Wednesday, 06 February 2019
The single integrated multi-annual national control plan, hereafter referred to as the National Control Plan (NCP), presented by Ireland for the period from 1st January 2018 to 31st December 2022.
The objectives of the National Control Plan for Ireland are in line with those established in Regulation (EC) No 882/2004. The primary objectives are to ensure feed and food are safe and wholesome and to protect consumers’ interests, this is achieved through:
1. Ensuring that food and feed business operators fulfil their primary legal responsibility to ensure food and feed safety.
2. The enforcement of food and feed law, animal heath and animal welfare rules and plant health rules.
3. The organisation of official controls to monitor and verify that the relevant legislative Requirements are fulfilled by food and feed business operators at all stages of production, processing and distribution.
4. The co-ordination of official controls, to ensure effective and efficient implementation at national, regional and local level official controls are carried out regularly, on a risk basis and with appropriate frequency, impartiality, quality and consistency of official controls activities are carried out to a high level of transparency.
The approach taken in Ireland is to foster a culture of compliance through the use of risk-based controls which protect: public, animal and plant health, and consumer interests without imposing unnecessary burdens on the authorities that are responsible for undertaking official controls or on the food and feed business operators that are subject to these controls.
