What did the "European cupboard" do to ensure food safety?

 

In recent years, the Global Food Safety Index report, Denmark has been in the forefront. This small Nordic country with a local area of only 43000 square kilometers and a population of more than 550 million is known as the "European cupboard". Nearly three-quarters of agricultural products are exported, and pork exports account for a quarter of the world.

Recently, Bent Hassen, chairman of the central region of Denmark, visited Shanghai and accepted an exclusive interview with "Liberation Monday. In his narration, it can be understood that "the reason why a small country like Denmark can maintain its status as a major exporter is precisely due to an efficient and strictly controlled food safety system".

Inject animals with antibiotics

how was it ended?

Denmark can be called an out-and-out "farmer's kingdom". There are about 67000 farms in the country, and family farms own an average of 40 hectares of land. Agriculture occupies a pivotal position in the Danish national economy. Some Danish agricultural products are well-known and highly competitive in the international market.

After long-term development, Danish agriculture has formed a modern agricultural industry chain focusing on breeding, planting and processing, which has its mature and unique industrial advantages and characteristics. Among them, the most important feature is that Denmark has established an extremely efficient and strict food safety guarantee mechanism, strictly restricting the use of pesticides and fertilizers, and agricultural products are welcomed by consumers all over the world with high quality, health and safety.

Liberation Monday: Food safety is a chain that requires strict standards, security systems, and supervision and spot checks. What is the most important link in this chain?

Bent Hasson: The quality of the food is the most important thing. In the case of the pig industry, we have adopted the most stringent quarantine standards in the world, both in the breeding and slaughtering process. In the slaughterhouse, all pigs must be subjected to strict inspection by a professional veterinarian vetted and employed by the government before they can be slaughtered. Such quarantine work is carried out independently to ensure its strictness and objectivity. Slaughterhouse employees must carry out careful internal and external inspections of the workplace in accordance with the standards of the food safety management system to ensure the highest standards of hygiene.

Liberation Monday: In the process of animal breeding, the phenomenon of hormone injection exists in many countries and regions. Does Denmark have such a problem?

Bent Hasson: We have strictly controlled the residues of antibiotics, hormones and other drugs in animals. In order to control antibiotics, we have indeed made a lot of efforts. In the 1990 s, Denmark's animal husbandry also encountered a crisis, when the use of antibiotics to promote animal growth was very common. In 1995, the government conducted an investigation and found that the use of antibiotics in farms can cause very dangerous chain reactions: the antibiotics used by farmers to animals are the same as the antibiotics prescribed by doctors to patients; the bacteria in the intestinal tract of animals are resistant to these antibiotics; then, people are infected with drug-resistant bacteria in these animals; some people get sick or even die, and the best antibiotics do not work in the treatment.

In 2000, the government banned all antibiotic feed for all animals, large and small. Today, all Danish farms are free of antibiotics. People have successfully found alternatives to antibiotic feed-probiotics and zinc oxide in the feed, which can promote feed conversion. In 2000, many farmers thought that if they didn't use antibiotics, the livestock industry would be over. Now, not only have the number of farms not decreased, but the animals are healthier.

Liberation Monday: Denmark's organic agriculture is also at the world's leading level. Compared with traditional planting, what are the characteristics of organic planting?

Bent Hasson: compared with the traditional planting industry, the organic planting industry is characterized by the fact that it does not use pesticides and fertilizers at all, which means the increase of biodiversity, the protection of drinking water from pollution and other environmental benefits, so it is generally welcomed by Danish people. The Danish Ministry of Agriculture will send regular spot checks every year. If the use of pesticides and fertilizers exceeds the standard, farmers will be deprived of the right to produce.

Organic agriculture is the direction of the future development of modern agriculture. We have issued policies to first turn the canteens of public institutions such as kindergartens, schools, hospitals, and nursing homes into "organic canteens" to ensure that the food ingredients in these canteens come from organic food. At present, 95% of the food ingredients in the canteens of all public institutions in Copenhagen come from organic food.

Liberation Monday: The production process of food should also be organic. What experience do you have in this regard?

Bent Hazen: Many of our farms use animal manure to produce biogas and recycle energy. In 2010, Denmark opened a special "pig city" in Garten: pigs are raised on the ground floor and tomatoes are planted on the top. The planted tomato seedlings can absorb the carbon dioxide emitted by the pig shed and remove the unpleasant smell of the pig house. Pig manure provides rich fertilizer for tomato seedlings. This is a virtuous circle.

Slaughterhouse Rian "undercover"

in Denmark, if you want to enter the farm to visit, it is not easy.

The vast majority of Danish farms are enrolled in pathogen-specific health programmes, using pathogen-free seed breeding and segregated closed management.

In order to prevent people from bringing in bacteria, farms have strict standards for people to enter and leave. When farmers enter and leave the barn, they must be cleaned, even the computer keyboard, telephone, shower head, toilet and restaurant in the farm office must be carefully cleaned.

Liberation Monday: Prince Joakim of Denmark once confessed that he likes to be a farmer best. He said: "Because the farms are all mechanized, it's cool to be a farmer in Denmark."

bent Hasson: Being a farmer in Denmark is happy, but not everyone can do it. Farmers also need to receive higher education. Whether you are taking care of livestock on the farm or cultivating farmland, you must first receive 3 years of basic education in the agricultural college and about 1 year of internship. Only after passing the examination can you be qualified to cultivate and manage farms and pastures.

At the same time, an ecological food Junior College school has also been established to teach farmers how to grow ecological crops. If you want to be an "ecological farmer", you must first take an ecological farming course. Such Junior College schools require about two and a half years of schooling. In this way, farmers have learned the basics of how to grow safe food. In addition, all personnel related to the cultivation, breeding and testing of agricultural and sideline products must receive professional training before they can take up their posts.

Liberation Monday: It seems that it is not easy to be a farmer in Denmark, so who will pay for the training?

Bent Hasson: We have invested a lot of money in the development of agricultural science and technology and new agricultural products, of which more than 90% of agricultural research funding comes from government investment. The government subsidizes agricultural education. Most of the agricultural schools are subsidized by the government. The government subsidy funds account for 70% of the school running funds. Free education is implemented for the children of poor farmers. Farmers can receive education with very little money. The Government has invested in the establishment of an agricultural advisory body.

Liberation Monday: What else is the government involved in the management of food sources?

Bent Hasson: Some of the inspectors on the slaughter line are the slaughterhouse's own workers, while others are "undercover" by the government ".

Twice a year the government will calculate the salaries of these inspectors, how many inspectors we have and how long we have worked here, and then send a bill to the slaughterhouse asking them to pay these inspectors. Once a problem is found, the quarantine personnel have the right to independently exercise supervision and inspection functions, and immediately recommend improvement measures. If the situation is serious, the factory can be closed.

We have a very strict system that other EU countries are unlikely to do, because different links, such as farms, organizations, slaughterhouses, etc., have different interests. However, Denmark has adopted a joint venture system. Each farmer is a member of the industry. The entire industry must share risks and benefits. Therefore, the government, organizations, farms, and slaughterhouses can cooperate closely.

Every animal has an ID number"

food safety is a concept that everyone in Denmark has. Therefore, the most stringent food safety standards have been implemented for a long time, and there is a strict food quality and safety assurance system. Advanced testing methods and instruments can ensure food safety; independent agencies supervise and spot check food manufacturers to ensure that the products entering the market are safe. In many ways, Denmark's food safety requirements are even more demanding than EU standards.

Liberation Monday: The food production process pursues excellence. What is Denmark's special practice in other processes in the food safety chain?

Bent Hasson: The transportation of food should be more strict. Many animals enjoy the treatment of "VIP luxury box" in transportation. To avoid infection during transportation, we use special vehicles with sealed air filter ventilation to transport animals. The air circulation, temperature, humidity and other data in the cabin are controlled by computer, and even the drivers are specially trained. In addition, the truck must be cleaned, disinfected, and isolated for a certain period of time before it can be transported to the farm again.

In Denmark, every animal on the farm has an "ID number". We have established a central database for all livestock, including their time and place of birth, whether they have changed farms, etc. Each animal has a number. Once there is an epidemic, it can be quickly traced back to what went wrong.

Liberation Monday: how to ensure food safety for the commercial operation of the table?

Bent Hasson: I have also seen smiling faces in some Chinese restaurants, and Denmark also has such a smiling face scheme. In 2001, we implemented the "from farm to table" food safety supervision mechanism.

After the introduction of the plan, all restaurants, canteens, snack bars, butcher shops and other shops in Denmark will be subject to regular inspections by the Danish Veterinary and Food Administration. Inspection is approximately 1 to 3 times per year. The inspection results will be displayed on the "smiley face scheme" and required to be posted in the most conspicuous position of the store and announced to consumers. If the results are posted in the corner, the store will be punished for it.

Our "smiley face scheme" consists of 4 different faces: laughing, smiling, expressionless and sad. If the store has been "sad" several times in a row and still does not improve, the store will face a high fine. If the store gets a "laugh" rating four times in a row and has no bad record in the past 12 months, it will be awarded a higher level of smiling face-"elite smiling face".

http://www.theworldseeds.com/index.php?p=82158 world seed industry network published date: 2015-09-30