In recent months, the Norwegian Food Safety Authority has made surprise inspections by boat to the farms along the Vestland coast. Before, the inspections were carried out by the Norwegian Food Safety Authority getting a ride from the farming companies, but now the Norwegian Food Safety Authority has agreed with the Coast Guard to use their boats and can therefore carry out surprise inspections. On 21 September, the Norwegian Food Safety Authority paid a surprise visit to Lerøy Seafood’s facility in Reitholmen outside Hitra. Here, the three inspectors from the Norwegian Food Safety Authority uncovered gross violations of a whole range of laws for the handling of fish: news has previously reported that the safety inspection believes that self-dead fish were about to be sent to Lerøy’s abattoir on land for further processing into food products. But Lerøy has denied that they accept self-killed salmon for food production. The farming industry is not enthusiastic about the new practice of unannounced inspections. – It’s nice to knock on the door before it opens, says executive director Bjarne Reinert at Lerøy Seafood to news. WANTS NOTIFICATION: Executive director Bjarne Reinert at Lerøy Seafood wants the Norwegian Food Safety Authority to notify before they come to unannounced inspections outside the farms. Photo: Oskar Rennedal / news The Lerøy director wants the Norwegian Food Safety Authority to notify before they come up with what are called unannounced inspections. The world’s largest farming company Mowi has said the same thing they want for Intrafish. Mowi believes that unannounced inspections have a frightening effect on employees and suggests that the Norwegian Food Safety Authority informs 15 minutes before. Lerøy points to other considerations Executive director Bjarne Reinert of Lerøy Seafood believes 15 minutes’ notice would be fine. – The reason is that considerations for biosecurity must be taken care of. These are also large, heavy operations where there is an HSE safety risk, says Reinert. HSE is about the routines the company must follow in order to be a safe workplace that does not pollute or damage the environment. – Knowing which people are located where in these operations is important to be able to meet requirements in terms of health, environment and safety, says Reinert. ON AN UNANNOUNCED VISIT: Regional Director Steinar Westerberg of the Norwegian Food Safety Authority emphasizes that the Norwegian Food Safety Authority will have a number of unannounced inspections at farms all along the coast Photo: Mattilsynet / www.gudim.no The Norwegian Food Safety Authority will continue with surprise inspections. – No, we don’t want that. The rules are that we can carry out unannounced inspections and we shall do so to a large extent, says regional director Steinar Westerberg in the Norwegian Food Safety Authority. He emphasizes that the Norwegian Food Safety Authority is also concerned with ensuring biosecurity and safeguarding rules for health, the environment and safety. – They have previously become accustomed to being notified. Now we are no longer dependent on the industry to get transport out. We understand that this is a change for the industry, but they have been clearly informed about this in dialogue with us in the past, says Westerberg.
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Unannounced inspections cause unrest – new farming giant will be notified in advance – news Norway – Overview of news from various parts of the country
