2017 is the peak year for food safety action in the agricultural sector.

(Baonghean.vn) - On the morning of February 10, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development held a national online conference to deploy the Plan for the Peak Year of Action on Food Safety and Hygiene (FSH) in the agricultural sector in 2017.

Minister Nguyen Xuan Cuong and Deputy Minister Vu Van Tam chaired the conference. At Nghe An bridge, comrade Dinh Viet Hong - Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee and representatives of relevant departments, branches and sectors attended.

Panorama of the conference at Nghe An bridge point.

For 5 consecutive years (from 2011 to 2015), the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has implemented the "Year of Agricultural Materials Quality and Food Safety", especially 2016 was chosen by the Ministry as the "Peak Year of Action on Food Safety and Hygiene in the Agricultural Sector".

On that basis, the Ministry and localities have focused resources on implementing many drastic measures and achieved important results, creating clear changes in food safety and hygiene, fundamentally handling a number of prominent food safety issues such as the use of banned substances in livestock farming, the abuse of pesticides, veterinary drugs, chemicals, and antibiotics in the production and trading of agricultural products and food.

Specifically, the results of implementing inspection, assessment and classification of agricultural and food production and trading establishments meeting food safety requirements in 2016 reached 91.68%, an increase of 12.4% compared to 2015. The rate of agricultural, forestry and fishery production and trading establishments classified as C that were re-inspected and upgraded to A and B was 44%, an increase of 163% compared to 2015.

In particular, the Ministry has directed and urged localities to develop safe agricultural and food supply chains. To date, 50 provinces nationwide have successfully built 444 pilot models and safe agricultural, forestry and fishery supply chains with traceable origins.

However, according to general assessment, food safety work still has many limitations such as: Not clearly preventing and minimizing pesticide residues in agricultural products, chemical residues; production and processing of agricultural products and food. Handling of food safety violations has not really received attention in some localities...

In Nghe An, in 2016, the authorities inspected 602 establishments producing and trading agricultural materials in the province, nearly 1,100 establishments trading in food, agricultural, forestry and aquatic products. At the same time, they built 2 production and supply chains for safe vegetables, tubers, fruits and chicken eggs; 7 areas/240 hectares of bio-safe shrimp farming and 2 areas of bio-diversification farming; 10 GAHP farming models in 4 districts in the province applying good farming practices for households according to VietGAHP standards...

By the end of 2017, the agricultural sector strives to reduce the rate of chemical residues, antibiotics, and preservatives in meat products.

Based on the results and limitations in 2016, this year, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development set the goal of improving the effectiveness and efficiency of food hygiene and safety management, minimizing biological contamination and chemical and antibiotic residues in the production and trading of agricultural and food products, meeting food safety requirements for domestic consumption and expanding export markets.

By the end of 2017, the agricultural sector strives to reduce the rate of samples monitored for pesticide residues; preservatives in vegetables and fruits; chemical residues, antibiotics, preservatives in meat and seafood products, and microbial contamination in meat by 10% compared to 2016.

Concluding the conference, Minister Nguyen Xuan Cuong stated: In order to successfully implement the set goals and indicators, in addition to continuing to promote information and communication on food safety, all levels, sectors and localities need to stick to specific groups of solutions, strengthen supervision, inspection and handling of violations on food safety; organize production in connection with the consumption of safe agricultural products and food. Strengthen management right from the production input stage. Focus on two key programs: agricultural restructuring and building new rural areas, building modern agriculture.

At the same time, urgent measures must be taken to organize forces and train and improve the capacity of officials involved in managing the quality of agricultural materials and food safety. Identify the person responsible for food safety and hygiene issues and resolutely handle any violations./.

Phu Huong