26 January 2022

The Food Safety Project arranged for two Albanian health laboratory officials, Dr. Vjollca Vladi, Head of Plant Protection Department and Elidona Piroli, Specialist at Food Safety and Veterinary Institute (ISUV) laboratory to visit the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marines (DAFM) Plant Health and Chemical laboratories.

The DAFM laboratories are located in the central laboratory complex at Backweston, Celbridge, Co Kildare. The fact-finding visit took place from the 18th to the 20th of January 2022.

The Albanian laboratory visitors are interested in setting up their own plant health laboratory, they met with the Plant Health Science Division and the Food Chemistry Laboratories Division to get an overview of the working of the laboratories. The visit was facilitated by Richard O’Hanlon (Plant Pathologist at DAFM) and Jim Garvey (Head of Food Chemistry at DAFM).

The visit included a tour of the laboratories, discussions with plant health and pesticide laboratory experts and the sharing of information particularly in relation to analytical protocols and methods, accreditation, data analysis and reporting.

On the 20th of January, members from the Food Safety Project, Elaine Madden, International Food Safety Management Expert and Michelle Riblet, International Food Safety Expert also met with the Albanian visitors to discuss and plan a chemical survey to take place in Albania in 2022.

Elaine Madden, International Food Safety Management Expert, Michelle Riblet, International Food Safety Expert, Elidona Piroli, Specialist at Food Safety and Veterinary Institute (ISUV) laboratory and Dr. Vjollca Vladi, Head of Plant Protection Department (ISUV).