215P1 – Strengthening Compliance with International Food Safety Standards through Good Agricultural Practices

Description of the Programme Entity:

The mandate for the programme derives from decisions taken by the Directors-General of FAO and IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) in 1964 which recognised the advantage a joint division would enjoy compared with other institutions in the application of nuclear and related techniques to problems in food and agriculture. The Food and Environmental Protection Section (FEP) and its associated Agrochemicals Laboratory Unit (ACU), which includes the FAO/IAEA Training and Reference Centre for Food and Pesticide Control (TRC), is responsible for the subprogramme of AGE related to strengthening compliance with international food safety standards through good agricultural practices. The purpose of the evaluation was to analyse the major activities and outputs of the subprogramme since 2002.

The subprogramme provides assistance and support to Member Countries with regard to the safety and quality of food and agricultural commodities and facilitating international trade. The programme aims: a) to strengthen the abilities of Member Countries to apply international standards on irradiation for food preservation and phytosanitary treatments; and b) to use nuclear and related analytical techniques to build capacity for the management of food and environmental hazards. The principal methods used by AGE are: coordinating and supporting research; providing technical and advisory services; providing laboratory support and training in nuclear and related techniques; and, collecting, analysing and disseminating information.

Auto-Evaluation Process:

In this auto-evaluation, started in June 2005, the methodology included a desk research of key literature, including publications, internal reports and Web information; group and individual interviews and consultations with management and professional staff at FAO Headquarters, and all other centres (Vienna and Seibersdorf Laboratory); as well as separate questionnaires to TC, Coordinated Research Projects (CRP) and participants to workshops, fellowships and scientific visits. A cost-effectiveness analysis was also carried out in terms of financial resources and budget allotted from 2002 to 2005 (IAEA and FAO regular budget).

Main Findings:

More requests were generated from Member Countries on food irradiation, given the successful adoption of international standards for the use of irradiation for sanitary and phytosanitary treatments and the dissolution of ICGFI (International Consultative Group on Food Irradiation). Emphasis re-focused on the potential for irradiation as a phytosanitary treatment for commodities, especially related to quarantine. The application of HACCP (Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point System) and GAP (Good Agricultural Practices) to reduce contamination and improve the quality of agricultural commodities, will require the analysis of residues of pesticides, mycotoxins, veterinary drugs and other food contaminants (e.g., radionuclides) at earlier points in the food chain and not just on end products.

FEP has reasonable competence to deal with pesticides, both control of formulations and residues, but has little capacity to deal with veterinary drug residues and almost none for mycotoxins. A FAO/IAEA Workshop held in 2003 recommended that a Member Country should establish systems for the control of veterinary drugs in foods and develop surveillance programmes. Work around distance learning is recognized as increasingly important to ensure the best use of FEP resources. The IAEA professional staff rotation policy is perceived to have serious consequences for continuity and the retention of institutional memory.

Another funding and staff resource related issue is the absence of accreditation of the laboratory units, which is perceived to have detrimental effects on FEP capacity to offer credible guidance. The TRC therefore has a reduced capacity to provide reference materials and organise analytical quality control check programmes for counterpart laboratories. Some questionnaire results indicated (less relying on the very small number of respondents for TC projects): a) a high degree of satisfaction with the CRP modality and other PE activities; b) fairly good outcomes on laboratory technical capacity and reputation; c) little or unknown impact on legislation (although not the objective of the PE) on export rejections and on the prevalence of food-borne diseases; and d) that the PE users significantly come from rich and middle-income countries, although substantial PE users come from least developed countries (e.g. Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominica, Ecuador, Jamaica, Mali, Morocco, Nigeria and Peru). Although low-income countries do not normally have access to nuclear facilities, they still participate as IAEA Member States and through adherence to the international assistance and notification conventions.

The work in support of Codex standards, CRPs, the trainings and the e-learning tools appeared successful, however, less so on emergency preparedness and GAP. While the FAO contribution to the PE remained stable (< 20%) over the evaluation period (2002-2005), IAEA funding decreased slightly due to the adjournment of the ICGFI.

Major Recommendations:

·  Develop standardised methods to set priorities, especially regarding programme outcomes concerned with capacity-building.

·  Ensure staff resources for continuing certain activities for which continuity is crucial, e.g., concerning issues of residues of veterinary drugs, expertise in mycotoxins, phytosanitary applications of irradiation and distance learning.

·  Set up formal divisional procedure for maintaining responsibility to manage and update the AGE databases.

·  Provide relevant staff more training and responsibility in executing laboratory activities and, in Headquarters, with tasks relating to database management and the administration of e-Learning programmes.

·  Procure extra-budgetary resources to obtain accreditation for the Agrochemicals Unit.

·  Request that planning for radiological emergencies is included in an FAO program entity

·  Develop more formal procedures to ensure Rome and AGE staff is aware of each others’ activities, particularly those involving GAP.

·  Vigorously pursue opportunities for collaborative activities with other AGE sections.