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TWINNING LIGHT PROJECT FICHE1.3 Twinning Number: BA11 IB AG 01
TWL
1.4 Title: Support to enhancing export potential of agricultural
and food products to the EU
1.5 Sector: Agriculture
2. Objectives
2.1 Overall Objective
The overall objective of this project is to contribute to ensuring
a high level of public and
animal health protection, protection of consumer interests and
removing trade barriers with
the EU and countries in the region.
2.2 Project purpose
Increased capacity of institutions for the implementation of
official controls on food and feed
safety and quality, animal health and public health in line with EU
standards and technical
requirements and improved competitiveness of food business
operators (FBO) for export of
agricultural and food products to the EU.
2.3 Contribution to National Development Plan/Cooperation
agreement/Association
Agreement/Action Plan
The Progress Report 2013 for BiH, issued by the European Commission
in October 2013,
states the following:
As regards food safety, implementing legislation on nutrition
labelling, infant formulae and
novel food was adopted.
As regards the placing on the market of food and feed, Bosnia and
Herzegovina adopted new
legal provisions on hygiene rules for food and feed establishments
and microbiological
criteria for foodstuffs. Residue monitoring plans for honey, dairy,
poultry and eggs were
positively evaluated by the European Commission, thus allowing
export of honey from
Bosnia and Herzegovina into the European Union.
Clarification of the chain of command and removal of overlaps
within the official food and
feed control system remain a key priority. Legislation at
State-level is neither adopted nor
implemented at Entity level. The capacity to implement official
controls is weak. Systems to
ensure an exchange of information on official controls among
relevant authorities and central
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authorities are not adequate. A strategy on laboratory capacity to
cover analysis of samples in
line with official controls on food and feed chains still needs to
be drawn up. As a temporary
measure, a political agreement was signed between the Ministry of
Foreign Trade and
Economic Relations, the Ministry of Agriculture Forestry and Water
Management of
Republika Srpska and the Ministry of Agriculture, Water Management
and Forestry of the
Federation ‘on the establishment of a chain of command meeting EU
requirements for
exports of milk and milk products from Bosnia and Herzegovina to
the EU‘, which is a key
EU import requirement. The full implementation of this Protocol is
still pending. Training
was started in EU hygiene rules for staff of relevant authorities
and food business operators.
Checks and registration of milk farms were stepped up to ensure
compliance with EU
requirements. Implementing legislation was adopted to allow the
State Veterinary Office to
check and approve establishments for export to the EU, but
implementation has not started.
The regulatory framework for the control of import of food of
non-animal origin requires
upgrading.
In the veterinary sector, implementing legislation was adopted on
movement of pets and
control of animal diseases, including bovine spongiform
encephalopathy and zoonoses
(salmonella). Vaccinations against brucellosis and rabies are
conducted regularly. The
existing legal framework for animal health requires upgrading.
Deficiencies in the existing
animal identification and movement control system do not allow
proper implementation of
animal health measures or their planning. The national system for
the management of animal
by-products needs to be upgraded to comply with EU requirements.
More efforts are needed
in the veterinary sector to implement measures to meet EU import
requirements.
Overall, there was little progress in the fields of agriculture and
rural development, food
safety, veterinary, phytosanitary policy and fisheries. A
countrywide rural development
strategy has not yet been adopted. State-level capacity for
coordination and harmonisation
needs strengthening. Agricultural statistics and the information
system still need to be
improved. Improving the productivity and competitiveness is being
hampered by the lack of
an efficient administration and effective rural credit schemes.
Implementation of the food
safety and veterinary acquis remained uneven and official control
capacity needs to be
upgraded. Preparations in these areas of the acquis are at an early
stage.’
2.4 Link with National Development Plan
Not applicable
2.5 Link with national/sectoral investment plans
The “Road Map aimed at Creating Conditions for the Export of
Products of Animal and Plant
Origin“ was adopted by the Council of Ministers of BiH in August
2010. This document aims
to:
- Define the requirements of generally accepted international and
EU requirements for
exports of agricultural and food products - food
- Analyse the progress achieved in BiH to fulfil these requirements
and the
requirements of EU food trade, and define problems in exporting
food from BiH,
- Propose steps to address them
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3.1 Background and justification
BiH, according to the SAA, has an obligation to harmonize food
safety and veterinary
legislation in order to comply with relevant EU legislation.
Croatia was one of the main BiH trading partners and export markets
for agricultural products
prior to its accession to the EU. As of the accession of Croatia on
1 st July 2013, BiH is able to
export to Croatia fish and honey, the only two products for which
BiH currently meets
conditions for export to the EU.
The conclusions of the FVO audit for poultry meat, poultry meat
products and table eggs that
took place in February 2012 regarding the control system remain
valid and can be reviewed
at the following link:
http://ec.europa.eu/food/fvo/rep_details_en.cfm?rep_id=2906 .
The
FVO audit in order to evaluate the controls over the production and
processing of dairy
products intended for export to the EU took place in January 2014.
The MS partners will
have access to the report and action plan from this FVO mission
(see footnotes 3 and 4 on
page 7).
In the recent period, however, steps were taken by BiH to commence
the revision of the
primary legislation, i.e. the Food Law, Veterinary Law and the Law
on Agriculture, Food and
Rural Development. The revision of these laws has been identified
as an urgent priority in
order to most importantly establish an EU-compliant official
control framework. The
legislative activities are supported by the EU through its TAIEX
instrument. As a temporary
measure, the BiH authorities 1 have signed a Protocol on
establishing of command chain
meeting the requirements for export of milk and milk products
originating from BiH to the
EU, in accordance with Article 4 of Regulation 605/2010. The
Protocol and its annexes,
including the cooperation agreements with the local authorities in
charge of veterinary
inspection, assigns responsibility to the State Veterinary Office
over the veterinary inspectors
from local authorities that conduct official controls at export
facilities. The State Veterinary
Office is able to determine the tasks and actions to be conducted
to verify the meeting of the
requirements confirmed on the export certificate and to conduct
regular supervision over the
work of the veterinary inspectors. The Protocol will remain in
force until adoption of
amendments to the Food Law, Veterinary Law and the Law on
Agriculture, Food and Rural
Development. This official control framework using service
contracts i.e. cooperation
agreement between the official agencies and the central competent
authority is partly based
on the model used in Ireland.
One of the key findings of previous FVO or TAIEX missions in the
recent period is also the
lack of knowledge on specific EU requirements in the different food
sectors. For example,
the FVO audit on poultry products and table eggs cited limited
knowledge on EU Salmonella
National Control Plan requirements of Competent Authority staff and
farm operators. A
recent TAIEX peer review of honey establishments in BiH,
recommended that local
veterinarians must intensify their knowledge concerning the
standards of the Directive
2001/110/EC and other directives and regulations in this subject,
the hygiene requirements,
principles of a functioning HACCP. A conclusion of another TAIEX
mission on the
establishment of an horizontal and vertical audit plan emphasised
that a prerequisite for
success will be the training of staff conducting audits of official
controls, on how to
1 The Protocol was signed between the Ministry of Foreign Trade and
Economic Relations BiH and the Entity
Ministries of Agriculture.
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competently perform them, and also for the audited organisations,
on how to prepare for
them.
There are other issues with the food and feed control framework in
Bosnia and Herzegovina,
and they include the following:
Absence of Multi-annual Plan of Official Controls at level of
Federation of Bosnia
and Herzegovina, Republic of Srpska and Brcko District BiH in
coordination with other
competent authorities, which would contain information about the
structure and
organization of official controls on food, feed, animal health and
welfare, plant health,
and set goals and priorities of control activities during the
specified time period of the
implementation. However, above mentioned plans should be defined at
level of
Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Republic of Srpska and Brcko
District BiH, and
in mutual coordination.
Insufficient coordination in some cases leads to duplication of
legislation and
overlapping of competences between different authorities - it is
very important to
ensure effective and efficient coordination of all competent
authorities at all levels,
bearing in mind the complex structure of competent authorities
involved in the context
of official controls.
Lack of responsibilities of food business operators - EU
legislation requires a new
approach, including risk based official controls and
responsibilities of food business
operators, who are required to ensure safe food and therefore to be
informed and
trained.
Lack of capacities in respect of authorized/reference laboratories
and for official
testing of presence of residues, microbiological and other
contamination of food and
feed, GMO food and feed - some important laboratory equipment has
been purchased
but methods are not developed and validated due to the lack of
training of laboratory
staff. Because of that, official controls and control duties cannot
be carried out
efficiently and effectively, as envisaged by Regulations No EC
882/04 and No
2073/2005.
Lack of educated and accredited FBOs that are able to export
agricultural and food
products to EU after 2012 is the most serious issue that impacts
BiH trade balance.
Therefore, it is of crucial importance to educate FBO in order to
increase their
competitiveness at EU market.
This twinning light project is to additionally support the
implementation of the TAIEX
Action Plan via additional training of the competent authorities of
Bosnia and Herzegovina,
Federation BiH, Republic of Srpska and Brcko district BiH and food
business operators in
implementation of the EU requirements in particular related to food
safety in the food and
feed sectors, in particular the milk, dairy and poultry products
sectors, in those establishments
which wish to export their products to the EU. Standards related to
other commodities may
be added if needed.
Training represents a key element in assuring that all personnel
involved in guaranteeing the
placing on the market of safe food are aware of their role,
responsibilities and the tasks that
they should carry out. This means that training is essential for
the competent authorities
responsible for official control and they should know what to do,
when and how. This also
applies to the FBO, who is responsible for the safety of the final
product that is placed on the
market.
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A comprehensive training and support programme could thus be
designed, focused on the
following general topics applied to the official control:
Legislation in EU (chapter 12)
Role of the competent authority, control plans, coordination and
planning of the official
control, risk based checks
Inspecting activity, audits, documentary, identity and physical
checks, sampling
In particular, the twinning light project will provide the training
on the following:
- For the competent authorities carrying out official controls: How
to carry out official
control according to the requirements of REG (EC) 882 and 854/2004
and other relevant
legislation in force, including the carrying out of general and
specific audits for relevant
competent authorities. Annex II, Chapter I, of the abovementioned
regulation contains a list
of subject matters to be addressed e.g. different control
techniques, legislation, hazards and
official certification system.
- For the Food Business Operators interested to export to the EU:
Key issues
highlighted in the food hygiene package (HACCP, GHP, GMP,
traceability) and other relevant
legislation in force.
3.2 Linked activities (other international and national
initiatives):
The EU has assisted this sector through TAIEX in the recent period
by implementing series
of expert missions as part of the Action Plan as regards the
establishment of horizontal
official control frame for the feed and food chain in BiH in
accordance with Reg. (EC)
882/2004. The TAIEX Action Plan contains ten basic actions which
continue to be
implemented:
1. Identify eventual gaps, overlaps or deficiencies of current BiH
legislation with the EU
Acquis and rectify if necessary for: Regulation (EC) 882/2004,
Directives 89/608/EEC,
89/662/EEC, 90/425/EEC, 91/496/EEC and Directives 97/78/EC
96/93/EC
2. Identify eventual gaps, overlaps or deficiencies of current BiH
legislation with the EU
Acquis and rectify if necessary for: Regulations (EC) 178/2002
(Food Law), 852/2004 (Food
Hygiene -Operators), 853/2004 (Veterinary Food Hygiene), 854/2004
(Veterinary Food
Supervision) and 183/2005 (Feed Hygiene)
3. Preparation of graph of the official control system of B&H
at all levels including
areas of competence
4. Establish a central database for the official control
system
5. Prepare horizontal and vertical audit plan
6. Prepare laboratory strategy for testing of samples taken in the
context of official
controls of the feed and food chain
7. Prepare communication strategy as laid down by Regulation (EC)
882/2004, article 7
8. Peer assessment system concerning approval of establishments for
export to the EU
9. Check import control system as regards feeding stuffs and food
of non-animal origin
10. Reorganisation of official control structures at all levels
(medium to long-term)
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This aim of this twinning light is to additionally support the
implementation of the TAIEX
Action Plan, in particular points 5, 8, and 9.
3.3 Results
Result 1
Competent Authorities of BiH, Republic of Srpska, Federation BiH
and Brcko district BiH
including Inspectors and other control authorities trained to carry
out official controls in line
with the EU acquis.
Result 2
Increased number of the Food Business Operators capable to meet the
safety and quality
requirements prescribed by the EU acquis which are qualified for
the export of agricultural
and food products in the EU.
3.4 Activities 2
Overall, 200 man/working days of MS experts are foreseen for
implementation of this
project.
Activity 1
This activity will consist of trainings and seminars for the FBOs
that intend to export to the
EU their products (focus on food of animal origin). The list and
the schedule of trainings of
FBOs to be trained will be drawn by the Food Safety Agency of BiH
and State Veterinary
Office of BiH the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, Water
Management RS, the Ministry of
Agriculture, Water Management and Forestry FBiH and the Department
of Agriculture of
Brcko District jointly with the twinning partner in the first month
of the project (joint working
group to be established).
Although the exact format of the training will be decided in the
first month of the project, it is
suggested that the trainings take the form of a ‘peer review’ and
that are conducted on the spot
in selected establishments, with participation of the relevant
Competent Authorities in in
charge for such topics. The peer assessments should result in
recommendations for FBOs and
the Competent Authorities. The applicant is expected to propose the
best modality for the
trainings in their proposal.
The FBOs should receive training on the key issues highlighted in
the food hygiene package
(HACCP, GHP, GMP, traceability) and other relevant legislation and
issues specific to the
particular commodity.
The activity will also involve assistance in preparation of
guideline or rulebook for
implementation of relevant standards.
This activity will require the overall involvement of an indicative
50 man/working days
of MS experts
Working language during trainings is English, but translation to
one of the local languages
shall be foreseen due to the complexity of the topics.
Activity 2
2 See footnote no 4, the last sentence in particular.
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This activity will consist of trainings and seminars for the
Competent Authorities of Bosnia
and Herzegovina, Federation BiH, Republic of Srpska and Brcko
district BiH (CAs) in charge
for proper functioning of food and feed safety and quality system.
The training is aimed train
the CAs on carrying out official control according to the
requirements of REG (EC) 882 and
854/2004. Annex II, Chapter I, of the abovementioned regulation
contains a list of subject
matters to be addressed e.g. different control techniques,
legislation, hazards and official
certification system.
The activity will also include the preparation of the draft
procedures for audit of official
controls, an initial list of auditors and guidance for official
controls. The training should also
include a component on carrying out of general and specific audits
for relevant competent
authorities. The applicant is expected to propose the best modality
for the trainings in their
proposal.
This activity will consist of trainings and seminars for an overall
involvement of an
indicative 60 man/working days of MS experts
Working language during trainings is English, but translation to
one of the local languages
shall be foreseen due to the complexity of the topics.
Activity 3
1. Support to the Competent Authorities in follow-up and
implementation of the Action Plan
resulting from the mission of the Food and Veterinary Office in
order to evaluate the
controls over the production and processing of dairy products
intended for export to the
EU conducted in Bosnia and Herzegovina from January 21 to 31st,
2014. 3
This activity will consist of trainings and seminars 4 for an
overall involvement of an
indicative 40 man/working days of MS experts
Activity 4
This activity will assist the Beneficiary Country administration
with provision of advice in
implementation of EU legislation regarding the official food and
feed control system
including controls on genetically modified food and feed, in
particular as regards the import
control system and internal market controls in accordance to
Commission Regulations
882/04, 669/2009 for food and feeding stuffs of non animal
origin.
3 Once consolidated and not earlier than in at least two months'
time after the mission, the final report will be
distributed to all EU Member States and the European Parliament for
their information and published on the
Health and Consumer Protection Directorate General web-site at:
http://ec.europa.eu/food/fvo/index_en.cfm.
4 A detailed work plan will be developed once the availability of
the FVO mission report is made and together/in
close consultations with the joint working group of the project
beneficiaries mentioned under Activity 1.
In case that applicants find the above mission report available at
the time of the proposal preparations, they may
propose the tentative outline of the specific trainings and
seminars, which will be further considered and
upgraded/adjusted with the beneficiary institutions via the
above-mentioned Working group at the
implementation stage.
As for preparations and design of the rest of detailed work plans
under all other activities (1, 2 and 4), close
consultations and work with the above mentioned Working group is to
be ensured.
Activity will also include specific trainings for competent
authorities of Bosnia and
Herzegovina, Federation BiH, Republic of Srpska and Brcko District
BiH (CAs) related to
control checks in field of food and feed of non-animal origin,
including control of pesticide
residues, contaminants and GM food and feed.
This activity will consist of trainings and seminars for an overall
involvement of an
indicative 50 man/working days of MS experts.
3.5 Means/ Input from the MS Partner Administration
The experts required must be civil/public servants of the relevant
MS administration or staff
of its authorised mandated bodies.
In the framework of the twinning light project, one Twinning Light
Project Leader is envisaged
to be supported by pool of short-term experts.
3.5.1 Profile and tasks of the Project Leader
The MS Project Leader should fulfil the following criteria:
He/she must have university education in veterinary medicine, food
technology or a relevant
degree:
at least 10 years of experience in veterinary and food and feed
safety issues
proven team leading experience (participation as project leader or
equivalent position in
minimum 2 projects related to the subject of this twinning light
project)
good knowledge and understanding of Twinning Projects in Member
States, candidate
or potential candidate countries, countries of the European
Neighbourhood
excellent command of English is required (spoken, written)
3.5.2 Profile and tasks of the short-term experts
The pool of Short-term experts (STE) to support the MS PL should
indicatively comprise 4
STEs and should ideally include the following expertise:
STE 1
Minimum 3 years' experience in the implementation of food and feed
control systems
and legislation in the EU acquis in veterinary and food and feed
safety and quality
areas
experience in implementation of training programmes for officials
working within
competent authorities
Minimum 3 years' experience in implementation of official controls,
inspections and
audits of official controls
implementation of risk-based assessment
experience in implementation of training programmes on official
controls and audit
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Minimum 3 years' experience in the implementation of self-control
systems (HACCP,
GHP) and traceability
STE 4
Minimum 3 years' experience in official control and inspections of
import on food of
non-animal origin and implementation of non-animal food and feed
safety and quality
standards
PC and projector
Telephone
Fax
Venue and equipment for the seminars, trainings, and other possible
project
activities and events
Necessary staff input
3.5.4 Working languages (for activities)
Activities involving MS experts and reporting shall be carried out
in English. Translation of
mentioned documents into one of official languages in Bosnia and
Herzegovina should be
provided.
Trainings and seminars may be carried out in English and in one of
the local languages. The
MS with the assistance of BC Project leader will ensure that the
necessary translation and
interpretation services are provided, and their cost will be
covered by the project’s budget.
4. Institutional Framework
In BiH, the competencies in the field of agriculture are at the
level of the Federation of BiH
(FBIH), Republika Srpska (RS) and District Brcko governments. The
Ministry of
Agriculture, Forestry, Water Management RS, the Ministry of
Agriculture, Water
Management and Forestry FBiH and the Department of Agriculture,
Forestry, and Water
Management of Brcko District of BiH are responsible for creation
and implementation of
agricultural and rural development policies. At country-level, the
Ministry of Foreign Trade
and Economic Relations of BIH (MoFTER) is responsible for export
policy and
communication with relevant international bodies.
In the area of food / feed area, beside above-mentioned ministries,
the other relevant agencies
are as follows:
Food Safety Agency of BiH
Veterinary Office of Bosnia and Herzegovina (VO BIH), including the
Veterinary
Border Inspection, within MoFTER BiH
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Cantonal, Municipality and City Inspection;
Inspectorate of Brcko District;
5. Budget
The total IPA budget for the twinning contract will be 250,000
Euro
Title: Support to enhancing export potential of
agricultural and food products to the EU
IPA
Community
Contribution
National
Co-financing
TOTAL
The co-financing requirement foreseen under IPA will be considered
fulfilled according to the
provision of the relevant Financing Agreement.
6. Implementation Arrangements
Preparation of inception report is anticipated after two months of
project implementation
(presented in the third month) and a final report (templates and
requirements same as for
standard Twinning). Reports in English will be presented in
electronic version and in hard
copies with signatures of Project Leaders. For the purpose of
efficient project coordination,
the Steering Committee will be established by representatives
from:
- Food Safety Agency of BiH
- State Veterinary Office of BiH
- Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, Water Management RS
- Ministry of Agriculture, Water Management and Forestry FBiH
- Department of Agriculture, Forestry, and Water Management of
Brcko District of
BiH
- FBiH Inspection Administration;
- RS Inspection Administration;
The Steering Committee (meeting on a quarterly basis) shall meet
two times during the
contract duration period, in order to discuss and approve of
reports presented by the project
partners and decide about the schedule of training and achievement
of project objectives.
6.1 Implementing Agency responsible for tendering, contracting and
accounting
Delegation of the European Union
Skenderija 3a
Programme Manager for Agriculture and Rural Development, Food
Safety, Veterinary and
Phytosanitary Policies
E-mail: maja.dosenovic@eeas.europa.eu
Dzemil Hajric
E-mail: hajric@fsa.gov.ba
Ljubomir Kalaba, Director
7. Implementation Schedule (indicative)
7.2 Start of project activities: Quarter 2, 2014
7.3 Project completion: Quarter 4, 2014
7.4 Duration of the execution period (number of months): 6
months
8. Project impact, sustainability and cross border impact
8.1 Project impact
8.2 Sustainability
The training of the staff involved in official controls of food and
feed and the food business
operators (FBOs) is a considerable effort in improving the food and
feed control system in
BiH and this benefit shall endure well beyond the project
timeframe.
8.3 Cross border impact
9. Crosscutting issues (equal opportunity, environment, etc…)
9.1 Equal Opportunity
The project documents and outputs will be systematically developed
in order to promote
diverse workplace. Terms of References for experts will be based
exclusively on possession of
relevant skills to ensure effective mainstreaming of gender and
ethnic equality and inclusion.
Participation in the project activities will be guaranteed on the
basis of equal access regardless
of racial or ethnic origin, religion or belief, disability, sex or
sexual orientation.
9.2 Environment
The application of European standards and requirements to Bosnia
and Herzegovina will
include measures for enhancement of environmental protection in the
veterinary sector and the
food sector.
9.3 Minorities
The project will promote participation of minorities in all the
activities.
10. Conditionality and sequencing
The sequence of the different activities is indicated in the
timetable.
ANNEXES TO PROJECT FICHE
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ANNEX 1: Logical framework matrix in standard format
LOGFRAME PLANNING MATRIX FOR Project Fiche Programme name and
number: IPA
National Programme 2011 part II –
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Project: Support to enhancing export potential of agricultural and
food
products to the EU
The overall objective of this project is
to contribute to ensuring a high level of
public and animal health protection,
protection of consumer interests and
removing trade barriers with the EU
and countries in the region.
1. Increased food export from BiH to
EU countries
related health hazards
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Increased capacity of institutions for
the implementation of official controls on food and feed safety and
quality,
animal health and public health in line
with EU standards and technical
requirements and improved
agricultural and food products to the
EU.
conducted and recorded in line with
EU requirements
systems based on HACCP
Reports of Competent Authorities
Result 1
capable to perform official controls in
line with the EU acquis.
Result 2
1.1 A number of officials from the
relevant competent authorities are
requirements of REG (EC) 882 and
854/2004.
auditors and guidance for official
controls. The training should also
include a component on carrying out of
general and specific audits for relevant
competent authorities.
CA Reports
quarantine harmful
agricultural and food products in the
EU.
resulting from the Food and Veterinary
Office audit mission on milk and dairy
products are implemented
implementation of control checks in
the field of food and feed of non-
animal origin, including GM food and
feed.
hygiene package (HACCP, GHP,
legislation and issues specific to the
particular commodity.
cooperation between
FBOs that intend to export to the
EU their products (focus on food of
animal origin)
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Competent Authorities of Bosnia
and Herzegovina, Federation BiH,
district BiH (CAs) in charge for
proper functioning of food and feed
safety and quality system.
Authorities in follow-up and
resulting from the mission of the
Food and Veterinary Office in
order to evaluate the controls over
the production and processing of
dairy products intended for export
to the EU, conducted in Bosnia and
Herzegovina from January 21 to
31st, 2014.
implementation of EU legislation
control system including controls
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import control system and internal
market controls in accordance to
Commission Regulations 882/04,
stuffs of non-animal origin.