Recognition of Food Safety Joint Monitoring Activity by Local Administration
Strengthened market monitoring and complaint management
Food safety governance in poultry sector project has been implemented in Kumarkhali Upazila from 2017 by Beez Bistar Foundation (BBF) with the support from Promoting Knowledge for Accountable System (PROKAS), British Council. Under this project regular monthly joint monitoring activity is continuing from 2018 to date. The joint monitoring is carried out by the representatives from Department of Livestock Services (DLS) at Upazila level, Consumer Committee, local administration, market committee and local government in local live bird market,feed dealers and poultry farmers. The purpose of joint monitoring visit is to providebetter enforcement of laws and policies for regulation of poultry. During this period the joint monitoring team hasmostly been working for checking the registered farms and licensed dealers for thy follow the feed rules and act properly to ensure food safety governance in poultry sector. Joint monitoring teams encourage the unregistered and unlicensed farmers and dealers in line to include them on registration, licensing procedures and environmental management of poultry farm and live bird market as well.
From starting to date all associated members along with general consumer appreciated the joint monitoring visit. Due to joint monitoring visit feed dealers and farmers are doing license and registration. Live Bird Market( LBM)sellers are practicing good hygienic practices and follow good waste disposal system.
The idea and practice of joint monitoring team participated by the government, private sector and Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) encouraged local administration as a collective local initiative. As a result Kumarkhali local administration became interested for joint monitoring team and formed a joint monitoring team with 17 members with the participation of the representatives from BBF, Consumer Committee, Market committee, local government and Sanitary Inspector for monitoring the product price list and its quality. In this committee Assistant Commissioner (Land) is the organizer and the remaining 16 are members of committee including upazila livestock officer, upazila agriculture officer, upazila sanitary inspector, officer incharge (Kumarkhali), upazila coordinator, BBF and consumer committee. Upazila Nirbahi officer, Kumarkhali declared this committee to monitor the market once in a week regarding product price and its quality and report the monitoring visit accordingly in monthly coordination meeting. During this time the committee has participated in 4 monitoring visits. The formation of committee by including BBF has created a sustainable way for joint monitoring visit under Food Safety( FS) project.