Scientific exchange with Switzerland to be strengthened
Scientific cooperation in the area of product and food safety between Germany and Switzerland are to be further strengthened in future. A relevant agreement has been signed between the Swiss Federal Food Safety and Veterinary Office (BLV) and the German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) in Berlin. "The cooperation agreement will help us further expand our already close contacts with our Swiss colleagues and to initiate joint research activities at the European level", says BfR President Professor Dr. Dr. Andreas Hensel.
The cooperation agreement of the two institutions provides for broad thematic cooperation. Thus joint research activities in the areas of antimicrobial resistance, authenticity checks and the development of alternative methods to animal experiments are to be initiated, among others. In addition, intensive exchange on the current BfR MEAL study - Germany’s first total diet study - is planned.
According to the Federal Statistical Office, Switzerland is Germany's ninth-largest trading partner. In the year 2015, Germany imported agricultural and food industry products from Switzerland with a total value of Euro 1.43 billion. This means that agricultural imports from Switzerland are roughly of the same magnitude as those from Turkey or China - and growing.
The BLV is an institution within the Swiss Federal Department of Home Affairs (EDI). The responsibility of the BLV includes animal health and animal protection as well as risk assessment and risk management with regard to the safety of foods and basic commodities.
With the new cooperation agreement, the BfR is further expanding its international collaboration. The BfR has already entered into several bilateral agreements for the scientific exchange of information, for example with the Danish, French, and Austrian sister authorities.
About the BfR
The German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) is a scientifically independent institution within the portfolio of the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture (BMEL) in Germany. It advises the Federal Government and Federal Laender on questions of food, chemical and product safety. The BfR conducts its own research on topics that are closely linked to its assessment tasks.
Disclaimer
This text version is a translation of the original German text which is the only legally binding version.