference and was published in spring 2014, is to reduce human and environmental exposure to such subs-tances. The strategy provides for France encouraging research efforts, for example by funding research programs and fostering cooperation between the public and private sectors. It supports expert assessments of substances likely to be endocrine disrup-
tors: 15 substances will be assessed by ANSES over three years. It also promotes the role of the French authorities to develop a regulatory framework for endocrine dis-ruptors at the European level by proposing a definition for them. The strategy encou-rages innovation by guiding industrialists in seeking substitutes for the substances concerned. Finally, it calls for training and information initiatives, both for the general public and certain target audiences, such as workers.
reintroduction
of cadmium monitoring in horse livers
The Surveillance and Control Plan Campaign (PSPC) 2014 provided an opportunity to update surveillance and cadmium contamination data for horses over the age of two, regardless of their country of origin.
Horses’ organs (unlike their meat) are particularly prone to cad-mium concentration and horse
livers (for animals over the age of two) have been systematically monitored as a result since 1993.
For information, cadmium is car-cinogenic in humans and causes chro-nic toxicity, the main effect of which is renal damage (irreversible kidney disease, which can result in kidney fai-lure). Almost 200 tests were scheduled throughout France in 2014. The results obtained confirmed systematic non-com-pliance in horse offal and justify syste-matic maintenance of monitoring at the abattoir; they also show that meat on the market is compliant. Monitoring will continue on horses in 2015, with a par-ticular focus on animals under the age of two, in order to further understanding of the level of contamination in young ani-mals.
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radiological risk in foodstuffs in the European Union is now ma-naged in two ways:•controls on imports of foods-
tuffs from Eastern Europe and Japan following the Chernobyl (1986) and Fukushima (2011) ac-cidents.
•a regulatory mechanism to in-troduce measures to manage foodstuffs in the event of a nuclear accident with an impact on the quality of produce in the Eu-ropean Union, under the terms of the Euratom Treaty (regulation no. 3954/87).
At the same time, the DGAL, with technical support from the Institute for Radioprotection and Nuclear Safety (IRSN), monitors the radiolo-gical quality of animal and animal-ori-gin foodstuffs produced in France by looking for radioactive nuclides in several hundred samples.
The regulation, which will be consi-dered by the European Parliament in 2015, provides for maximum
permitted levels (MPL), which are regulatory thresholds, above which it is prohibited to market the foodstuff concerned. The MPLs were set based on consumption data and on the ba-sis of an understanding of how the va-rious radioactive nuclides potentially discharged during a nuclear accident are transferred, as well as their toxicity. The assumption used to calculate them are conservative in order to guarantee suf-ficiently low levels of exposure through
ingesting foodstuffs. It also provides for a review of MPLs within a short pe-riod after the accident (less than three months) to ensure closer alignment with the reality of the situation (depen-ding on the scale of the discharge, le-vels of contamination, etc.). The review will now move on to a discussion at the committee level (scrutiny by the toxico-logy section of the ScoPAFF – Standing Committee on Plants, Animals, Food and Feed, whose members are experts in chemical and physical contaminants in foodstuffs from each Member State).
review of the European regulation
Managing foodstuffs in the event of a nuclear accident
Throughout 2014, the DGAL in conjunc-tion with the Euratom Technical Com-mittee, has played an active role in the redevelopment of Euratom Regulation no. 3954/87, laying out permitted le-vels of radioactive contamination for foodstuffs and animal feed following a nuclear accident or in any other radio-logical emergency.
Tricastin nuclear plant.
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Bovine spongiform encephalopathy
Changes to abattoir testsBSE tests on animals in abattoirs and during quartering are carried out for the purpose of epidemiological surveillance of the disease in herds of cows, rather than for consumer protection. The decision to end BSE tests on animals born after 1 January 2002 was taken following an opinion from ANSES.
In accordance with the favourable opi-nion issued by European and French scientific bodies, testing require-
ments were eased by stopping tests on cattle born after 1 January 2002. No-netheless, tests continue to be conduc-ted on so-called “at risk” animals at the abattoir and during quartering, and on animals born before the ban on using animal meal to feed productive livestock was effective. Given the positive change in the epidemiological situation, and on the basis of scientific opinion, the European Union made conducting BSE tests on so-called “healthy” animals op-tional at abattoirs from 1 March 2013, although tests must continue on “at risk” animals. The majority of Member States chose this option, which does not carry any risk in terms of public health, and meat from untested healthy animals circulates freely on the European mar-ket as provided for in the regulation.
Consumer protection is ensured by sys-tematic removal at the abattoir of spe-cified risk materials (SRM), the list of which is drawn up at a European level. Removal of such materials is subject to strict control procedures at the abattoir by the veterinary inspection services, which are present at all times. Health authorisations are granted and main-tained subject to the SRM management procedures being correctly managed.
Abattoirs
overview and discussions on changes to inspectionA seminar on abattoir inspections was organised by the DGAL from 16 to 18 June .
The first half day, aimed at depart-mental directors with responsibility for protecting the public (DD(CS)
PP and DDPP), was attended by repre-sentatives from abattoir federations, ANSES and the European Commission, which outlined prospects for changes to the inspection of fresh meat in the European Union, with a view to adapting it to control the main risks for each spe-cies, according to the latest scientific opinion. The following two days, the 17 and 18 of June, provided an opportunity to address topics from a more technical angle with official veterinary surgeons and auxiliaries, and Chief Veterinary Of-ficers. Over 200 delegates were able to take part in the discussions on various topical subjects, including Information about the food chain, changes to abattoir inspections of poultry and pigs, animal protection and welfare and the role of the network of national abattoir representa-tives.
A very positive experience, which could be repeated in the form of a two-yearly meeting.
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COMBATING FooD CriME
Fraud, forgery, investigations, and more.
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Mission to French Guiana on illegal plant health productsIn February 2014, the DAAF in French Guiana, with the support of the DGAL’s National Veterinary and Plant Health Investigation Unit (BNEVP) and the Central Office for Environmental and Public Health Protection (OCLAESP), strengthened the control system for illegal imports of phytopharmaceutical products.
Illegal imports of phytopharmaceutical products in French Guiana are a major problem in both environmental and pu-
blic health terms. The area that needs to be monitored is comparable to the size of Portugal, with numerous river borders and supplies from abroad “common cur-rency.” These specific characteristics make it difficult to monitor prohibited or counterfeit products from neighbouring countries such as Surinam and Brazil. A training and awareness-raising campaign on combating the traffic in phytophar-maceutical products was run by two of the unit’s specialist investigators. While they were there, they met most of the local actors involved, including the food
department (Salim), of course, but also the judicial authorities, customs service, police, Department of the Environment, Development and Housing (DEAL), the National Office of Water and Aquatic Environments (Onema), the Department of Business, Competition, Consumer Af-fairs, Work and Employment (DIECCTE) and even the Air and Borders Police (PAF).
The mission provided an opportunity to carry out inspections on both the distri-bution and use of phytopharmaceutical products, with positive results. Thanks to the support of the police and various ser-vices involved, the two investigators were
able to confirm the massive presence in French Guiana of illegal, prohibited or counterfeit products and the scale of trafficking, particularly from neighbou-ring Surinam.Administrative proceedings were begun following the inspections. The impor-tance of issues such as collection, sto-rage and safe destruction of non-com-pliant products and their packaging was emphasised. Tangible solutions need to be found for products seized by the courts or consigned by the administrative authorities, an unavoidable and essential step for effective action on the ground.
Veterinary unit in French Guiana
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Conviction for sale of illegal plant health productsIn June 2014, a business owner in the Troyes region was given a suspended prison sentence and ordered to pay a fine of €10,000 for having stored and sold large quantities of Spanish and Bri-tish phytopharmaceutical products that had no marketing authorisation or simi-lar trading permit in France.
Some of the products, which were offered to farmers in several re-gions, had long been banned from
the French market because of their intrin-sic toxicity. Stored discreetly in a secret warehouse, they were delivered “off the back of the lorry” by the businessman himself or one of his employees, at par-ticularly attractive prices. At his hearing, the business owner, who in his defence stated that he was acting “for the good of French agriculture and to maintain its competitiveness” was also asked to explain evidence of illegal working and various alleged breaches of the French Labour Code.
The DGAL’s National Investigation Unit played an active role in the investiga-tions that began following an initial re-port. It worked with investigators from the French police force to establish the facts, attending various searches and in-terviews with customers of the business-man from Aube.
Plant health products: European coordinationStaff from the health investigation units in various Member States met in Belgium in 2014, to increase sur-veillance and ensure more effective coordination of efforts to combat trafficking in illegal phytopharma-ceutical products within the European area.
As a result, an informal meeting of the Belgian, Dutch, German and French investigation teams was
organised in Antwerp in June 2014 to en-courage data sharing on current “plant health” issues and discuss actual cases which, more often than not, have inter-national ramifications. The BNEVP took part in the meeting as a representative of the French inspection and investiga-tion teams. It is generally not possible to discuss particular cases of monitoring companies or networks thought to be involved in the illegal pesticides trade at more official meetings, since investi-
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gations of traffickers require immense discretion. The meeting was followed by a conference organised by Europol (the European law enforcement agency), ai-med at reviewing progress on the orga-nisation of phytopharmaceutical product inspections at various European ports. Eight Member States were represented and share their respective experience in this area. Cooperation between the cus-toms authorities and staff responsible for inspections of phytopharmaceutical pro-ducts was a key topic.
In spite of the difficulties encounte-red, a number of cooperation initiatives are already on the agenda in numerous Member States, including France, which should, in time, help to improve inspec-tions and prevent prohibited phytophar-maceutical products from entering the country.
Animal protection Combating dog and cat traffickingIn June, the National Veterinary and Plant Health Investigation Unit took part in an initiative to combat animal trafficking, in conjunction with the National Cus-toms Enforcement Authority (SNDJ) and the Paris Regional Intervention Group (GIR).
During the operation, around 160 dogs and cats were seized from pet shops where complaints had
been received from customers and the French Society for the Protection of Ani-mals (SPA). The shops concerned were all in central Paris on Quai de la Mégis-serie, which is known for its pet shops and nurseries. The five people brought before the investigating judge and at risk of being interviewed under caution were two pet-shop managers, two vete-rinary surgeons and an employee.
The public prosecutor’s office requested that the two managers be detained pen-ding investigation accompanied by court supervision and that the two veterinary surgeons and the employee be prohibited from practising.
Among the animals seized, the investi-gators found puppies who were younger than shown on their papers and who were not properly vaccinated against ra-bies, suggesting possible illegal practice
of veterinary medicine. The animals has also suffered ill treatment. Modern-day trafficking concerns dogs and cats that are imported from Eastern Europe and sold in Western Europe at a significant profit.
The DGAL’s investigation unit, which is already closely involved in these issues, also took part in an international confe-rence in June, on the law and animal welfare in the Czech Republic. The aim was to draw attention to the poor condi-tions associated with illegal breeding of puppies then destined for the black mar-ket, mainly heading for Western Europe. Representatives from Belgium, Germany and Spain were also present. Around 50,000 puppies are thought to be illegal-ly imported into France from the Czech Republic each year. The authorities there were very interested in the French sys-tem. They are keen to come and see the work being done on the ground in France and update their national regulations.
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Fraud in the horse sector: follow-upThe case in 2013, around the dismantling of a major horse-trafficking network based on falsified documents, continued into 2014.
In late 2013, 21 people were questioned following an investigation about the slaughter of horses in France and Spain
not intended for human consumption.
The investigation continued in 2014, pri-marily through an international request for judicial assistance in Spain. The horse trafficking identified in 2013 was wide-ranging and organised. It extended beyond mainland France and required cross-border cooperation. A Spanish ci-tizen brought in for questioning in France
in early September during a delivery of horses was interviewed under caution. He remains in prison in Marseille. A horse dealer in the Drôme was also sent to prison at the end of November. As part of the same investigation, in which the BNEVP has played an active role, a judicial operation took place at a horse dealer’s in the Vaucluse with a commer-cial relationship with the Spanish vendor. Carcasses and bodies of dead horses bu-ried by the farmer were found, along with an illegal abattoir for sheep, goats and
cattle that was not up to standard health requirements. The public prosecutor’s office in Avignon began an investigation for “ill treatment of animals, cruelty, dumping carcasses and pollution” as car-casses buried in sometimes submerged locations could have contaminated the water table. The farmer in the Vaucluse was interviewed under caution. Several departmental directorates played an ef-fective role in operations on the ground, alongside the BNEVP. The investigation is still ongoing.
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Veterinary pharmacyConviction for dispensing medicines without a prescription.
A pharmacy supplying medicines for both veterinary and human use was reported in relation to
the Ventipulmin® investigation run by the BENVP and the DGCCRF’s investigation unit following long and difficult court proceedings. Ventipulmin is a veterina-ry medicine (an anabolic agent) that is sometimes used for other purposes. It is prohibited for use in humans but so-metimes used illegally for doping or even as a slimming aid. The investigation was successfully completed thanks to good cooperation between the investigation team, the Regional Health Agency and the DRAAF Aquitaine.
Food fraud Strengthening European cooperationA conference attended by representatives of the Member States responsible for combating fraud in the food sector was organised in Rome in October 2014, by the Directorate General for Health and Consumers (DG Sanco) and the Italian government. France was represented by the investigation unit.
The aim of the conference was to increase awareness of the major issue of fraud in the food sector
for economic reasons, as well as pro-moting and developing interdiscipli-nary cooperation and communication between those involved in combating fraud, from the judicial and health-ins-pection authorities to representatives of the industrial sector and consumers. Returning to an actual case of fraud both upstream and downstream in the animal sector, the “horsemeat scan-dal”, which received widespread media coverage and caused a serious crisis of confidence in the food industry, the DGAL’s investigation unit presented the main findings of the enquiry carried out in France and the difficulties it raised, namely:
•Food fraud and health risks are of-ten closely intertwined.
•Horsemeat trafficking began as a strictly economic issue (fraud). However, the investigation led by the BENVP quickly identified po-tential health risks (such as a lack
of information about what drugs the horses had taken in the past, inade-quate traceability, the lack of medi-cation records, etc.)
•Food trafficking often takes place on an international scale, with offen-ders taking advantage of the com-plexity of European supply circuits. Networks can only be dismantled if there is close cooperation between inspection services on a European scale.
•National coverage by decentralised state services increases the ef-fectiveness of investigation teams working throughout the country. Wi-thout the support of the DDPPs, the work done by the BNEVP would not have been possible.
•Joint management of the adminis-trative and judicial consequences of the same case is not always easy.
The conference ended with ten recom-mendations designed to increase the effectiveness of efforts to combat fraud.
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HEALTH CriSES AND ALErTS
Non-compliances, food poisoning, investigations, and more.
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Widespread food poisoning linked to beetroot consumptionIn 2014, the DGAL’s Health Emergencies Unit (MUS) was informed of four episodes of widespread food poisoning involving consumption of grated raw beetroot in schools, affecting almost 450 children.
Symptoms in the various cases in-cluded vomiting and abdominal pain within 15 to 30 minutes of
initial consumption. The epidemiological surveys carried out by the Regional Health Agencies and food surveys conducted by the DD(CS)PP (coordinated by the DGAL/MUS) showed a significant correlation between the symptoms and consuming grated raw beetroot, and no link to the other foods served. The traceability stu-dies carried out by the DD(CS)PP (coordi-nated by the DGCCRF/alert unit) showed that the beetroots consumed came in one case from a Belgian producer, and in two
others from a Spanish producer. Several possibilities were then considered: a high concentration of strains of Pseudomo-nas with a high level of pathogens, the presence of toxins produced by other mi-croorganisms of bacterial or fungal origin, or the presence of toxic chemical subs-tances. The exact cause of the symptoms observed, however, was not identified du-ring the studies.
In July 2014, a request for technical and scientific support was sent to ANSES by the DGCCRF so that an expert assess-ment of the various hypotheses outlined
above could be carried out. The opinion was published in December 2014. As this pointed to the need for further in-vestigations, it was recommended, as a precaution until there was a clea-rer understanding of the phenomena observed, that grated raw beetroot should not be served in canteens in educational institutions or homes for the elderly, a solution that was success-fully adopted in Finland when it was faced with a similar problem. The information was disseminated widely by the DGCCRF and the DGAL in late 2014 to institutional food services.
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Salmonellosis
investigations of cases in humansThe DGAL was notified of several salmonellosis epidemics by the InVS in 2014. These were investigated to determine their causes and implement corrective measures.
As part of its surveillance role, the InVS is informed by the Na-tional Referral Centre (CNR) of
any abnormal increase in the number of patients linked to a particular salmonel-la serotype. An increase in the number of cases over a short period suggests a common source.
Investigations are then carried out by the Regional Health Agencies (coordinated by the InVS): epidemiologists in the re-gions where cases have occurred ques-tion patients with the help of a specially designed questionnaire to try to identify a common product or type of product. ANSES’ national referral laboratory is
contacted at the same time, to find out whether a recent increase in the number of strains of animal or food origin asso-ciated with the symptoms has been ob-served. It also investigates whether iso-lated strains in the food chain are likely to be linked to the cases found.
As a result, the MUS was notified of six salmonellosis epidemics by the InVS in 2014. The salmonella strains concerned belonged to different serotypes: Hadar, Havana, Typhimurium, Enteritidis and Ke-dougou.
In these six cases, traceability studies were carried out by the DD(CS)PP on the
basis of information gathered through the questionnaires given to patients, coordi-nated by the DGAL and in some cases supported by major retailers. The surveys were used to identify contaminated bat-ches of sausages (in two cases), cheeses made with unpasteurised milk (in two cases), poultry meat (in one case) and German eggs (in one case). Withdrawals and recalls were implemented using no-tices and press releases. These actions were supplemented by rigorous correc-tive measures at the producers and on the farms concerned (identification of origin, eliminating the root cause and checking the effectiveness of the actions carried out).
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Escherichia coli in cheeseSeveral alerts relating to this bacterium were issued in 2014.
One of them related to a batch of goat’s cheese marketed in France and throughout Europe.
The cheese was withdrawn from sale and recalled via a press release because of the presence of E.coli STEC O26: H11, in July 2014 The alert was triggered by an analysis carried out as part of a DGAL surveillance plan. As soon as the results were known, the business concerned em-barked on highly rigorous investigations on a vast scale in close cooperation with the DDPP and DGAL (MUS), as well as withdrawing and recalling the products concerned. All batches and all produ-cers delivering milk to the business were systematically inspected and analysed. Some farmers were ordered to stop pro-duction and the business provided them with technical support to help identify the source of the contamination, implement effective corrective actions and increase hygiene control during milking. Today, thanks to the efforts it has made, the business is able to ensure better control and management of the risk of E.coli STEC. This alert and the 13 other E.coli STEC alerts concerning various types of cheese made with unpasteurised milk no-tified in 2014 had a not insignificant eco-nomic and media impact on the whole
of the unpasteurised cheese sector. The alerts occurred at a time when the Eu-ropean Commission was thinking about producing guidelines for harmonised ma-nagement measures across the various Member States in case of the appea-rance of foods contaminated with Esche-richia coli, which produces a shigatoxin that is potentially pathogenic in humans. There is still much to explore in this area (such as understanding the pathogeni-city of E.coli STEC found in cheeses, how contamination occurs on farms, analyti-cal methods, etc.)
The administrative authorities (DGAL, DGS and InVS), scientific bodies (CNR, LNR, ANSES and INRA) and professional organisations, which are already highly aware of the issue (they fund a significant amount of research) attended a round table in early 2015, to review our current level of understanding and develop an action plan to address the problem more effectively, provide professionals and other competent authorities with surveil-lance and management tools and finally, help France to be a proactive source of ideas during the next round of European negotiations.
Goat’s cheese production unit.Salting the cheeses.
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redevelopment of emergency plansCombating certain animal and plant diseases that are particularly serious in terms of their consequences on farming (epizooty) or plant production relies mainly on developing an emergency plan designed to set out in detail the ac-tions to be taken if a disease is suspected or confirmed. As combating diseases involves multiple players in both the public and private sectors, the plan is in-cluded in the ORSEC (organisation of civil-security response) mechanism run by the prefects at a departmental level.
Following the national debate on health, redevelopment of the exis-ting system of emergency plans was
begun in France. The new system, called the “National Plan for Emergency Health Intervention” will now be built around a generic plan that includes all aspects common to all diseases that require an emergency plan, and specific plans for each individual disease. The national plan is then rolled out to the local level in the context of the ORSEC system.
2014 marked the finalisation of the generic animal health plan and one of the specific plans. In accordance with the provisions of the French Rural Code, the plans have been submitted to CNOP-SAV (see pages 12-13) and ANSES for their opinion. These will replace the exis-ting documents and will be published by order of the French Agriculture Minister
in 2015. The other specific plans will be revised in 2015.
As far as plant health is concerned, work to update the scheme will begin in 2015.
In addition, regular exercises are orga-nised at a departmental, regional, zone or national level to test state services preparations for combating diseases and the relevance of the schemes in place. 82 exercises were conducted across France in 2014.
Finally, a European Commission audit of emergency animal health plans took place between 3 and 14 November. This covered the whole of the system, from surveillance to crisis management linked to an epizooty. The final report is expec-ted in early 2015.
Cases of human Q fever linked to sheep farmingIn mid-May 2014, 19 cases of pul-monary disease were diagnosed in young patients in the space of six days by Valréas hospital (Vaucluse). The patients were linked by having visited several sheep farms in the Drôme three weeks previously. Gi-ven the symptoms, Q fever was strongly suspected and samples were sent to the National Referral Centre (CNR), which confirmed the diagnosis on 21 May.
Still known as coxiellosis, Q fever is caused by a highly resistant in-fectious agent in the environment,
called Coxiella burnetti. Q fever is a zoo-nosis and the risks of human exposure and contamination are high, particularly during birthing and abortions but also through airborne transmission of bacteria and inhaling dust. As soon as the cases were confirmed, an investigation area was set up by the Drôme DDPP based on the results of the epidemiological survey carried out by the Regional Health Agen-cy (ARS). The DGAL coordinated the in-vestigations and sought support from the National Referral Laboratory to interpret the results of the analyses. Information
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was prepared and the Drôme DDPP given assistance in drafting a press release. A farm with small ruminants that had been visited by the patients was identified as a potential source of Coxiella. In fact, three complicated births with one death had been recorded at the end of April.
The DDPP took samples (swabs using sticks and cloths, and blood samples) which were sent to an accredited labo-ratory to determine whether it was a Coxiella source or not. The farm was closed to the public as soon as the re-sults of the analysis were known. The
adult sheep were treated with antibiotics and the lambs vaccinated. Manure from the farm was covered with a tarpaulin for three months to reduce the number of bacteria, then spread on the farmer’s own land.
A total of 93 people living or staying in the southern Drôme or northern Vau-cluse presented with symptoms between 1 May and 12 June 2014, although not all of them were diagnosed with Q fever. In the end, 45 cases of Q fever were confir-med and 13 recorded as likely.
increased vigilance on animal diseases at bordersMonitoring of exotic diseases was increased in 2014 with international health monitoring carried out by the Animal Health Epidemiosurveillance Platform. An audit of surveillance mechanisms for exotic diseases is also currently underway.
International health monitoring aims to identify, monitor and analyse the signs of animal health hazards threatening France as a whole, to sup-port the risk assessments carried out by ANSES and how they are managed by the DGAL.
See the Platform website: http://www.plateforme-esa.fr/
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Rearing black merino sheep at the agricultural college in Ahun.
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Cases of PED in the United States, Canada, Mexico and JapanThe DGAL has implemented measures to limit the risk of introducing the disease into France.
Porcine Epidemic Diarrhoea (PED) is a coronavirus disease of pigs that was identified in the 1970s. The
disease is re-emerging and spreading in a much more virulent form than pre-viously in the United States and Canada since April 2013, and in Mexico and Japan (since the end of 2013). It is particular-ly dangerous for suckling piglets (with a mortality rate of over 90%) but also growing pigs and adults. Herds can be quickly decimated and the resulting eco-nomic consequences dramatic for the farms concerned.
The two main sources of transmission of the disease are introducing a live animal that is excreting the virus or animal feed containing contaminated pork products.
Several measures have been taken by the DGAL since the beginning of 2014. The subject was raised by France at a mee-
ting of Chief Veterinary Officers in the European Union in February 2014 and referred to ANSES as an urgent case, for a scientific opinion on the risks of intro-duction and recommendations in terms of management measures.
In April, the authorities decided to in-clude the disease on the list of catego-ry 1 health dangers by interministerial decree, which imposes an obligation to declare it and set up a surveillance sys-tem. The expert committee that met in Brussels on 6 May decided to increase security measures for certain animal feed products (pig plasma and dried blood) imported from third countries. At the same time, the US and Canadian au-thorities have undertaken not to export live pigs to the European Union until the situation has been re-examined at both the European and global level.
Bird flu in three European Union countries: increased biosecurity and surveillance
The DGAL has increased surveillance to protect farms in light of the risk of introducing the disease into France.
Several cases of bird flu were iden-tified in the European Union (Ger-many, Netherlands, United King-
dom and Italy) in the autumn of 2014.
The bird-flu strain identified was H5N8, which is currently circulating in Asia (Chi-na, Japan and Korea).
The DGAL has asked its own services and professionals in the sector to take action and step up surveillance systems in the country. It also submitted an urgent re-quest to the risk assessment agency ANSES, to find out more about the de-velopment of the risk in France and the dangerousness of the strain.
Following the opinion from ANSES, which was published in 24 November, and the confirmed case in wildlife in Germany, the level of epizootic risk for bird flu in France was raised to “moderate” as de-fined in the regulations.
The DGAL also organised an emergency meeting of all those involved to provide information and set out the surveillance
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and biosecurity measures required to protect farms. By the end of 2014, no cases of H5N8 bird flu have been detec-ted in France, either on a farm or in wild-life; the networks remain on alert.
Should the disease be detected in France, the Ministry is ready to acti-vate the National Plan for Emergency Health Intervention.
Food safety: training Chinese managers in risk analysisChina, which has experienced some serious food-related health scandals (no-tably the crisis of melamine in milk in 2008) has just reviewed its food safety system and created a specialist agency responsible for ensuring safe foodstuffs throughout the food chain. The country is keen to develop its cooperation with France, particularly with respect to dairy products.
The training organised by the Eu-ropean Commission in May 2014 was aimed at national and re-
gional staff employed by the specialist agency and was also attended by re-presentatives of the food processing groups. The presentations covered risk analysis in the food sector, including risk assessment and the role of EFSA (the European Food Safety Authority), risk management and communicating about risk.
The DGAL was asked to make three pre-sentation on first, the European Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF); secondly, crisis management at the Euro-pean level and within Member States; and thirdly, on communicating about risk (to the public, between assessors and managers, between countries, to professionals, etc.).
Discussions with the Chinese representa-tives were extensive, particularly with re-gard to communications and exchanging information between stakeholders on both assessment and management.
A Europe-wide survey
Sharka virusThe DGAL carried out an investigation following a contamination in the Rhô-ne-Alpes region of peach-tree plants from a German nursery.
The German authorities were contac-ted; all of the nursery’s French cus-tomers were identified and inspec-
tions of the plants delivered carried out. This involved the Champagne-Ardennes, Alsace and Pays de la Loire regions.
Over 600 analyses of suspect plants were carried out by the DRAAFs. Other analyses were scheduled for spring 2015 in Alsace and Champagne-Ardennes.
Following the results of the analyses already carried out, several samples proved to be contaminated, which en-abled appropriate measures to be taken. Additional investigations are carried out each time a new contamination is detec-
ted in order to confirm the cause (the German supplier of stocks or Romanian grafts). Sharka is a disease of stone-fruit trees caused by a virus called Plum pox virus.
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MANAGEMENT AND orGANiSATioN
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Strategic plan 2013-2015: progress to date2014 saw either the finalisation or significant progress in actions in the DGAL’s strategic plan for 2013-2015. All leaders of the 24 action sheets worked to keep to the planned timetable.
The DGAL’s main priorities are laid out in its strategic plan and include:
•reaffirming its sovereign role and responsiveness in relation to food safety,
•ensuring its actions are transparent to increase trust,
•helping to establish international influence, which contributes to the competitiveness of French bu-sinesses.
The 24 actions in the strategic plan are split into four priority areas:•update and consolidate how the
state intervenes in public policy areas within the remit of the DGAL;
•optimise collective operations and facilitation methods;
•rationalise working tools and me-thods;
•position DGAL and promote its policies and actions in its sphere of activity.
2015 will mark the end of the current ambitious strategic plan.
The Steering Committee will continue to track the progress of work, ensuring that actions are correctly aligned with strate-gic objectives and making any decisions required. A review will be carried out at the end of the year. Discussions will be-gin in the third quarter of 2015 to pro-duce a strategic plan for the 2016-2018, in line with the next three-year budget.
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Management through quality: a continuing approachThe DGAL continued with its management through quality approach in 2014, taking a process-based approach in line with the ISO 9001 standard.
The DGAL has a long tradition of implementing quality processes, particularly for conducting ins-
pections (ISO 17020). It was decided to extend these processes to all activities, based on the standard ISO 9001. A map of processes describing all of the DGAL’s activities was used to distinguish (in addition to the management process, including quality), four operational pro-cesses (inspection, public policy – re-gulation and public policies – incentives and intelligence, surveillance, prevention and crisis management) and four sup-port processes (communication, human resources, information systems and fi-nance).
The first round of feedback was given on 9 December at the DD(CS)PP meeting, based on opinions of several directors.
This provided an opportunity to illustrate principles that will now be applied in each organisation.
A training plan for all staff has been produced to support the changes, based on a pack of materials made avai-lable to all the trainers involved.
Link to internal controlInternal control was made compulso-ry in all ministries by decree no. 2011-775 of 28 June 2011 on internal audits within the administrative authorities. The DGAL contributed to defining the mi-nistry’s risk map in accordance with the procedures for identifying risks and ma-nagement methods implemented as part of the process-based approach.
As a result, the DGAL is directly af-
fected by eight of the 27 risks iden-tified and ranked for the ministry as a whole. In fact, both processes are closely aligned with each other. It is on the basis of risk map that the Ministry’s internal audit committee establishes its annual audit programme.
Stages
•July 2014: definition of strategic directions by the Director Gene-ral for Food;
•October 2014: initial deploy-ment with the management pro-cess and publication of the gene-ral policy declaration;
•December 2014: publication of the national quality manual.
rESYTAL: a new step for the DGAL’s information systemRESYTAL has taken a further step towards full implementation in line with the timetable established several months ago.
The “Management of product ins-pections at abattoirs” area was implemented at over 280 abattoirs
in the fourth quarter of 2014. Late 2014 also saw the launch of the “User mana-gement” and “Inspection management” functions, both in the plant health area.
These achievements are the result of over two-and-a-half years’ work by all staff at the DGAL, the Ministry’s General Secre-tariat and representatives of the decen-tralised services, who have played an active role in the various working groups.
Over 150 training sessions were orga-nised during the final quarter of 2014. More will be organised in 2015, as other areas of functionality come on-stream and thousands of DD(CS)PP staff are trained.
The RESYTAL should be launched in early 2015, following by the “User ma-nagement” module for the DD(CS)PPs
in May 2015 and the “Risk analysis” and “Inspection scheduling” modules over the course of the year. A key step in this major roll-out will be the launch of the “Inspection management” module in the veterinary area for all DD(CS)PPs at the end of 2015, accompanied by “Follow-up management”. The new version of “Ope-rational assignment management” (GAO) should be launched in May 2015. Final-ly, there is the data processing platform “DEDAL”, which is available to the whole work community and provides access to management and monitoring dashboards and to extensive data research and ex-traction options.
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The aim of Resytal is to:•provide all staff with a common,
powerful, easy-to-use tool,•provide real-time health status
information on animals, plants and food,
•assess and manage the DGAL’s actions,
•ensure fast, reliable reporting,•share information with key health
players in France.
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NEGOTIATIONS AND iNTErNATioNAL TRADE
Cooperation, lifting health barriers, trade, legislation, borders, trade security, training, and more.
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Discussions with European veterinary services on antibiotic resistanceEuropean Union Chief Veterinary Officers (CVO) and representatives of the Com-mission were invited to take part in a working meeting on combating antibiotic resistance alongside the International Agricultural Show on 27 February 2014.
Twenty CVOs (from Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Great
Britain, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxem-bourg, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Ro-mania, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland) and a representative from the European Commission (DG Sanco – the Directorate General for Health and Consumers) took up the DGAL’s invitation. Europe is well placed in the fight against antibiotic re-sistance and is keen to play a proactive role at the global level.
The meeting was opened by minister Sté-phane Le Foll. The group had some inte-resting discussions on this major issue in animal and public health, with the aim of a higher level of individual and collective efficiency. European CVOs work together regularly in Europe and therefore know each other well.
Mediterranean: cooperation on animal healthRemesa has decided to invest in a regional vaccines bank for priority diseases and more specifically, foot-and-mouth disease.
Two meetings of the Joint Perma-nent Committee (JPC) of the Medi-terranean Animal Health Network
(REMESA) were held in March 2014, one in Malta, which chaired the meeting jointly with Mauritania, and one in Tunis in November, where the discussions fo-cused mainly on foot-and-mouth disease, in response to the increase in the disease from April 2014. Other priority diseases identified by the network, such as PPR (peste des petits ruminants), rabies and Rift Valley fever were also addressed. Countries in the network decided to combine their efforts to create a regional vaccines bank. The bank will be managed by the OIE under the responsibility of a
management committee made up of do-nors and REMESA member states.
The stock of vaccines will be virtual, pre-purchased form a pharmaceutical laboratory following a tendering process and available on demand as required. A system of this kind will ensure order flexibility and management of logistics through to the point of delivery, with prices negotiated on a larger or smaller scale. Similar vaccine banks already exist in south-east Asia, where the system functions well.
In 2015, the network will be co-chaired by Greece and Algeria and will expand
Number of bilateral meetings on animal and plant health (IPPC** and OIE*): 44
Number of delegations from other countries received for audit or inspection purposes: 30
15 trips abroad
Participation in 8 bilateral agricultural
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*International Plant Protection Convention
**World Organisation for Animal Health
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The partnership was led by a French-Italian consortium, repre-sented by the DGAL and France
Vétérinaire International (FVI) on the French side and the Istituto Zooprofilatti-co Sperimentale dell’Abruzzo de Teramo on the Italian side. Its aim was to enable effective management of animal health and the safety of animal food products, a reduction in the incidence of animal diseases and an improvement in the of-ficial health status of Tunisia, as well as promoting commercial trade in animals and products of animal origin.
With a budget of over €2 million funded by the European Commission, over 50 French, Italian and Spanish experts lent their expertise to the project, which was managed and coordinated by a DGAL ad-viser on site and a project manager from the CGAAER on the French side.
The outcome of the twinning exercise was positive insofar as it helped respond to specific needs, namely developing the zoosanitary intelligence and surveillance capacity of the CNVZ, proposed a new le-gislative framework, defined a list of prio-
rity diseases to monitor and developed a strategic plan for the next five years.
It also strengthens the long-term rela-tionship between France and Tunisia in the health and plant health areas, fol-lowing on from two other joint exercises in which the Ministry of Agriculture was involved, in 2006 and 2008, in the areas of animal and plant health respectively. It also supplements the actions taken in the area of training veterinary officers with the ENSV.
Closure of the French-Tunisian partnership on animal healthLaunched in January 2012 and after more than 27 months of work, the capacity-building partnership with the Tunisian National Centre of Zoosanitary Intelligence (CNVZ) came to an end on 24 April 2014 at a seminar in the presence of the Tunisian Minister of Agriculture and the French and Tunisian CVOs.
to include Lebanon and Jordan. The next Joint Permanent Committee meeting will take place in Greece (Heraklion) in March 2015. The meetings attract around 30 participants, including CVOs from member states, representatives of inter-national and regional organisations and experts from reference laboratories; the French representative is Jean-Luc Angot, Deputy Managing Director for Food and CVO.
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imports: sharing practices between the major European border postsAnimals and plants that enter the Eu-ropean Union are subject to controls that aim to avoid introducing plant or animal diseases into Europe. These are implemented by the DGAL’s Vete-rinary and Phytosanitary Border Ins-pection Service (SIVEP).
Once products have been accep-ted, they can circulate freely within the whole of the European
Union. It is therefore important to ensure that all controls are implemented in the same way at all of the EU’s border posts. Two meetings, one for border inspection posts (BIPs) at ports in the European Union, which are responsible for moni-toring animals and products of animal origin, and the other for community entry points (CEPs), which are responsible for plant controls, took place in June 2014. Subjects such as import regulations on
composite products, changes to regula-tions wanted by certain Member states (such as trans-shipment lead times), emerging problems (e.g. antibiotic resis-tance and national case law on a decision to re-dispatch a consignment because of the absence of an authorisation number), and diverging interpretations of the regu-lations were addressed with the BIPs.
The DGAL took the initiative to bring together, for the first time, the CEPs of several Member States and Swit-zerland whose control system is inte-grated with the European Union’s system in order to share experiences regarding both national technical instructions and their practical application at CEPs.
Plant imports Clarifying the regulations for travellers
Since 21 January 2015, a new or-der has specified the quantities of plants and plant products that can
be brought back in travellers’ personal baggage. Until then, article 35 of the or-der of 24 May 2006 provided exemptions from plant health controls for “small quantities of plants destined for use by
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their owner or recipient for non-industrial and non-commercial purposes or to be consumed during transport” but without specifying exact quantities, which led to potential confusion. The new order the-refore clarifies the situation. It should be noted that the order strictly prohibits bringing in soil and certain types of plant, in particular those intended for planting (container-grown plants, grafts and cuttings) which might pose a serious
risk of introducing parasites into the Eu-ropean Union. Only fruits and vegetables (excluding potatoes and citrus fruits) and stems of leafy vegetables or cut flowers can be brought back in baggage, subject to the maximum allowances stated. The latter are set at 5 kg or five units for fruits and vegetables (whichever is the more favourable) and a total of 15 stems for leafy vegetables, aromatic plants or cut flowers.
In terms of import controls on pro-ducts of animal origin from third countries, Mayotte has had an autho-
rised point of entry since May 2014. The scope of exemption from the require-ments of a mainland border inspection post is limited to border post facilities (European regulations on health condi-
tions for imports remain in effect). In return, measures are taken to ensure that imported products are not shipped on to the French mainland or the rest of the European Union. Furthermore, Brussels has granted the archipelago of 202,000 inhabitants a period of time to allow it to implement certain directives.
Compliance with cage-size standards for laying hens has been deferred until 2017, for example, and with abattoir re-quirements until 2021. Fishing also be-nefits from an exemption that will allow it to modernise and develop its fleet of longliners by 2025.
Mayotte joins the European Union as an “outermost region”Mayotte became a French département in 2011 and underwent further changes when it joined the European Union on 1 January 2014. Mayotte now benefits from the exemption scheme available to outermost regions (OMR) under Euro-pean regulations.
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Import controls are de-signed to avoid harmful organisms from being in-
troduced into the European Union (for example, to avoid situations comparable to the introduction of phylloxera, which ravaged vineyards and ruined the wine-growing eco-
nomy). The importer had tried to avoid plant health controls on 11 parcels of basil and bit-ter cucumber in a batch of plants and vegetables arriving at Roissy airport in December 2012. The products had been imported from Vietnam and are so called “at-risk” goods
that have to be blocked and destroyed by incineration on a regular basis after a negative inspection. Although the bat-ch in question was free from live harmful organisms, the basil leaves showed signs of parasite infestation (mining by Agromyzidae).
Conviction for attempted illegal import of plant productsIn June 2014, an importer was given a suspended fine of €15,000 by a court in Paris for attempting to illegally import plants subject to plant health controls. Illegal imports can be punished by a fine of €75,000 and two years’ imprisonment.
opening of the new animal reception centre at roissy
Commercial imports of live animals into the European Union must be inspected at an animal reception centre. Batches of animals are inspected by staff at the border inspection post at Roissy in a new reception centre that has the person-nel and equipment needed to handle and care for ani-mals.
The French Ministry of Agri-culture decided to restrict the centre’s authorisation following an audit by the Eu-ropean Commission in 2008. The project to build a new animal reception centre was launched in 2009, although work only began in August 2012. Work on the area for re-ceiving and inspecting wildlife is now complete.Roissy animal reception centre in July 2014.
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Stricter controls on imported plantsThe DGAL has put forward a proposal for more extensive controls on imported plants, which is currently under discussion within the Council of the European Union.
A draft of a new regulation on plant health is currently under negotia-tion within the European Union.
The draft does not introduce any signi-ficant changes to the current system of import controls in the European Union for plants and plant products from third countries. However, the system has some serious failings, essentially because it ignores a large quantity of plants: over 70% are not checked, although no pre-vious research has shown that they do not present a danger to plant health.
As a consequence, numerous new pa-rasites have been introduced into the
European Union in recent years, which is extremely damaging to both the envi-ronment and agriculture. For example, the fly Drosophila suzukii, originally from Asia, which is now causing severe pro-blems for vines, was undoubtedly intro-duced with fruit, many species of which are not controlled.
This is why France, with the support of six other Member States, is asking for a preventive approach to be taken, which would consist of assessments by Euro-pean Union experts of all import sectors before their entry into the EU was autho-rised.
opening up of markets: success stories
The DGAL has had several suc-cesses with negotiations it has led to lift health and plant health bar-
riers on exports.
In Taiwan in particular, with poultry meat and poultry meat-based products, including foie gras in December 2014. This was preceded by the opening up of the pork market in March 2014 and was made possible by signing an agricultural cooperation agreement that paves the way for collaboration on areas of com-mon interest, such as regionalisation in the event of outbreaks of animal origin, or e-certification.
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reopening of markets ... with russia
The Russian authorities have lifted – subject to conditions – an embar-go of February 2012 on live cattle
and their genetic material from countries affected by Schmallenberg virus. The decision followed bilateral negotiations between French and Russian CVOs for over two years, ending in a technical agreement in July 2013 and a “trial” re-
turn to cattle exports. Thanks to the bi-lateral agreement, over 2,000 French cattle have been able to be exported to Russia during the trial with excellent re-sults; extending the conditions agreed by France and Russia to all European ex-ports would enable a significant increase in exports to Russia.
Moreover, active negotiations are conti-nuing to try to secure a lifting of the health and political embargos imposed in January and August 2014 respectively, and which are having a significant econo-mic impact on the French and European animal and plant sectors.
... with Algeria
In October 2014, Algeria announced that imports of live cattle from France were again permitted.
Imports had been suspended in July following the appearance of out-breaks of foot-and-mouth disease,
which had forced Algeria to limit the movements of vulnerable animals whilst
the health situation stabilised. Thanks to a mass vaccination campaign, to which the European Union and France contributed by providing doses of foot-and-mouth disease vaccines, the Alge-
rian veterinary services were able to control the spread of the disease and announced the return to imports of live cattle on 13 October.
... with the United States
The market for French apples and pears reopened following the signature of a bilateral agree-
ment in July 2014. The first exports took place in December 2014. The au-thorisation process for new sites ac-
credited by the USDA (United States Department of Agriculture) has also restarted, allowing exports of Bayonne ham and other cured pork products to the United States.
Another development is that, following a mission to Ankara, in October, conditions for obtaining a health certificate for Turkey have been made less stringent, prompting a return to exports of live cattle.
Algeria announced that imports of live cattle from France were again permitted to mark the launch of a partnership between the French and Algerian veterinary services in Algiers in October 2014.
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France – China: progress in agricultural cooperation and exports of French processed food productsMinister Stéphane Le Foll visited Beijing and Shanghai (SIAL) from the 11 to 13 of May 2014. The trip followed up from the Chinese President’s visit to France in March, to mark 50 years of diplomatic relations between the two countries.
Health issues were very much at the top of the agenda for the minister’s visit, which included a delegation
from the DGAL led by its Director General.
Along with the Minister for the General Authority for Quality Supervision, Inspec-tion and Quarantine (AQSIQ), Stéphane Le Foll addressed issues of access to the market for agricultural and processed food products and recent progress in the cured meats sector, with authorisation
pending for three French businesses, and powdered milk for babies. The meeting also marked the end of a dispute that had blocked exports of French horses for around a year, thanks to the signa-ture of a revised protocol by the Chinese and French ministers. The first exports of horses to China were able to take place in December 2014.
A food safety seminar was also orga-nised in Beijing, attended by the DGAL,
and provided an opportunity to promote French expertise in relation to traceabi-lity, as an essential means of ensuring and controlling food safety. China, which is embarking on a fundamental reform programme to implement a food tracea-bility system is keen to develop its coope-ration with France, particularly in respect of dairy products. A major delegation of French professionals from the cured pork products sector was also present at SIAL in Shanghai.
ZHI Shuping, Minister for Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine (AQSIQ), and Stéphane Le Foll.
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Training for veterinary officials: an all-new summer school
The École Nationale des Services Vétérinaires (ENSV), an OIE partner centre for training veteri-
nary officials, has been welcoming of-ficials from France’s partner countries for around 15 years (over 70 people to date, notably from Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia) in the context of the training provided to French civil servants before they take up their post as veterinary offi-cials. The initiative, set up with financial support from the Ministry of Agriculture and/or the Ministry for International De-velopment, is part of our ministry’s inter-national strategic plan.
Whilst it helps to bridge the gap between the relevant authorities in France and its partners, until 2014 it was limited to French-speaking countries. English-spea-king countries that were impressed by the French training model were keen to
take advantage of it in relation to capa-city-building for their own veterinary ser-vices, with requests received from the authorities in Hong Kong and China, in particular.
From 2 June to 4 July 2014, eight exe-cutives form the veterinary services in seven countries (Serbia, Brazil, Turkey, China, Hong Kong, Egypt and Lebanon) took part in the training course on food safety, delivered entirely in English and developed by the ENSV, with the support of France Vétérinaire International (FVI). The programme consisted of five weeks of training, including theory sessions, field visits and a study trip at the end of the course.
The programme will run again in 2015, on the theme of animal health and welfare.
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Opening up the Chinese market to French cured pork products is the fruit of long ne-gotiations led by the DGAL. Thanks to the health protocols negotiated, France will be the first country to be allowed to export a very wide range of cooked and dried cured pork products to China. In the animal health area, the lifting of res-trictions on exports of French products in relation to Newcastle disease, bird flu and Schmallenberg was discussed and negotiations are continuing. The DGAL is also keen to see the lifting of the BSE em-bargo, which no longer has any scientific justification since the OIE granted France “controlled risk” status in May 2008. A bi-lateral working group is scheduled to meet in Beijing in March 2015.
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IMPORTED FOODSTUFFS NUMBER OF BATCHES INSPECTED NUMBER OF BATCHES REJECTED
Animals and animal products 46,000 400
Plants and plant products 47,000 800
TESTS CARRIED OUT IN 2013
NON-COMPLIANT TESTS IN 2013
TESTS SCHEDULED FOR 2014
TOTAL of which: 62,300 202 65,000
Physico-chemical contaminants* in animal production 51,100 69 49,000
Biological contaminants and toxins** in animal production 5,000 39 6,500
Residues of plant health products in primary vegetable production 800 68 1,600
Contaminants in animal feed 1,800 18 1,800
Contaminants in products imported from third countries 1,600 8 3-5 % des lots importés
Antibiotic resistance in commensal and zoonotic bacteria 2,000 - 4,300
The DGAL consists of 4,800 full-time equivalent (FTE) staff along with 14,000 State-registered public-health veterinarians, 30 expert national laboratories and 150 specialist analytical laboratories, mostly at the departmental level.
import inspections
Annual surveillance programme for contamination of primary products, foodstuffs and animal feed
The DGAL in figures
inspections and controls carried out in 2014
* veterinary medicines, anabolic substances, banned substances, environmental and industrial contaminants. ** bacteria (salmonella, E. coli STEC, etc.) viruses and parasites.
The results of the 2014 campaign will be available in the PSPC 2014 review, to be published in September 2015.
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Animal health and protection inspections
Plant quality and protection inspections
* this only includes annual inspections of slaughterhouses where the departments also carry out ongoing inspections.
Animal protection Number of inspections Follow-ups
TOTAL of which: 16,000700 notices to remedy
farm animals 9,400
animal transport 3,000
domestic pets 1,600
equids 700
animal experimentation 300
abattoir inspections 950
Number of inspections
TOTAL of which: 6,600
Inspections of users of plant health products 6,000
Inspections of plant health products at distribution stage 600
Public health on farmsNumber
of inspections Follow-ups
TOTAL of which: 18,750400 notices to remedy
farm health inspections 4,500
salmonella 9,700
identification 3,000
veterinary pharmacy 750
animal by-products 350
animal feed 225
reproduction 225
These inspections are designed to check the conditions under which plant health products are used and distributed.
Food safety inspectionsNumber
of inspections Follow-ups of which
Warnings Notices to remedy Total or partial closures
Statements of offence
TOTAL of which: 78,000 14,550 8,800 4,100 550 1,100
slaughter*, processing and warehouse sites
25,000 2,900
institutional food services 17,000 2,800
commercial catering outlets 15,000 5,800
shops 12,000 3,000
documentary inspections 9,000 50
Hygiene compliance inspections 400
Inspections for issuance of European plant health passports 1,800
Publication directorPatrick Dehaumont
EditorialFrench Directorate General for Food
Design and coordinationActions and strategy promotion task force (MIVAS)
Graphic design and productionStudio Agnès Cappadorowww.studio-agnescappadoro.com
Photo credits•French Ministry of Agriculture, Agro-Food and Forestry• French Directorate General for Food
251, rue de Vaugirard - 75732 Paris cedex 15• iStockPhoto
This publication was produced with vegetable inks on PEFC paper from 100% fairly managed forests.April 2015
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