Challenges of food and sanitary safety in Poland

1. Poland as Acceding State – history, negotiations

- Association Agreement
In 1991 Poland and the EU signed the Europe agreement establishing an association
between the European Communities and their Member States, of the one part, and the
Republic of Poland, of the other part.
The Europe Agreements provide the means whereby the European Union offers the
associated countries the trade concessions and other benefits normally associated with full
memberships of the EU.
The Europe Agreement aims to establish free trade in industrial products over a gradual,
transition period, although the EU opened its markets more quickly than Poland. As a result,
industrial products from Poland have had virtually free access to the EU since the beginning
of 1995, with restrictions in only a few sectors, such as agriculture and textiles.
In addition to the liberalisation of trade, the Europe Agreement also contains provisions
regarding the free movement of services, payments and capital in respect of trade and
investments, and the free movement of workers. When establishing and operating in the
territory of the other party, enterprises must receive treatment not less favourable than
national enterprises.
Under the Agreements, Poland also committed itself to approximating our legislation to that of
the European Union, particularly in the areas relevant to the internal market.

- negotiations and Accession Treaty – transitional periods for Polish food producing
establishments

- comprehensive monitoring report

Conclusion
Poland is essentially meeting the commitments and requirements arising from the accession
negotiations, among the horizontal issues in the veterinary field as regards animal disease
control measures and zootechnics. Subject to good progress being maintained is these
areas, Poland is expected to be in a position to implement this acquis from accession.
Poland is partially meeting the commitments and requirements for membership in the
veterinary field as regards veterinary control system in the internal market (with the
exception of movement control of animals), trade in live animals and animal products,
common measures, animal welfare, animal nutrition. Unless efforts are accelerated in
these areas, there is a risk that functioning systems will not be in place at accession.
For veterinary issues, urgent attention must be paid to the adoption and implementation of
four basic veterinary acts. Serious concerns remain regarding TSE and animal byproducts
(concerning the collection system of cadavers and the rendering plants), and movement
control of animals. Urgent progress is needed in public health (in the upgrading of agri-food
establishments). Unless immediate remedial action is taken, Poland will not be in the position
to implement the acquis in these areas by the date of accession.

2. May 1st , 2004 – what has changed

- EU approach: from farm to table

The EU integrated approach to food safety aims to assure a high level of food safety, animal
health, animal welfare and plant health within the European Union through coherent farm-to-
table measures and adequate monitoring, while ensuring the effective functioning of the
internal market.
Information concerning the occurrence of infectious diseases may be found on the
General Veterinary Inspectorate’s website www.wetgiw.gov.pl and are published in bulletins
prepared by the General Veterinary Inspectorate.

Diseases never occurred in Poland:

 1. Vesicular stomatitis
2. Peste des petits ruminants
3. Lumpy skin disease
4. Rift valley fever
5. Bluetongue
6. African horse sickness
7. African swine fever
8. Highly pathogenic avian influenza – HPAI (Fowl plague)

The last reported outbreak in year:

1. Rinderpest - 1921
2. Contagious bovine pleuropneumonia - 1936
3. Sheep and goat pox - 1950
4. Dourine - 1951
5. Glanders - 1957
6. Equine infectious anaemia (EIA) - 1960
7. Enterovirus encephalomyelitis - 1967
8. Foot and mouth disease - 1971
9. Swine vesicular disease (SVD) 1972
10. Newcastle disease - 1974
11. Classical swine fever (CSF, Hog cholera) - 1994

Disease, frequency of which has been drastically reduced in recent years is Rabies.
The number of Rabies incidents decreases constantly. Below, the number of Rabies
incidents in recent years has been presented:
1999 – 1148 Rabies incidents.
2000 – 2224 incidents
2001 - 2964 incidents
2002 - 1191 incidents
2003 - 391 incidents
2004 - 136 incidents
Disease which has been noted in Poland for the first time recently is BSE – Bovine
Spongiform Encephalopathy: the first incident in Poland was noted in 2002 (in 2002 four BSE
incidents were noted, in 2003 – 5 incidents and in 2004 – 11 incidents). In the last 10 years
no increase in the incidence of the remaining infectious diseases has been noted.

- 5 Polish veterinary acts implementing EU provisions

Act of 29 January 2004 on Veterinary Inspection (Journal of Laws No 33, item 287, as last
amended)
Act of 29 January 2004 on veterinary requirements for animal products (Journal of Laws No
33, item 288)
Act of 11 March 2004 on protection of animal health and control of infectious animal diseases
(Journal of Laws No 69, item 625)
Act of 10 December 2003 on veterinary checks in trade (Journal Of Laws No 16, item 145)
Act of 27 August 2003 on border veterinary checks (Journal Of Laws No 165, item 1590)

3. Being the new Member State

- border control
With the accession Poland has become a frontier country of the EU, thus it is now mainly the
Polish responsibility to ensure food and feed safety of the citizens of the EU with regard to
animals and products imported into the EU from the third countries.
 List of Polish BIPs

Name Neighbouring Type of BIP Address Contact

country
Dorohusk Ukraine rail Graniczny Tel. +48 82 566 17 73
Inspektorat Tel./Fax. +48 82 566 17
Weterynarii w 44
Dorohusku dorohusk.griw@wetgiw.
22-175 Dorohusk gov.pl
ul. Graniczna 1
Terespol- Bielarus rail Graniczny Tel.+48 83 375 20 82;
Kobylany Inspektorat +48 83 376 10 40; +48
Weterynarii w 83 376 36 82
Kukurykach Fax. +48 83 376 36 85
21-550 Terespol TS kukuryki.griw@wetgiw.g
w Koroszczynie ov.pl
Przemyœl- Ukraine rail Graniczny Tel./Fax. +48 16 628 23
Medyka Inspektorat 42
Weterynarii w Tel. +48 16 624 19 90
Korczowej korczowa.griw@wetgiw.
37-552 Mùyny gov.pl

Bezledy Russia road Graniczny Tel. +48 89 761 66 40;

Inspektorat +48 89 761 66 41
Weterynarii w Fax.. +48 89 761 65 05
Bezledach bezledy.griw@wetgiw.g
11-200 Bartoszyce ov.pl

Kuênica Biaùoruœ road Graniczny Tel. +48 85 722 40 09

Biaùostocka Inspektorat Tel./Fax. +48 85 722 47
Weterynarii w 00
Kuênicy Fax. +48 85 722 41 69
Biaùostockiej kuznica.griw@wetgiw.g
16-123 Kuênica ov.pl
Biaùostocka
ul. Graniczna 1
Kukuryki Biaùoruœ road Graniczny Tel.+48 83 375 20 82;
(Koroszczyn) Inspektorat +48 83 376 10 40; +48
Weterynarii w 83 376 36 82
Kukurykach Fax. +48 83 376 36 85
21-550 Terespol TS kukuryki.griw@wetgiw.g
w Koroszczynie ov.pl
Korczowa Ukraina road Graniczny Tel./Fax. +48 16 628 23
Inspektorat 42
Weterynarii w Tel. +48 16 624 19 90
Korczowej korczowa.griw@wetgiw.
37-552 Mùyny gov.pl

Szczecin - sea port Graniczny

Inspektorat
Weterynarii w
Szczecinie
70-606
ul. Hryniewieckiego
8
Gdañsk - sea port Graniczny Tel. +48 58 621 94 24;
Inspektorat +48 58 621 51 26
Weterynarii w Gdyni Fax. +48 58 627 41 87
81-127 Gdynia gdynia.griw@wetgiw.go
ul. Kwiatkowskiego v.pl
60
Koùobrzeg - sea port Graniczny Tel. +48 91 321 61 43
Inspektorat Fax. +48 91 321 61 43,
Weterynarii w +48 91 321 65 15
Úwinoujœciu swinoujscie.griw@wetgi
72-606 w.gov.pl
ul. Dworcowa 1

- establishments
procedures of approval
Entities intending to deal with the processing of products of animal origin intended for
human consumption, prior to initiating the investments, are obliged to:
(1) draw up and send a technological plan of an establishment, accompanied by an
authorization application to the District Veterinary Officer, relevant to the planned place
of activity;
(2) notify the District Veterinary Officer in writing on:
(a) scope and size of production,
(b) type of products of animal origin, which are to be produced in a plant,
(c) intended destination of products of animal origin for trade (third countries markets,
domestic market or direct sale).
District Veterinary Officer authorizes by decision a technological plan and is present
at the final acceptance of the building or modernization of a plant and inspects the plant,
paying attention to compliance with the authorized plan.
Entities intending to deal with the processing of products of animal origin are obliged
to ensure that the veterinary requirements on the production activity are met.
District Veterinary Officer issues a decision, in which:
(1) assigns a veterinary approval number to a plant;
(2) determines the type of product and the size of production and approves the plant:
a) for trade,
b) for domestic market,
c) for direct sale,
d) for the third countries markets.

Data:
Meat establishments approved for trade:
64/433 (fresh meat) – 647
71/118 (fresh poultry meat) – 177
77/99 (processing) – 392

Meat establishments approved for domestic market:

64/433 (fresh meat) –
71/118 (fresh poultry meat) –
77/99 (processing) –

Establishments approved for direct sale – 492

Origin: www.wetgiw.gov.pl

- export and trade – main directions after accession

After 1st of May Poland has noted a great increase in export of Polish agricultural products
into the markets of the EU Member States. Also trade relations with the third countries are
developing because Polish producers, as EU operators, have become more reliable and
competitive. Additionally, the quality of Polish products has improved as a result of
implementation of the EU requirements.
4. Future

- new hygiene regulations applied from 1 January 2006

With the entry into force of the new hygiene regulations (852/2004, 853/2004, 854/2005,
882/2004) the approach to food safety has changed. When the regulations are binding, it will
be the responsibility of food and feed business operators to ensure food and feed safety,
whereas the role of the competent authority will be to check the compliance with the rules

- end of transitional periods: December 2007

Presently, many establishments which are included in the lists of the Accession Treaty as
heaving transitional periods have already adjusted their production into the EU requirements.
However, being still listed in the Treaty they cannot be given the approval for intra-Community
trade and their products are specially marked. Thus, they apply for de-listing, which is a long
procedure.