RE: Minimum syllabus to be a "seafood inspector"

From: Timothy Numilengi (tnumilengi@fisheries.gov.pg)
Date: Wed Sep 24 2008 - 15:06:01 PDT

  • Next message: John Kaneko: "Re: Parasite in Skipjack ( with Pics)"

    Thanks Hector for briefly outlining this training requirement as per the
    EU Regulation.

    Tim

    -----Original Message-----
    From: hmlupin@libero.it [mailto:hmlupin@libero.it]
    Sent: Wednesday, September 24, 2008 11:22 PM
    To: Timothy Numilengi
    Cc: francisco; seafood
    Subject: RE: Minimum syllabus to be a "seafood inspector"

    Just as reference the following is the EC Syllabus:

    "ANNEX II

    COMPETENT AUTHORITIES

    Chapter I : Subject matter for the training of staff performing official
    controls

    1. Different control techniques, such as auditing, sampling and
    inspection.

    2. Control procedures.

    3. Feed and food law.

    4. The different stages of production, processing and distribution, and
    the possible risks for human health, and where appropriate for the
    health of animals and plants and for the environment.

    5. Assessment of non-compliance with feed and food law.

    6. Hazards in animal, feed and food production.

    7. The evaluation of the application of HACCP procedures.

    8. Management systems such as quality assurance programmes that feed and
    food businesses operate and their assessment in so far as these are
    relevant for feed or food law requirements.

    9. Official certification systems.

    10. Contingency arrangements for emergencies, including communication
    between Member States and the Commission.

    11. Legal proceedings and implications of official controls.

    12. Examination of written, documentary material and other records,
    including those related to proficiency testing, accreditation and risk
    assessment, which may be relevant to the assessment of compliance with
    feed or food law; this may include financial and commercial aspects.

    13. Any other area, including animal health and animal welfare,
    necessary to ensure that official controls are carried out in accordance
    with this Regulation."

    [REGULATION (EC) No 882/2004 OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT
    AND OF THE COUNCIL of 29 April 2004 on official controls performed to
    ensure the verification of compliance with feed and food law,animal
    health and animal welfare rules]

    The Syllabus is more or less in line with the "standard series" of
    workshops we had in the FAO/DANIDA Project till 1999: (i) HACCP sytem
    and HACCP-based regulations; (ii) HACCP Implementation and (iii) HACCP
    Audit (one week duration each one). In general (i) and (iii) were the
    most popular; very few countries asked for (ii) (one of the few was
    Cuba). Personally, I think that (ii) was absolutely necessary for
    inspection services and industry, because both had to re-organize and
    implement the HACCP system. Now, I suppose many people would agree with
    me.

    The HACCP sytem was ill implemented in a lot of places, because one
    thing is to arrive to draft a proper HACCP plan (something not easy to
    learn in a week course anyway) and a completely different thing to
    implement it in plant.

    For developing countries exporting to more than one market, then
    regulations (other than the EC) can be necessary (e.g. FDA HACCP
    regulations and Canadian regulations). Please do not forget national
    regulations.

    Other subjects of importance are the WTO Agreements (in particular the
    SPS and the TBT), something more than a brief introduction to Risk
    Analysis, Codex Alimentarius (& related material) and some specific
    subjects like traceability.

    A syllabus containing all that will take not less of 4-6 coordinated
    intense weeks (including practical works in plant and at fish inspection
    services) depending on the knowledge of participants. In any case it
    will be just the starting point of a career.

    Kind regards.

    Hector M. Lupin



    This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : Wed Sep 24 2008 - 15:15:40 PDT