Our expertise
National Reference Laboratory (NRL)
Regulatory background
The Commission
Regulation (EC) 882/2004 was introduced to remove variation in
the way European Community legislation is implemented in different
Member States. This regulation relates to official controls
designed to ensure the verification of compliance with feed and
food law, animal health and animal welfare rules. The aim is to
create an integrated and more comprehensive, risk-based, 'farm to
fork' approach to official controls. The objective is to improve
the consistency and effectiveness of controls across the EU and, as
a consequence, raise standards of food safety and consumer
protection.
The Regulation sets out the general approach
that must be taken and the principles that must be adopted by the
authorities in EU Member States with responsibility for monitoring
and enforcing feed and food law. These include the competent
authorities organising and undertaking official controls. The
various central Government agencies and local authorities that are
responsible for organising and undertaking official controls
constitute the competent authorities and include (for food and
feed) the Food Standards Agency, the Health and Safety Executive
and the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
(Defra).
Regulation (EC) No 882/2004 also specifies requirements for
certain specialised laboratories to
provide the science that underpins regulation.
LGC serves as the UK National Reference
Laboratory in a range of key areas. The functions of NRLs are
specified in Article 33 of Regulation 882/2004 and require NRLs
to:
- Collaborate with the European
Union Reference Laboratory (EU-RL) in its area of
competence.
- Coordinate, with regard to methods of
sampling and analysis, for their area of competence, the activities
of official laboratories responsible for the analysis of samples in
accordance with Article 11 of 882/2004.
- Where appropriate, organise comparative tests
between the official national laboratories and ensure an
appropriate follow-up of such comparative testing.
- Ensure the dissemination to the competent
authority and official national laboratories of information that
the EU-RL supplies.
- Provide scientific and technical assistance
to the competent authority for the implementation of coordinated
control plans adopted in accordance with Article 53.
- Be responsible for carrying out other
specific duties provided for in accordance with the procedure
referred to in Article 62(3) [that deals with voting rules and
working groups] , without prejudice to existing additional national
duties.
NRL duties include advising the competent
authority (
FSA,
Defra,
Chemicals Regulation Directorate and Veterinary Medicines
Directorate), and Official Food and Feed Control Laboratories (OCL)
on sound measurement science and appropriate sampling methods.
In a similar manner, LGC also acts as the NRL
for Malta for Pesticides in Products of Animal Origin.
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