This practice is to protect food safety within the category "Capacity building and awareness and relations between commercial operators and public authority"
The main objectives of the practice are to improve the decision-making processes for the adoption of preventive/corrective measures on the occurrence of health and / or environmental emergencies / non-conformities that have repercussions on the safety of the productions and on the operation of the breeding areas; to improve communication between stakeholders of the sector; make decision-making processes transparent through the participation of commercial operators / producers; sharing of problems, corrective / preventive measures and proposals for measures to improve the system (while respecting the roles).
The main needs addressed by the initiative regard the creation of a meeting point for the exchange of information and for the discussion of problems in the shellfish industry, that would involve competent health authorities, official laboratories (Arpal and IZS), Port Authority and from time to time mussel farming cooperatives, regional health / agriculture departments and University institutions.
The main functions of the practice are those to call the table periodically on the occurrence of non-compliance cases, substantial regulatory changes, etc. and for the annual review of the "Monitoring and surveillance plan", a three-year reclassification or classification of new farming areas.
The intervention is initiate by the complex structure "Food hygiene of animal origin" of the ASL 5 La Spezia (the local health authority in La Spezia).
Resources needed
No specific funding is needed because resources are already available
Evidence of success
The practice is considered as good because the table was strongly supported by the Local Health Authority (ASL) which, over time, as an ASL working group / official laboratories, has expanded it to other stakeholders.
The main benefits regard the improved capacity to address aquaculture related issues, the contribute to the resolution of environmental and socioeconomic interests and the raised level of cooperation between public and private sector.
Potential for learning or transfer
This practice is transferable thanks to needs addressed common across European regions and to demonstrated achieved benefits that outweigh investment costs by far. In fact, this practice can be applied elsewhere as the needs of the operators are common in other EU countries. Meeting and discussing them, finding solutions together, each with their own competence, is something very simple to do
Tags: Chemical, Farming, Fishing, Food, Health, Legislation, Monitoring, Policy, Regional policy, Safety, SME, Water, Well-being
