Audit reveals failings in food safety checks on farm meat

Malta failed to notify the EU’s food alert system of undeclared pharmacological substances it had found in mislabelled chicken feed, an audit has revealed. 

Yet again, concerns have been raised over the lack of staff able to enforce Malta’s European obligations on food safety. 

The audit of the Veterinary Regulation Directorate’s food safety checks was carried out by the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Health and Food Safety. 

The audit exposed several shortcomings in Malta’s monitoring for residues of pharmacologically active substances, pesticides, and contaminants in animals and animal products.  

The audit, carried out last February, highlighted significant deficiencies in sampling procedures, staff training, and testing practices, raising concerns about Malta’s compliance with EU rules and the effectiveness of its food safety controls. 

Under EU law, member states must have control plans to be able to spot the residues of pharmacologically active substances, and chiefly detect the misuse of veterinary medicines in food-producing animals and monitor pesticide residues and contaminants in food. 

Veterinary medicines contain pharmacologically active substances which may leave residues in the food from treated animals. 

Food may also contain residues of pesticides and contaminants to which animals have been exposed. 

Delayed test results hamper timely investigation 

The audit revealed several deficiencies, predominantly in non-retail settings – the stages of the supply chain before products reach consumers – such as farms, slaughterhouses, and processing plants. In contrast, retail settings are where consumers purchase final products, such as supermarkets and local stores.  

While controls at the retail level carried out by the Environmental Health Directorate were generally adequate, significant deficiencies existed in non-retail stages, which are crucial for preventing contaminated products from entering the market. Samples in the non-retail sector are taken by the Veterinary Regulation Directorate. 

One of the most notable deficiencies are the substantial delays in receiving test results for non-compliant samples, with some results arriving three to six months after sampling. 

This lag compromises timely investigations and follow-up actions. Additionally, there is a lack of targeted sampling and insufficient training for staff responsible for these tasks, contributing to procedural non-compliance with EU regulations. 

No alert raised for mislabelled chicken feed 

A significant concern highlighted in the report was the handling of non-compliant results. For instance, in cases involving coccidiostats – a compound used to control parasites in animals – the investigation traced the issue to mislabelled feed from another EU member state. This feed, containing undeclared coccidiostats, was fed to poultry up to the point of slaughter. Despite identifying the source, the Maltese authorities failed to notify the Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF) or inform the member state of origin, as required by EU legislation. 

This omission could have allowed potentially harmful products to reach consumers without appropriate cross-border measures to mitigate the risk. 

The report also highlights procedural inefficiencies in the sampling process. The 2023 National Residue Control Plan (NRCP) faced significant delays, with sampling commencing only in September 2023, contrary to the EU requirement for even distribution throughout the year. Only 44% of the planned samples had been tested, with many samples awaiting analysis due to difficulties in contracting laboratories and procurement issues. 

For pharmacologically active substances, the report scrutinised 15 non-compliant results identified between 2021 and 2023. In more than half of these cases, the delays in transmitting test results to the VRD ranged from three weeks to several months, further delaying investigations. The VRD’s procedure mandates immediate email notification of non-compliant results, followed by a written report within five working days. However, this protocol was not consistently followed, exacerbating delays and compromising the control system’s effectiveness. 

Repeat offenders not flagged 

Additionally, the audit revealed that Maltese authorities lack a mechanism to identify recurrent non-compliances. 

Despite procedures stipulating administrative fines and additional measures for repeated offenses, the system failed to flag such cases. One producer, for instance, had two non-compliant results within two years, yet no additional measures were taken. 

The issue of inadequate staff training also emerged as a significant concern. Field staff did not receive specific training on residue sampling and were unaware of targeted sampling concepts and selection criteria for appropriate matrices, as mandated by EU regulations. This lack of training resulted in all sampling being conducted randomly, contrary to legal requirements. 

In response to these findings, the audit recommended several corrective actions. These include improving the timeliness of test result reporting, enhancing staff training on targeted sampling, and establishing a robust mechanism to identify and address recurrent non-compliances. The Maltese authorities were also urged to ensure that all sampling and testing procedures align with EU legislation to guarantee the safety of food products. 

Previous audits 

A previous audit in 2020 by the EC had found several animal carcasses at Malta’s abattoir had faecal contamination and were still accepted for cutting in the slaughterhouse. It also complained that Maltese veterinary authorities at all levels were “seriously understaffed”, which weakened the effectiveness of official controls on matters like traceability of red meat and poultry meat, the verification of cleanliness in establishments, and microbiological testing of carcasses at slaughterhouses. 

The Maltese authorities blamed the staff shortages on the salary levels offered to junior veterinarians in the public sector, and the Maltese language requirement to qualify for the post.