This report describes the outcome of an audit carried out by the Food and Veterinary Office (FVO) in Brazil in September 2013.

The primary objective of the audit was to evaluate whether the official controls systems for poultry meat and products derived therefrom destined for export to the EU can provide equivalent guarantees to those required by EU legislation.

The audit team also evaluated the follow-up actions taken by the competent authority in response to the recommendations made following an earlier audit on the same subject carried out in 2011.

The report concludes that there is a control system in place covering the production chain of poultry meat and poultry meat products intended for export to the EU.

However the effectiveness of the system is compromised by:

• Significant delays in official reaction to Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF) notifications compounded by inadequate communication between different competent authorities involved in their investigation.
• HACCP plans which do not appropriately address the Salmonella risk (and prevent RASFF notifications).
• Inadequate responses by competent authorities in cases of significant increases in Salmonella prevalence at farm and establishment level.
• Deficiencies in the implementation on Regulation (EC) No 2073/2005 (particularly as regards Salmonella typhimurium and Salmonella enteritidis as food safety criteria) and in some instances insufficient knowledge of official veterinarians regarding the EU's microbiological requirements.

In addition, the system is undermined and confidence in the competent authorities involved is diminished by their failure to implement five of eight guarantees provided by in response to the recommendations of the previous audit report, namely regarding ante-mortem and post-mortem inspections, official veterinarian knowledge of EU requirements, de-listing procedures and accreditation of laboratories.

The report addresses to the Brazilian competent authorities a number of recommendations aimed at rectifying identified shortcomings and enhancing the control system in place.