1 AV HS (16) Thailand 7 March 2019 Dr Sorravis Thaneto Director General Department of Livestock Development Phaya Thai Road, Bangkok 10400 Thailand Dear Dr Thaneto FORMATION OF A NEW STATUTORY BOARD, SINGAPORE FOOD AGENCY (SFA), AND TRANSFER OF FUNCTIONS TO NATIONAL PARKS BOARD (NPARKS) We are writing to inform you that a new statutory board, the Singapore Food Agency (SFA), will be formed under the Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources (MEWR) wef 1 Apr 2019. SFA will replace the Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority (AVA) to oversee Singapore’s food safety and security. At the same time, non-food plant and animal related functions of AVA will be transferred to the National Parks Board (NParks). Singapore Food Agency (SFA) 2 SFA will serve as the single point of contact for food-related issues, and strengthen management of foodborne disease outbreaks to protect public health. The SFA will also facilitate more business-friendly regulations with oversight of all food safety policies and consolidation of food laboratory capabilities to deepen competencies in food diagnostics, and research and development in food safety. National Parks Board (NParks) and Animal & Veterinary Service (AVS) 3 NParks will be the lead agency for animal and wildlife management, as well as animal and plant health. 4 A new Animal & Veterinary Service (AVS) will be formed as a cluster within NParks on 1 April 2019 and it will be the main touch-point on animal health and animal-related issues for pet owners and businesses, and animal welfare groups. 5 Further details of the services/functions provided by each agency is provided in Annex A.
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AV HS (16) Thailand 7 March 2019 Dr Sorravis Thaneto Director General Department of Livestock Development Phaya Thai Road, Bangkok 10400 Thailand Dear Dr Thaneto FORMATION OF A NEW STATUTORY BOARD, SINGAPORE FOOD AGENCY (SFA), AND TRANSFER OF FUNCTIONS TO NATIONAL PARKS BOARD (NPARKS)
We are writing to inform you that a new statutory board, the Singapore
Food Agency (SFA), will be formed under the Ministry of the Environment and
Water Resources (MEWR) wef 1 Apr 2019. SFA will replace the Agri-Food &
Veterinary Authority (AVA) to oversee Singapore’s food safety and security. At
the same time, non-food plant and animal related functions of AVA will be
transferred to the National Parks Board (NParks).
Singapore Food Agency (SFA) 2 SFA will serve as the single point of contact for food-related issues, and strengthen management of foodborne disease outbreaks to protect public health. The SFA will also facilitate more business-friendly regulations with oversight of all food safety policies and consolidation of food laboratory capabilities to deepen competencies in food diagnostics, and research and development in food safety. National Parks Board (NParks) and Animal & Veterinary Service (AVS) 3 NParks will be the lead agency for animal and wildlife management, as well as animal and plant health. 4 A new Animal & Veterinary Service (AVS) will be formed as a cluster within NParks on 1 April 2019 and it will be the main touch-point on animal health and animal-related issues for pet owners and businesses, and animal welfare groups. 5 Further details of the services/functions provided by each agency is provided in Annex A.
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Licences, Export Health Certificates and Official Stamps 6 All existing licences and export health certificates issued by AVA will remain valid until the stated expiry date. 7 The generic samples of export health certificates to be issued by SFA, NParks and AVS from 1 April 2019 onwards are attached in this letter (Annex B). The official stamps that will be used by SFA, NParks and AVS from 1 Apr 2019 onwards can be found in Annex C. 8 During the transition period, your officers may receive both the existing and new export health certificates. This is due to the export health certificates issued prior to 1 April 2019 being in the current format, and certificates issued from 1 April 2019 onwards being in the new format, and reflect the shipping times from Singapore to other countries. Correspondence with overseas partners 9 For matters that involve more than one agency, you may write to any agency involved and we will coordinate to ensure that communication with our overseas partners will continue as usual with minimal disruption. 10 AVA will continue to carry out our existing functions, and there will be no changes to AVA’s operations between now till 31 March 2019. We remain committed to working closely with our stakeholders and industry partners to ensure a smooth transition. Yours sincerely
Dr Astrid Yeo Group Director Regulatory Administration Group Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority of Singapore
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ANNEX A
AVA’s current services/function SFA NParks AVS
Setting of food safety policies and standards
Accreditation of foreign establishments and farms for
supply of food and livestock
Regulation of food imports (e.g. license importers,
issuance of import/transhipment permits,
inspection/testing of imported food)
Suspension and reinstatement of overseas food
sources
Regulation of local food establishments and food farms
(i.e. licensing, inspection and surveillance)
Facilitation of food exports (including inspection of
export consignments, issuance of export health
certificates)
Laboratory testing of food including research and
development in food safety
Pesticide registration
Regulation of animal feed for livestock (licensing of
feedmills and import)
Regulation of animal feed for companion animals
(licensing of feedmills and import)
Regulation of veterinary biologics (including vaccines)
Regulation of vaccination and inoculation of animals
Border inspections (including inspection of live animals
imported for food)
Regulation of non-food animals (including birds and
fish) (i.e. import, quarantine and inspections)
Facilitation of non-food animal exports (including
inspection of export consignments, issuance of export
health certificates)
Animal disease monitoring and surveillance (including
zoonotic infections), and disease information and
reports
Animal population and welfare management
Laboratory diagnosis and research on animal diseases
CITES related matters
Facilitation of export of plants and plant products
(including inspection, issuance of phytosanitary
certificate and treatment certificate)
Import risk analysis for import of plants and plant
products
Laboratory testing for plant pests and phytosanitary
certification
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ANNEX B
1. Food Export Certificate (original with watermark)
ANNEX C
Official stamp for Singapore Food Agency
Official stamp for National Parks Board
Official stamp for Animal & Veterinary Service
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2. Free Sale Certificate – Food (original with watermark)
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3. Health certificate for export of live foodfish for breeding (original with watermark)
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4. Free Sale Certificate - Animal Feed (original with watermark)
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5. Veterinary certificate (original with watermark)
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6. Phytosanitary Certificate for Export (with watermark)
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7. Phytosanitary certificate for Re-Export (with watermark)
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8. Certificate of freedom from disease within Singapore (original with watermark)
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9. Free Sale certificate – veterinary vaccine (original with watermark)
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10. Health certificate for export of ornamental fish (original with watermark)
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11. Free sale certificate – animal feed (original with watermark)
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12. Veterinary certificate (original with watermark)
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ANNEX C
Official stamp for Singapore Food Agency
Official stamp for National Parks Board
Official stamp for Animal & Veterinary Service
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