The Federal Government plans to cut the budget of the Federal Food Safety Agency (FAVV) by 24% between now and 2029. More than half of cuts will be made this year.
The consumer’s organisation Testaankoop has strongly criticised the decision, warning of serious risks to public health. In a statement Testaankoop said that “The government is organising the next food safety crisis itself”. It argues that a cut in FAVV’s budget will lead to fewer food safety checks.
FAVV was set up following the 1999 dioxin crisis and has played a key role in improving food safety in Belgium. Despite this, Testaankoop says that FAVV has lost more than 36 euro million in funding since 2014. The new plans will further weaken its capability to carry out inspections.
The consumers’ association is also critical of the timing of the decision. The EU’s Mercosur trade agreement is expected to increase food imports from South America and this will require more checks. “If the limited resources of the Agency are used for an increased in the number of checks on imports, this will inevitably be at the expense of checks in supermarkets, restaurants and with domestic producers”, Testaankoop’s Laura Clays says.
The consumers’ association calls on the government to reverse the cuts and says that any savings made would be far outweighed by the enormous social and economic cost of another food safety crisis.
FAVV confirms that budget cuts are planned, but will give no further details.