Implementation of a pilot checklist for control standardization on fishery goods consignments at the Livorno border control post

Lara Tinacci; Samantha Santoni; Antonella Magni; Ferdinando Verde; Roberta Nuvoloni; Andrea Armani

doi:10.4081/ijfs.2024.12342

Authors

Lara Tinacci
lara.tinacci@unipi.it
Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Pisa, Italy. https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0535-1155
Samantha Santoni Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Pisa, Italy.
Antonella Magni General Directorate for Animal Health and Veterinary Drugs, Border Control Post and Veterinary Office for Compliance with Community Requirements Toscana-Sardegna, Ministry of Health, Livorno, Italy.
Ferdinando Verde General Directorate for Animal Health and Veterinary Drugs, Border Control Post and Veterinary Office for Compliance with Community Requirements Toscana-Sardegna, Ministry of Health, Livorno, Italy.
Roberta Nuvoloni Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Pisa, Italy. https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7469-571X
Andrea Armani Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Pisa, Italy. https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9614-2032

To standardize control activities, it is necessary to introduce checklists to support the control of consignments entering the European Union through border control posts (BCPs). This study aimed to develop a pilot checklist for the control of fishery consignments, preliminarily identified as the predominant group of goods entering the Livorno (Italy) BCP. The design of the pilot checklist was preceded by i) a revision of the current European and national legislation on the general and specific objectives of border control activities on fishery products and ii) a comparative analysis of two checklists (one of the Ministry of Health and one of the former Livorno border inspection post) developed on the basis of the repealed legislation. This comparison aimed to define the pilot checklist structure, verification objectives, and selection of assessment scores to be included in defining consignment compliance and acceptability. Once developed, the clarity and ease of use of the first draft of the pilot checklist were verified through its use in a field test during the control of 64 fishery product consignments. 22 regulatory sources (18 European and 4 national) were selected as reference legislation. The pilot checklist was structured as a dynamic “read-do” document based on the workflow of control activities described in the current legislation. The field test was useful in improving the clarity of the verification objectives within the documentary, identity, and physical control sections and in facilitating the use of the checklist and the collection of evidence during the control activity. This study, which focused on fishery products, can provide a practical approach for the development of checklists for all the other goods categories under the responsibility of BCPs.

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Tinacci L, Santoni S, Magni A, Verde F, Nuvoloni R, Armani A. Implementation of a pilot checklist for control standardization on fishery goods consignments at the Livorno border control post. Ital J Food Safety [Internet]. 2024 Apr. 11 [cited 2024 May 8];. Available from: https://www.pagepressjournals.org/ijfs/article/view/12342