AUDITS OF THE FOOD AND VETERINARY OFFICE OF THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION (FVO)

The European Commission is responsible for ensuring that Community legislation on food safety, animal health, plant health and animal welfare is properly implemented and enforced. As a service of the Commission, the Food and Veterinary Office (FVO) plays a major role in the fulfilment of this task. This Office carries out audits/ inspections across the European Union to evaluate the official control systems and verify compliance with the Community legislation.

The FVO performs its monitoring function in accordance with the principles of independence, transparency and excellence.

The FVO plans a series of visits to Spain per year, to various Autonomous Communities and with different goals depending on the Mission.

Each Mission involves several Government Departments or Public Administrations. Depending on the Mission, some may be more accountable than others.

The missions involve various competent Authorities nationwide, namely:

• Spanish Food Safety and Nutrition Agency (AESAN)
• Ministerio de Agricultura, Alimentación y Medio Ambiente (MAAMA)
• Directorate-General for Public Health and Foreign Health (DGSPSE)- Ministerio de Sanidad, Servicios Sociales e Igualdad (MSSSI)
• Spanish Medicines and Healthcare Products Agency (AEMSP)
• Autonomous Communities (CCAA)
• Local Authorities

For further information, please visit the Food and Veterinary Office website.