Office 39 - Veterinary and Food Monitoring Office

Our Tasks
 

Food Supervision

• Advising businesses, retailers, and consumers
• Receiving consumer complaints about hygiene deficiencies in establishments, health issues after consuming food or using consumer goods and cosmetics, and initiating necessary actions
• Processing warnings about unsafe food and consumer goods from the EU and initiating necessary actions such as monitoring recalls by manufacturers
• Monitoring food establishments at all stages from production to trade, including inspection of hygiene regulations in dairy farms
• Sampling food, consumer goods, and cosmetics from producers, manufacturers, and in trade
• Registration and approval of food businesses, cosmetics manufacturers, producers of consumer goods, and importers
• Issuing certificates and approvals for international trade in food and consumer goods
• Inspection of slaughter animals and meat

 
Animal Welfare

• Implementation of animal welfare legislation, protection of life and well-being of animals kept by humans, punishment for violations
• Inspection of animal holdings of all kinds based on risk analyses and public reports
• Approval and monitoring of commercial breeders, animal traders, transporters, pet boarding facilities, animal shelters, riding and driving businesses, pest controllers, etc.
• Approval and inspection of commercial animal transport
• Animal welfare statements on construction projects of stables, kennels, etc.
• Issuing permits and monitoring animal markets, fairs, circuses, etc.
• Monitoring interventions on animals, humane slaughtering
   

Animal Disease Control/Animal By-products

• Prevention and control of diseases transmissible from animals to humans and other significant animal diseases such as swine fever, avian flu, tuberculosis, rabies in domestic and wild animals, psittacosis in birds, or foulbrood in bees
• Monitoring and examination of individual animals and animal stocks
• Monitoring of animal trade and transport of agricultural animals, issuance of health certificates
• Examination of dogs, cats, and other pets in travel traffic as well as issuing veterinary travel documents
• Approval and control of animal markets, shows, and exhibitions
• Issuance of permits for animal holders (breeding permits for parrot and parakeet breeders, driving permits for wandering shepherds, wandering permits for beekeepers)
• Initiation of lockdowns and quarantine measures in the event of animal disease outbreaks
• Registration, approval, and monitoring of food waste processors, composting and biogas plants, and animal cemeteries

 
State Dog Regulation

• Administration of competency tests and issuance of competency certificates
• Conducting behavioral tests
• Evaluation of dogs after biting incidents in collaboration with regulatory offices

 
Veterinary Medicines

• Monitoring the application of medicines in food-producing animals
• Inspection of veterinary pharmacies, animal naturopaths, and pet shops

 
Animal Feed

• Registration of animal feed manufacturers
• Monitoring the production of animal feed in agricultural operations

 
Breeders' Center (Breeding Advice)

• Management of the breeders' center, which includes
  • Animal breeding associations
  • District association for cattle production
  • District horse breeding association
  • Interest group of sheep breeders in Oberberg
• Promotion and advice for breeders of agricultural livestock

Our Mission for You
 

We contribute to ensuring that people within and beyond the region are supplied with healthy and high-quality food. To this end, we monitor the journey of food from production through processing to the consumer and protect consumers from health risks, deception, and fraud.

Animals as fellow creatures are close to our hearts, which is why we inspect animal husbandry and animal transport and advise farmers, veterinarians, and animal owners. We inform and warn when necessary and intervene to prevent dangers to humans and animals.

Our Services in Numbers

We monitor around 2,000 food businesses, conducting approximately 2,200 operational inspections annually.
The number of official samples amounts to 1,500.

We oversee and monitor 6,100 animal holdings. On average, 500 animal welfare complaints are followed up each year.

We issue over 500 animal disease and animal welfare-related permits and certificates.

What Sets Us Apart

The Veterinary and Food Control Office of the Oberberg District has been certified since 2006 for the scope of consumer protection and animal health under the DIN EN ISO 9001 management system. This certification demonstrates compliance with the standards and is confirmed according to the TÜV-CERT procedure. Recertification takes place every three years and is monitored by TÜV Nord Cert through regular external audits.