Ireland

Codex Contact Point

Mr. Philip Kennedy Research & Codex Division Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine Agriculture House, Kildare Street, Dublin 2

Telephone:
+ 353 1 6072501

Email:
[email protected]
[email protected]

Website:
http://www.agriculture.gov.ie

Competent authorities

Name of authority:
Food Safety Authority of Ireland

Mandate/competence:
Responsible for the enforcement of food law after the farm gate to the plate. www.fsai.ie

INFOSAN Emergency Contact Point

Food Safety Authority of Ireland
Exchange building, georges Dock, IFSC, Dublin 1
[email protected]

Food safety and consumer protection – laws and regulations

The current list of legislation, related to food safety and consumer protection in each country, is extracted from FAO's database on Food Legislation FAOLEX. While FAOLEX makes every effort to serve as a high quality, reliable source of information, no guarantee is given that the information provided in FAOLEX is correct, complete, and up-to-date.

The national Codex programme

National Codex consultative mechanism

Ireland’s national consultative mechanism for Codex programme is co-ordinated through the Irish Codex Advisory Committee (ICAC). The ICAC provides a forum to enable all relevant government departments/agencies, NGO’s, consumers and industry bodies to make known their views, in a structured way, for consideration in the formulation of the official national position on all Codex issues.
The ICAC meets as required which tends to be approx. 2 times per year.

Consideration of the agendas of the most relevant Codex sessions taking place before the next meeting of the ICAC.
Consideration of reports of Irish delegates who attended Codex sessions that took place since the preceding ICAC meeting.
Activities
Advise on the implications of the food standardisation and control measures being elaborated by the Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC) and its various subsidiary committees and how best to achieve Ireland’s strategic objectives.
Inform industry/consumers on the implications of Codex measures.
Identify and discuss priority issues/sessions from an Irish perspective, particularly those of a horizontal nature.
Guide the preparation of replies to Codex Circular Letters – directly or input to EU reply.
Advise on composition of Irish delegation to various Codex sessions.
Ensure consistency in approach across the different Codex Committees.

Providers of scientific and technical input to national consultation on Codex

Departrment of Agriculture, Food Safety Authority of Ireland, Food industry, State Laboratories, Teagasc, 3rd Level institutes
scientific input is provided for technical issues that arise in CCFH, CCFA, CCCF, CCNFSDU, CCFICS, CCMAS, CCPR, CCFL.
The issues are far too numerous to list but focus on the agenda items under discussio n at the meetings.

Risk Assessments and Scientific Data

National bodies providing risk assessment and scientific advice

FSAI Scientific Committee, Food Safety Authority of Ireland, Health Service Executive laboratories, DAFM laboratories, Marine Institute, Teagasc, 3rd level institutes; European Food Safety Authority

Risk assessment, risk profiles, scientific opinions

see scientific reports at this link https://www.fsai.ie/resources_publications.html (in search by type field select Scientific Reports)

Official Laboratories

Official Laboratory:
National Reference Laboratories
Article 100 of Regulation (EC) No. 625/2017 specifies that “Member States shall arrange for the designation of one or more national reference laboratories for each Community reference laboratory referred to in Article 32”. In Ireland the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine and the Department of Health have designated the following NRLs for official controls of feed, food, animal health and welfare:
List of NRLs
Official Laboratories
Article 12 of Regulation (EC) No. 882/2004 specifies that “The competent authority shall designate laboratories that may carry out the analysis of samples taken during official controls.” The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, the Department of Health and the Food Safety Authority of Ireland have designated the following official laboratories for the official controls of feed, food, animal health and welfare:
List of Official Laboratories.

https://www.fsai.ie/uploadedFiles/Enforcement_and_Audit/Monitoring/Laboratories/List_Official_Labs.pdf

Official Competence:
Competence is covered within the laboratories accreditation to ISO17025. Competence is also specified for the performance of official controls in Article 6 of Reg 882/2004 and Article 5.4 of Regulation 2017/625 when it comes into force on 14th of December 2019.

The list of National Reference Laboratories:

https://www.fsai.ie/uploadedFiles/Enforcement_and_Audit/Monitoring/Laboratories/List_of_NRLs.pdf

Surveillance of foodborne diseases and monitoring of food contamination

National surveillance systems – foodborne disease in humans

The Health protection Surveillance Centre is responsible for collecting and collating surveillance data on human illness through an electronic notification styestem called CIDR
see link https://www.hpsc.ie/

National monitoring systems – foodborne hazards in the food chain

Foodborne hazards are monitored through official controls and tragetted studies under EU food law.Data is shared with and published by EFSA. For Irish reports see links below:
Data on pathogens in the food chain are published in an annual zoonosis reports published here https://www.fsai.ie/enforcement_audit/monitoring/food_surveillance/zoonoses/reports.html
Data on residues in food are published here https://www.agriculture.gov.ie/animalhealthwelfare/veterinarymedicinesresidues/residues/nationalresiduecontrolplanreports/
A national chemical monitoring programme is in place covering EU legislation and emerging risks and other substances of concern (e.g. unregulated POPs)