December 26, 2022 09:10
His Highness Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of the Presidential Court, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Abu Dhabi Agriculture and Food Safety Authority, issued Resolution No. (2) of 2022 to strengthen the legislative system for the agricultural and food sector in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, to improve the quality of agricultural and food establishments through Continuing to strengthen the legislative system for the agricultural sector. His Highness’s decision to issue a list of administrative penalties once morest agricultural and food establishments comes to ensure the application of the highest quality standards in all parts of the emirate.
The decision is the culmination of the authority’s efforts to implement the principles and standards of business procedures governance, and to ensure compliance with all procedures and administrative penalties taken once morest violators. This achieves the highest rates of compliance with the implementation of the Authority’s regulations.
By issuing this decision, the authority contributes to achieving agricultural sustainability, enhancing the application of the biosecurity system in accordance with international best practices, and reducing unsound practices in farms, farms, and food establishments.
His Excellency Saeed Al-Bahri Al-Amiri, Director General of the Abu Dhabi Authority for Agriculture and Food Safety, appreciated the support of His Highness Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan for the authority’s efforts to develop a sustainable agricultural sector and strengthen the vital and food security system in the emirate.
Al-Amiri explained that the decision of His Highness Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan regarding the list of administrative penalties will enable the authority to ensure a unified application of these penalties to all violating groups without discrimination, which is consistent with the philosophy of a fair balance between the public interest that is related to achieving compliance with laws and regulations, and the interests of agricultural and food establishments. In addition to ensuring the reduction of violations.
He pointed out that the aim of the decision is to ensure that establishments comply with the requirements necessary for the sustainability of the agricultural sector, and to preserve the safety of traded food and the health and safety of consumers in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi.
Al-Amiri stressed that the decision will enable the authority to tighten field control over all food trading operations during all stages of the food chain from farm to table, in addition to activating the tasks of monitoring and inspecting agricultural establishments, plant and animal production farms and estates in Abu Dhabi, and food and agricultural materials that are traded.
The decision authorizes a grievance once morest administrative penalties within a period of 60 days from the date of notification of the complaint, and failure to decide on the grievance within 90 days from the date of its submission is considered acceptance of the grievance.
The decision includes seven types of administrative penalties, represented in drawing attention to violations of low or medium danger to public health, food safety, biosecurity, or agricultural sustainability, with an inspection record indicating high compliance with relevant legislation, while the warning penalty is applied in the event that Monitoring violations of low or medium severity, with an inspection record indicating a low or medium level of compliance with relevant legislation, and applying the penalty of placing facilities under financial, administrative and technical supervision in the event that the facility is unable to manage production and trading operations in a manner that does not constitute harm to food safety. Biosecurity, food or agricultural sustainability, or in the event that the application of the sanction to close the facility or suspend its activity constitutes harm to the health and safety of animals and food-producing plants.
In the event that a violation of a high level of severity is detected and poses a grave or imminent danger to public health; The penalty of temporarily suspending the facility’s activity is applied, and the Authority has the right to suspend any services or programs it provides to the facility, temporarily or permanently, as a penalty in the event of violation of the conditions and controls stipulated in the relevant legislation and failure to respond to the implementation of the required corrective measures, and following graduating in the previous administrative penalties.
According to the decision, the penalty for canceling or suspending the license of the facility falls in the event that it is unable to manage production and trading operations in a manner that does not constitute harm to food safety, bio- or food security, or agricultural sustainability within a year from the date the facility commenced its activity, following the imposition of the penalty of placing the facility under supervision or Licensing suspension.
Finally, the penalty for closing the facility, temporarily or permanently, is applied in the event of recording one or more violations, whether for the same item or other items, and following gradation in the previous administrative penalties, or recording a violation that poses a threat to public health and safety and not removing its effects immediately, or a confirmed case of poisoning or the commission of a violation High risk.
Source: Al Ittihad – Abu Dhabi