Abu Dhabi Food Control Authority (ADFCA) organized a training workshop to introduce the Regulation No. 8 on the technical and health conditions for animal production firms in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. The event was attended a number of senior ADFCA officials and staff members.

The workshop sought to ensure an integrated understanding of the clauses and regulations that ADFCA enacted for the purpose of guaranteeing the safety of agricultural products in both their plant and animal varieties. The regulation consists of 50 articles spread over 10 chapters in accordance with the type of commercial activity, ranging from general rules to specialized stipulations.

HE Dr. Mariam Hareb Al-Yousuf, Executive Director of Policy and Regulation sector at ADFCA, said during her opening remarks that the legislation in regard to animal production was meant for strengthening the safety of food products of animal origin. She added that laws in this area were more complicated than in other areas of food production in terms of methodology because each animal had to be treated as a live production unit worthy of kindness and health care, a prerequisite for bio-security. The animals have to be treated with mercy and kindness as the religion and federal law stipulated, she pointed out.

HE said that the Policy and Regulation sector was able to lay down, within a short span of time, a legislative infrastructure based on best practices in order to help ADFCA achieve the government outcomes assigned to it. ADFCA aspires to become an internationally recognized organization marked by impartiality, transparency in corporate work and enforcement activities and clarity about the role of the private sector in consumer protection, he explained.

Dr. Mariam stressed that the Policy and Regulation sector always sought the views of all concerned sectors and consulted them at the various stages of formulating legislations.