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Conference “One world – one health. Zoonoses and good practice”

2018 m. October 16 d.

On 16 October, the State Food and Veterinary Service (SFVS) jointly with the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) are organising an international conference “One world – one health. Zoonoses and good practice” in Vilnius. The conference will take place in the hall of the hotel “Holiday Inn“. EFSA experts, researchers, SFVS specialists, Lithuanian veterinarians, representatives of the feed and poultry sectors will participate in the event. The situation of zoonoses in Lithuania and other countries from the point of view of human and animal health will be presented at the conference, a risk analysis-based strategy for decreasing zoonoses, data of monitoring the antimicrobial resistance of their pathogens will be discussed. Examples of good practices for the implementation of salmonella control programmes will be presented to the participants, they will exchange their experience in achieving a low salmonella prevalence levels and maintaining them. The participants of the conference will discuss the issues of strengthening poultry health and importance of biosafety measures at poultry farms. Zoonoses are diseases common to humans and animals, which can get infected directly or indirectly. There are more than 200 zoonotic diseases with which humans can get infected from animals. European experts, researchers and doctors are unanimous that the control of zoonoses must be strengthened as the increase in antimicrobial resistance of pathogens is observed, which poses a serious threat to public health. The most prevalent human and animal infectious diseases are salmonellosis and campylobacteriosis. People get infected with these diseases through contaminated animal origin food: poultry meat, milk, eggs, beef meat, pig meat, etc. In the past time in Lithuania just like in other countries in Europe and worldwide, salmonellosis and campylobacteriosis have generally spread through eggs, poultry meat and their products.

Experts from Slovenia are visiting Lithuania

2018 m. October 04 d.

Veterinary experts from the Veterinary Faculty of Ljubljana University (Slovenia) are visiting Lithuania this week. The purpose of the visit is to get acquainted with the measures applied in the fight against African swine fever (ASF), control requirements, monitoring and eradication plans used in Lithuania. ASF poses an increasing threat to Europe and causes significant economic losses. The cases of this disease have already been registered in the Czech Republic, Latvia, Poland, Romania, Estonia, Bulgaria, and recent cases have been detected in Belgium. Slovenian veterinary experts have come to Lithuania in order to get familiar with the ASF control and biosecurity requirements, applied in pig keeping places. They are also interested in the wildlife situation within the country. First, the guests have visited the State Food and Veterinary Service (SFVS), where the employees of the SFVS from the Emergency Response Department presented the general situation in the country, legal basis and applicable ASF control measures. The guests were interested in how dead wild boars are managed in Lithuania, as the detection of the disease in Slovenia would be one of the most important issues. The colleagues from Slovenia will pass on the information, knowledge and experience gained in Lithuania to the hunters of their country, and will organize seminars to present the current situation of ASF. "Lithuania supports and maintains the initiative of the European Commission and the World Organization for Animal Health to develop multilateral strategies, joint plans of measures combating ASF and share experiences. In response to this, the ASF Competence Center is being established in Lithuania, one of the main tasks of which is to organize trainings for hunters, veterinary specialists, farmers, as well as foreign specialists. The base for the training is being created, whereas researchers are already involved in epizootic studies to determine how ASF could enter the farms, especially large, commercial ones. Therefore, such visits, as this one of Slovenian colleagues, are a beautiful start for works of great importance. In October, we are preparing to welcome a delegation of experts from the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs of South Korea. It is very important for them to get the knowledge on how to recognize and manage the disease, approaching this country. ASF is becoming a global problem, the knowledge and experience of our specialists is appreciated by other countries, where ASF has recently been diagnosed or where there is a possibility of this disease to occur. Such cooperation is also useful for Lithuania itself, as with the delegations of these countries, we can discuss not only the issues of ASF, but also the export This week, representatives of the SFVS together with the guests from Slovenia are planning to have a meeting with hunters. During the meeting they will discuss the changes of the hunting culture, since ASF has been detected in hunting areas, also applied biosecurity measures will be presented at all stages, i.e. from the preparation up till the completion of the hunt. The guests are also scheduled to visit the National Institute of Food and Veterinary Risk opportunities of Lithuanian food products (poultry, etc.) as well as the process of negotiations", – said Darius Remeika, the Director of the SFVS. Assessment, where they will be introduced to ASF diagnostic methods and share their experiences with colleagues.

SFVS has initiated the clarification of the European Commission Regulation

2018 m. October 04 d.

The State Food and Veterinary Service (SFVS) draws the attention of food manufacturers to the fact that there are several fundamental inaccuracies in the translation into the Lithuanian language of Commission Regulation (EU) No 2017/2158, which entered into force throughout the European Union (EU) on 11th of April 2018, establishing mitigation measures and benchmark levels for the reduction of the presence of acrylamide in food (hereinafter – Regulation). The SFVS has already applied to the European Law Department for this issue with a request to initiate the rectification procedure of the errors found in this document. The SFVS has assessed the terms used in both English and Lithuanian translations of the Regulation and noted some inaccuracies that could mislead food business operators and competent authorities. For example, the English word "biscuits" is translated into the Lithuanian language - "biskvitai", which means that Lithuanian food business operators only investigate the amount of acrylamide in biscuits, although, as it is in other EU countries, they should investigate the samples of cookies rather than biscuits. Also, inaccurate translation of the English word "wafers", in the Lithuanian version of the Regulation obliges food producers to investigate "sausblyniai" and not wafers, as it should be in accordance with the original wording of the Regulation. Acrylamide is a low molecular weight, highly soluble organic compound, in certain food products, consisting of natural origin ingredients - asparagine and sugars, when the food is prepared at a temperature above 120 ° C and is low in moisture. It is formed mostly in baked or fried food products, which are rich in carbohydrates (cereals, potatoes, coffee beans, etc.). The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has confirmed previous evaluations that acrylamide in food increases the risk of oncological diseases for the consumers of all age groups. Therefore, the adopted Regulation aims to oblige food manufacturers to significantly reduce the quantities of a harmful substance to health, resulting from the production process - acrylamide. The Regulation contains benchmark levels for acrylamide, according to the names of food groups, their constituents and acrylamide quantities. The manufacturers must take specific measures to reduce the amounts of acrylamide produced, if they are higher than the allowed benchmark level indicated in this document. The proposals of the SFVS concerning the translation of the Regulation can be found here: http://vmvt.lt/sites/default/files/js/vmvt_del_reglamento_vertimo_klaidu_atitaisymo_lentele.pdf

E-commerce of pets in Europe will find itself under the magnifying glass of controllers

2018 m. October 03 d.

The State Food and Veterinary Service (SFVS) will join the European Commission initiative of “e-dogs and cats”. The control authorities of Member States participating in this initiative will coordinate the control of websites operating in their countries, offering dogs and cats for sale. It is envisaged that the campaign will take place about 2 months. During this period, the inspectors from all participating countries will monitor whether the sellers on the website provide all necessary information about the proposed pets. They will also seek to identify the cases where pet sales are attempted to be presented as animal donation or transfer, thereby avoiding taxes. The initiative aims, objectives and campaign programme were presented at the meeting of the SFVS with the representatives of other control institutions, private veterinarians, non-governmental animal care organizations and pet traders. Also discussed are the current problems when selling or acquiring a pet in the cyber space. Welcoming the participants of the meeting, the Director of the SFVS, Darius Remeika, has emphasized that the volume of e-commerce is constantly growing, therefore, in this area, there is a need of maximum clarity and order. "It is a pleasure that by this initiative we have received the support from non-governmental organizations. During the meeting, we have shared not only the insights, but also good practical suggestions that would help to clarify e-commerce of pet animals. The modern electronic space flickers from various offers of pet animals to be sold or donated. Typically, such advertisements only include the breed of a puppy or kitten and the contact phone number of the seller. Thus, it is a frequent occurrence when the buyer is at risk of obtaining an illegally bred, without compulsory health checks or a non-vaccinated pet against rabies, and etc. That's why we are striving to have equally clear and transparent rules for the online space that would not create unnecessary administrative constraints and would help to protect both the well-being of pets and interests of purchasers who have decided to buy a puppy or a kitten", – remarked D. Remeika. For the first time, during the organised campaign throughout the European Union, targeted search and selection of trade-related websites will be performed, the content of the advertisements will be evaluated, and whether the buyer is given enough information about the animals being sold will be examined. In addition, SFVS inspectors will also carry out physical checks at breeding, animal care and sale points in order to assess whether the traders of pet animals are complying with the requirements. The information about unfair trade cases in practice, identified during the campaign, as well as incomplete offers and sanctions applied on the internet will be provided by all involved countries to the European Commission, which will summarize the data and decide upon the possible stricter regulation of legal e-commerce for pet animals. All over Europe, the campaign will begin from 15th of October 2018. The summarized data and conclusions are expected to be published by the SFVS in February 2019.

SFVS is a multiple partner of the EU Twinning projects

2018 m. October 03 d.

The European Commission has prepared a report on the EU Twinning Program for the year of 2017. The report mentions a successful implementation of the State Food and Veterinary Service (SFVS) project in Ukraine "Assistance with the implementation of SPS commitments under the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement". During the project, all planned tasks - harmonized national legislation in accordance with the EU requirements in the fields of animal health and welfare, slaughter and transportation, and the control of animal by-products - were implemented. The Ukrainians very much appreciated the experience sharing and goodwill by the SFVS specialists. As one of the responses to be quoted in this report is a gratitude for Lithuanian specialists by the Head of the International Affairs and European Integration Department of the Ukrainian State Food Safety and Consumer Protection Olena Kuriata on the successful implementation of the project, which "has set the stage for 55 legal acts in the fields of animal welfare and health, transportation and slaughter as well as other areas. The specialists of the Ukrainian laboratory have also broadened their knowledge in the research on residues of animal food products, strengthened their abilities to deal with food safety issues. "We can only be glad that the project implemented by the SFVS in the report is mentioned among the most successful ones. These projects are essential for the development and maintenance of international cooperation between veterinary services, by making the international experience deeper and educating the specialists for higher professional knowledge. We aim to involve as many SFVT specialists as possible to participate in projects, as not only our colleagues from foreign countries gain the experience, but we also find more possibilities to test our abilities. This is a path of consolidating knowledge, comparing veterinary control systems, looking for more diverse ways of solving problems", – said Darius Remeika, the Director of the SFVS. At present, the SFVS, together with partners from Sweden and Latvia, implements the EU-funded two-year Twinning project in Moldova "Support to the National Food Safety Agency of the Republic of Moldova". The SFVS, as a leader or junior partner, has implemented 8 Twinning projects in Turkey, Ukraine, Moldova, Kosovo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Romania, Serbia and 3 EU-funded technical assistance projects in Belarus, Serbia and Ukraine.

Events

2015 y. March 06 d.

Events

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State food and veterinary service
State budgetary institution The Register of Legal Entities
code: 188601279

Address: Siesikų str. 19,
07170 Vilnius Lithuania
Tel. +370 5 240 4361
E-mail: info@vmvt.lt

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