QS-Report-Meat-and-Meat-Products-1-2019-complete-V2

QS-Report: Meat and Meat Products | Issue May 2019 ment of their farm. Additionally, an analysis of the iden- ti ed risk factors shows the animal owner optimisation approaches and o ers them a to-do list for download. Of course, everything can be used anonymously. In princi- ple, risk assessment and suggestions for improvement serve to reduce the risk of ASP ente- ring the company. Moreover, they can also be used for preventing the spread of other stockthreatening diseases. The preparation of the questions and the evaluation of the epidemi- ological risk factors of ASP pathogens were carried out within the framework of a Delphi study with the participation of a nationwide panel of experts from research, science, private sector, as well as agri- cultural and veterinary practice. The results will be presented at a symposium in Osnabrück in June of this year. You can register under the following link: www.transformationsforschung-agrar.de Qualitätssicherung. Vom Landwirt bis zur Ladentheke. Imprint Editor: QS Qualität und Sicherheit GmbH Dr. Hermann-Josef Nienho , Managing Director Schedestr. 1–3, GER-53113 Bonn Phone: +49 228 35068-0 Fax: +49 228 35068-10 E-Mail: info@q-s.de www.q-s.de SIMPLIFICATION FOR COMPOUND FEED PRODUCERS: KAT RECOGNIZES QS AUDITS QS-certi ed compound feed producers are now able to sup- ply laying hen feed to farmers on the basis of their QS eligi- bility of delivery. An additional KAT certi cation audit is no longer required. This has been agreed by QS and the Verein für kontrollierte alternative Tierhaltungsformen e.V. (Association for Controlled Alternative Animal Hus- bandry, KAT for its initials in German). QS-certified compound feed producers who wish to make use of this possibility sign a license agreement with KAT and en- ter their request for recognition in the QS database. For this purpose they log into the QS database, select the relevant location and tick the “Participation in KAT” box under the “Recognitions” tab. UNANNOUNCED AUDITS NOW ALSO IN GMP+ GMP+ Int. has recently informed about the decision to impose unan- nounced audits. Accordingly, GMP+ certified feed producers based in Europe will have to carry out unan- nounced audits in future. In order to have a smooth implementation the following deadlines have been set: the unannounced surveillance audit must be set no later than 31 December 2019 in the certifica- tion agreement between certifica- tion bodies and manu f a c t u r e r s based in Ger- many. For the rest of Europe the deadline is 31.12.2020. QS emphatically wel- comes the step taken by GMP+ International. “This reinforces the high standards of the audits, which QS has been successful- ly relying on for several years,” emphasizes Claudia Brill , respon- sible for the feed sector at QS. “In the past, the different hand- ling of unannounced audits in the two systems led to market differences, which are now being eliminated.” QS Science Funds News in brief The QS Science Funds is currently funding a research project at the University of Vechta, in which an online tool for the single farm risk assessment on the entry risk of animal disease pathogens, par- ticularly the African Swine Fe- ver (ASF), should be developed. Pig farmers must protect their herds against the introduction of animal diseases. The basis for a high level of biosecurity is the consistent compliance with the hy- giene regulation for pig farming. In view of the current epidemio- logic trend of ASF, it is extremely important that pig farms take all necessar y biosecurit y precau- tions to minimise the risk of entry. As early as 2018, the University of Vechta, together with experts from the poultry industry and also sup- ported by the QS Science Fund, de- veloped an online tool for assessing the risk of avian influenza, the “AI risk traffic light”. Based on these findings and experiences as well as the nationwide success of the online tool, an online platform for the ASP risk in pig farms is currently being developed. In the future, farmers will be able to use this online tool free of charge. By means of an online question- naire, they receive an evaluation displayed in the form of a traffic light and containing a risk assess- Online platform for farm-speci c risk assessment of African Swine Fever STORAGE OF MEAT AND MEAT PRODUCTS QS ELIGIBILITY OF DELIVERY REQUIRED SINCE JANUARY Since the beginning of 2019, the companies that store QS meat and meat products on behalf of other companies must have a QS eligibility of delivery in the QS database. There are two options available to obtain it: 1. QS certi cation according to the standard “Storage of meat and meat products.” 2. Participation via a recognised standard with comparable require- ments for the storage of meat and meat products (IFS Food, IFS Logis- tics,IFSWholesale/Cash&Carryand BRC Storage & Distribution). In the second case, the recognition takes place via a certi cation body, with which the companies conclude a declaration of participation. There- fore, the storage companies register in the QS database and select a certi- cation body. A er the company has sent the signed declaration of par- ticipation to the certi cation body, it enters the duration of the corre- spondingly recognised certificate in the QS database. The company is entitled to store meat and meat products in the QS scheme until the end of the certi cate validity.