Abu Dhabi Agriculture and Food Safety Authority (ADAFSA) has introduced seven types of administrative penalties – starting from a warning notice to permanent closure – in its efforts to eliminate improper practices across the emirate’s agriculture and food production sector.
This is part of government’s objective to enhance the quality of agriculture and food facilities by strengthening the emirate’s agricultural legislative system. It will ensure high-quality standards across the sector, and also protect the community from violations at farm and food outlets.
Saeed Al Bahri Al Ameri, Director General of ADAFSA, said the new rules will enhance the development of a sustainable agricultural sector, as well as strengthen the food security and biosecurity system.
Al Ameri said: “Implementing administrative penalties on food and agriculture facilities will enable ADAFSA to ensure the unified treatment to all violating categories. Penalties are graduated according to the risks of the violations, which reflects the balance philosophy between the public interest and the interests of the facilities. Also, they help reduce violations while conserving all parties’ interests.”
With the resolution, ADAFSA supports the sustainability of agriculture, promotes biosecurity, and reduces improper practices on farms, livestock holdings (izba), and food production facilities.
Violators will be able to appeal against the penalties within 60 days of the date of notifying, and failure to respond within 90 days will be considered acceptance of the complaint.
There are seven types of administrative penalties, starting with a notice, which is used in violations of low- or medium-risk to public health, food safety, biosecurity or agricultural sustainability with an inspection record indicating a low- or medium-level compliance with relevant legislations.
The penalty for placing facilities under financial, administrative, and technical supervision applies if the facility is unable to manage production and trading operations in a manner that does not harm food safety, biosecurity, and food security or agricultural sustainability, or if the application of the penalty for closing or suspending the facility is found to be detrimental to the health and safety of food-producing animals and plants.
In the case of a violation that causes a high-level risk with an imminent serious effect to public health, the penalty will be temporary suspension of the activity. The authority has the right to suspend any services or programmes it provides to the facility if it fails to respond to implement the required corrective measures.
The penalty for temporarily or permanently closing the facility will be applied if one or more violations has been recorded, whether for the same or other category, and after progressing through previous administrative penalties.
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