Official controls of milk and meat production are generally good in Norway, though further improvements are required to ensure they are fully in line with EEA law.
The mission team found that: There is a procedure in place to audit FBO compliance with hygiene rules for food of animal origin.
However, for approved meat and milk establishments, the same minimum frequency of control is set based on general categories of production rather than considering all relevant risk factors. For primary production, a list of potential risks has been established centrally but no weighting is given to them regarding their significance.
Local Departments use these to determine the frequency and scope of official controls. This approach may result in official controls not being targeted at those businesses most likely to present a risk to food safety in a uniform way throughout the country.
A new system is under development to classify the risk FBOs present to public health but this is not expected to be rolled out until, an as yet, undetermined date in 2020. In the meantime, the objectives of the hygiene legislation are not being fully met in all establishments as not all deficiencies are being detected.
Official controls related to post-mortem inspection in sheep and pigs are performed satisfactorily. However, official controls related to post-mortem inspection in cattle, where several of the EEA inspection tasks are systematically not carried out, weaken the inspection system. Official controls related to TSE do not ensure that all required measures are in place.
These weaknesses in official controls increases the possibility of unsafe food entering the human food chain and animal diseases not being detected.
An identification system is in place for cattle and sheep and is working satisfactorily. For pigs, the tattoo mark used to identify slaughter pigs is not recorded in the national pig register and tattoo marks are not always legible – this can have a detrimental effect on traceability for both animal health and public health reasons.
A procedure for the registration of primary producers and the approval of meat and milk establishments has been established, is implemented at Departmental level and is generally working satisfactorily.
CA have approved alternative sampling procedures and testing against alternative microorganisms in slaughterhouses. However, this approval was granted in 2007 for now repealed legislation and has not been re-assessed against current microbiological requirements to ensure it still applies. In addition, few staff met were aware of this arrangement.
In the majority of establishments visited using alternative analytical methods, NFSA staff do not have confirmation that these alternative methods have been validated against the specific reference methods.
A structured training syllabus is in place for OVs with the exception that there is no pre-set requirement or record of their practical training. A structured training syllabus exists for OAs which should ensure they have the necessary competencies.
The report includes a number of recommendations addressed to the Norwegian competent authority aimed at rectifying the identified shortcomings and enhancing the control system in
place. ■
Under an intense surge of arctic air, Friday morning will begin with the coldest temperatures so far this season across much of the central and eastern U.S. with blustery conditions and a piercing wind chill.