"From farm to fork" – 100 years caring for food safety
The year of 2019 marks the Centenary of the Directorate- -General for Livestock Services, established by Decree 5787-P of 10 May 1919, with competencies in the areas of Animal Health, Livestock Improvement and Hygiene of products of animal origin, under the authority of the Ministry of Agriculture. For 77 years, the Directorate was located in Palacete Iglésias on Largo Nacional das Belas Artes, in Chiado, and earned an important status in the development of various livestock production sectors.
After 100 years, the Directorate-General for Food andVeterinary continues to ful l the technical responsibilitiesconsolidated over time and are currently regarded as a public good, vital to promote the health and wellbeing of the population.
In memory of this important legacy, we have chosen for thisstamp issue, some aspects that illustrate the o cial controlscurrently carried out by the veterinary services under the principle of ensuring food safety, "from farm to fork".
In this collection of stamps, we look at some of the health checks carried out on livestock, based on the ear tags that identify the animals, the controls carried out during milking with the application of quick tests to detect mastitis, as well as the assigning of health marks, a guarantee that foods of animal origin are produced in approved establishments andsubject to o cial controls.
Records of these sequential controls applied throughout the food chain provide the traceability of these goods, ensuring integration of the guiding principle on implementation of security controls carried out on foods, from primary production to their provision to the consumer, as a guarantee of human health protection and animal health and welfare.
Directorate-General for Food and Veterinary
