FSA Interested Party Letter (OCR 0061), 23 February 2010
You may recall that I wrote to you on 13 January last year to let you know that Revision 3 of the National Control Plan (NCP) for the UK (which covers the period January 2007 to March 2011) had been published. I am writing to you now to let you know that a fourth review of the NCP has now been completed and Revision 4 of the Plan has been published on the FSA website.
The purpose of the Plan, which is required under EU Regulation 882/2004 on official controls, is to ensure that effective control systems are in place for monitoring and enforcing feed and food law, animal health and animal welfare rules, and plant health law. The UK NCP was prepared jointly by the Food Standards Agency, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and the Agriculture/Rural affairs Departments in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. It describes the regulatory landscape in the UK in these sectors and gives details of the roles and responsibilities of the different authorities and associated bodies that are involved. It also sets out the planned official control activities of these authorities and bodies during the period of the plan, and provides an overview of how they work together to safeguard public, animal and plant health, to protect consumer interests, and to promote the welfare of animals.
Regulation 882/2004 requires that the NCP be kept under review and updated regularly. No substantive changes to the Plan are required as a result of this fourth review but a number of amendments have been made as regards to the implementation of pesticide policy by Chemicals Regulation Directorate (which is a Directorate of HSE) and the development of arrangements for audit of the competent authorities. The Plan has also been updated to reflect publication of new/revised guidance material and European and national legislation etc.
Copies of the revised UK NCP may be downloaded from the Agency's website at: http://www.food.gov.uk/foodindustry/regulation/europeleg/feedandfood/ncpuk