New unified system for training of inspectors according to Regulation (EC) No. 882/2004 of the EP & C is implemented in CR on the basis of working document “The Unified System for Training of Inspectors of State Supervisory Authorities Coordinated by the MoA“ which has been approved the day of 19 June 2006. The Food Safety Department of the MoA is responsible for training issues.

On the basis of above mentioned approved document the Coordination body for training activities within the Food Authority of the MoA has been established, respectively for creating unified system for training in the areas of mentioned in the Chapter I of Annex II to Regulation (EC) No. 882/2004 of the European Parliament and of the Council, for the system of mutual co-operation between competent supervisory authorities in the field of training. In the Coordination body for training activities the Food Safety Department and the Food Authority are represented, as are state supervisory authorities coordinated by the MoA and also the MoH which participates in unified training programmes for the training of inspectors only at Community level.

From 2007 to 2009, the Coordination body organised training activities in the form of full-time education and almost 270 inspectors were trained during the two-year cycle.

Since 2011, training is carried out in the form of e-learning, which is considerably cheaper. The expert guarantor is the Veterinary and Pharmaceutical University in Brno (VFU Brno), which provided the experts to draft professional texts for each module (course), which will be available during the e-course. Technical support for the e-learning course is provided by the Institute of Agricultural and Economic Information (IAEI), through LMS eDoceo. The IAEI, VFU Brno and the MoE cooperate together.

The content of the modules (courses) is based on the area set out in Annex II, Chapter I of Regulation (EC) No. 882/2004 of the EP & C:

1. Overview of the basic regulations governing food and feed law
2. Auditing of the food safety management system and its potential flexibility
3. Failure to comply with the requirements of food law and the application of sanctions
4. RASFF – Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed
5. Legislation and risk in the manufacture of feedstuffs
6. Rodent control in the food industry and its monitoring
7. Animal welfare during slaughter and other ways of killing
8. Health risk assessment – food and nutrition
9. Procedures based on HACCP principles
10. Ensuring food safety and possible risks in meat production
11. Sampling of foodstuffs, raw materials, feedstuffs and drinking water
12. The issue of certificates focusing on food quality
13. Risk assessment at different stages of food and feed production
14. Protecting plants from pests, disease and weed agents in the agricultural production of food of plant origin
15. General overview of EU legislation

Uniform training for staff carrying out official Controls

At the end of the training, participants in the e-courses take a final test, which they must pass to receive the certificate confirming their completion of the training.

For ensuring its own system for training in the area of official controls of food and feed, animal health and welfare and phytosanitary care, every supervising organisation elaborates for its inspectors training plans for relevant year on the basis of identifying the training needs and provides them for a request to Food Safety Department.