Status quo & state of the art
The capacity of a country to produce food that is acceptable for the national and international market is governed by a number of factors. These include the existence of national legislation and its implementation through registration, inspection & testing agencies, and communication of the principles of Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs), Good Veterinary Practices (GVPs) and Good Agriculture Practices (GAPs) to stakeholders. Capacity building, focussing on quality control along the food chain, is required in a country when the activities of national government and/or the demand from international trade do not ensure the existence of effective enforcement of regulations and the integrity of the food chain or sufficient resources are not available to deliver an effective production control programme.
Building national capacity for the effective control of veterinary drug residues in food is frequently driven by the growth of consumer demand for safer food (either in the local market or the international market). Ensuring adequate national capacity in the production and control of food is to the advantage of consumers not only in the developing countries, but also in the developed world.
Currently there is a wide diversity in the capacity of developing countries (and economies in transition) to produce food of the standard required for local and international markets, as noted in Chapter 6.
Analysis of gaps & identification of problems
Effective capacity building requires a global vision and commitment at the highest political level to improving the quality of life for the global population. Capacity building may be provided by a number of bodies. These include international agencies and bilateral country agreements at national level. However, there is limited global co-ordination in the provision of capacity building.
The ability of developed countries to provide technical expertise to developing countries (and economies in transition) is limited by the availability of financial support by the host institution and the willingness of national governments to provide technical experts to visit developing countries. In addition, there is a perception, in some areas, that the provision of technical expertise can be viewed as "building up the ability of competitors to compete" for a share of the home market. There may also be a similar perception between countries within the same region that are competing for the same export markets.
It is important that capacity building is approached in a holistic manner. For example, technology transfer to developing countries, through the provision of technical expertise, will not necessarily address gaps in the legislative framework in the recipient country. It is necessary to ensure that all aspects of a nation's capacity are enhanced by capacity building - and not just the laboratory infrastructure.
To achieve effective use of limited funds, it is essential that capacity building is directed to the most appropriate sector in the recipient countries. Most international agencies provide capacity building solely to government agencies. However, it is common practice in some developing countries for private sector laboratories to play a major role in the delivery of laboratory services in support of National Residue Control Plans. In order to ensure that the competent authority has the knowledge and expertise effectively to audit the work of the private sector it is important that the capacity of the state sector is fit-for-purpose. The state sector can then, if desired, transfer the technology to the private sector. Technology transfer from the private to the public sector is likely to pose problems of commercial confidentiality and is less likely to work effectively.
A major impediment to the capacity development in some countries is a basic lack of awareness of the roles and responsibilities of international agencies (e.g. Codex). The lack of a political will to understand and benefit from the activities of Codex, coupled with a lack of support for Codex contact officials in national administrations, reduces the ability of developing countries to benefit fully from their membership of these agencies. Similarly, the lack of a fully-developed national position regarding Codex policy hinders the effective flow of information from Codex to national authorities and vice versa.
Understanding the exact requirements of major trading blocks in matters concerning the quality and safety of food of animal origin poses a major difficulty for developing countries. Although many country's requirements are publicly available on the Internet, much of the material is not in a form that is readily understandable. For example, difficulties in understanding the recent changes in EU performance criteria required for analytical methods have caused considerable problems for developing countries.
Generation of revenue in many developing countries involves the exploitation of natural resources to produce food, in excess of national requirements, for the purposes of export. This has frequently been done in a non-sustainable way. It is important to ensure that future developments are carried out in a more sustainable manner. It is also important to ensure that primary producers are adequately educated to ensure that they use licensed alternatives to the drugs (e.g. nitrofurans, chloramphenicol) that have caused the recent major problems in international trade.
