EU to hold workshop in Accra

Accra, Jan. 30, GNA - The European Commission (EC) in collaboration with Ghana Standards Authority , would organize a three-day training workshop in Accra, from January 31 to February 2.

It is on Trade Control and Expert System (TRACES) and Official Control Procedures for Food of Animal Origin, imported into the EU market.

A statement, copied to the GNA in Accra on Monday, said the event formed part of the EC Directorate-General for Health and Consumers' Better Training for Safer Food (BTSF) Programme.

About 20 officials from Ghana and selected persons from West Africa Economic Monitoring Union countries are expected to attend the workshop.

The statement said the training would be expected to increase participants' knowledge of EU rules and requirements as regards to official control procedures for food of animal origin imported into the EU market, and allowed them to use TRACES, a web-application delivering export certificates on-line.

“This will enable them to better verify that food of animal origin exported to the EU fulfils the conditions for admission to the EU Market. The use of TRACES will also provide them with tools designed to ease their tasks and increase the security of the data."

Dignitaries invited for the workshop include Mr Eugene Adarkwa-Addae, Director of Standards, Ministry of Trade and Industry, Mr Kurt Cornelis, Head of Operations at the delegation of the European Union to Ghana, and Mr Didier Carton, Head of Sector TRACES, European Commission.

The workshop would alternate lectures and practical training on TRACES and the first day would focus on certification procedures in countries exporting products of animal origin such as fishery products to the EU market.

Other issues are introduction to how exporting countries should comply with EU requirements, and how TRACES may support operators and certifiers, and the practical training on how to use the TRACES system for the delivery of export certificate.

The participants would be introduced to import procedures at EU's points of entry, and explanations would be provided, regarding checks performed on entering products.

The workshop would focus on the internal trade of products of animal origin in the EU, as an example for other countries to build a regional market for the products.

It would ensure that health and sanitary requirements, and specific training are provided for fisheries operators on the use of TRACES to pre-fill import certificates.

The workshop is part of series of regional workshops on Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed and TRACES held across the globe during 2011-12 and funded by European Commission and implemented by the Executive Agency for Health and Consumers.

Two similar workshops on the same topic in Africa had been held in Tanzania, from September 6 to 8, 2011, and South Africa from November 22 to 24, 2011.

GNA

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