[X1Article 4 U.K. Designation of competent authorities and operational criteria
1. Member States shall designate the competent authorities responsible for the purposes and official controls set out in this Regulation.
2. The competent authorities shall ensure:
(a) the effectiveness and appropriateness of official controls on live animals, feed and food at all stages of production, processing and distribution, and on the use of feed;
(b) that staff carrying out official controls are free from any conflict of interest;
(c) that they have, or have access to, an adequate laboratory capacity for testing and a sufficient number of suitably qualified and experienced staff so that official controls and control duties can be carried out efficiently and effectively;
(d) that they have appropriate and properly maintained facilities and equipment to ensure that staff can perform official controls efficiently and effectively;
(e) that they have the legal powers to carry out official controls and to take the measures provided for in this Regulation;
(f) that they have contingency plans in place, and are prepared to operate such plans in the event of an emergency;
(g) that the feed and food business operators are obliged to undergo any inspection carried out in accordance with this Regulation and to assist staff of the competent authority in the accomplishment of their tasks.
3. When a Member State confers the competence to carry out official controls on an authority or authorities other than a central competent authority, in particular those at regional or local level, efficient and effective coordination shall be ensured between all the competent authorities involved, including where appropriate in the field of environmental and health protection.
4. Competent authorities shall ensure the impartiality, quality and consistency of official controls at all levels. The criteria listed in paragraph 2 must be fully respected by every authority on which the competence to carry out official controls is conferred.
5. When, within a competent authority, more than one unit is competent to carry out official controls, efficient and effective coordination and cooperation shall be ensured between the different units.
6. Competent authorities shall carry out internal audits or may have external audits carried out, and shall take appropriate measures in the light of their results, to ensure that they are achieving the objectives of this Regulation. These audits shall be subject to independent scrutiny and shall be carried out in a transparent manner.
7. Detailed rules for the implementation of this Article may be adopted in accordance with the procedure referred to in Article 62(3).]
Editorial Information
X1 Substituted by Corrigendum to Regulation (EC) No 882/2004 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 29 April 2004 on official controls performed to ensure the verification of compliance with feed and food law, animal health and animal welfare rules (Official Journal of the European Union L 165 of 30 April 2004).