October 13, 2013. The European Union Food and Veterinary Office (FVO) will conduct an audit in Kenya fromNovember 12-22, 2013 in response to continued rapid alerts for feed and food, in particular the presence of pesticides residues in peas and beans originating from Kenya amid continuing notifications of non-compliance as harmful organisms continue t0 be detected in produce exported from the country to the EU.
The FVO team will comprise three auditors and two experts form member states and accompanied throughout the audits by a representative of Kenya’s Central Competent Authority. The authority is chaired by the Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate Service managing director Dr James Onsando, while heads of the Horticultural Crops Development Authority, Pest Control Products Board, the Fresh Produce Exporters Association of Kenya and the Kenya Agricultural Research Institute are members.
The team will focus on areas like export of plants to the EU, controls of the marketing and use of plant protection products, controls of pesticide residues in food of plants origin, laboratories for pesticides residue analysis, export procedures, documentation and traceability for plant health, export controls for plant health, and phytosanitary certificates.
By Catherine Riungu
