Five guiding principles

In 2003, the Veterinary Services of the Ministry of Agriculture and Fishing (DGAL, Directorate General of Food) conducted more than 450 000 checks on animals, inspected more than 12 000 abattoirs and cutting plants, more than 6 000 establishments in the dairy sector and 5600 in the fishing sector. 25 000 checks relating to animal protection were carried out at animal holding sites or during transportation of animals.

In 2004, the DGAL carried out 200 000 documentary inspections relating to animal health and protection, 4 000 checking operations in abattoirs and 5 000 in cutting plants.

The DGAL and the DGCCRF (Directorate General for Competition, Consumption and the Repression of Fraud) carried out 2641 inspection visits in 2003. The DGAl visits the breeders as well as establishments, mainly under the programme for approval or registration. The DGCCRF checks, for its part, marketed products. Under this responsibility it carried out 2615 labelling checks (raw materials, mixed foods, additives, ...).

The national alert network system : each veterinary services departmental management sends notification of non-conformity to the DGAL (Directorate General of Food) central management office of health alerts. This last repeats pertinent information to the management and services concerned and takes care of the coordination of action if necessary.

The community alert network system : the member countries notify the European Commission of non-conformities noted on products, be it produced in that country and exported or a product of another country and distributed on its territory. The alert network is the RASFF (Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed). Each member state has a point of contact. In France, there are two : the management office for DGAL (Directorate General of Food) health alerts for animal foodstuffs and products of animal origin and the Fraud alert unit of the DGCCRF, for everything outside of animal foodstuffs. These points of contact then spread the information to the departmental management concerned and make sure that the information is raised and ensure coordination of actions.

Since 1995, even before the community mechanism was laid down, the DGAL (Directorate General of Food) put in place a surveillance plan for dioxin. Listeria has also been the subject of a surveillance plan run by the DGCCRF on more than 50 sensitive foods since 1983.