Department of Food Policy

Its most important working guidelines can be found in Prop. 1 S as well as the Parliament's execution of the same. The department is responsible for direction of the Food Act, the Animal Welfare Act, the Veterinary Act and the Horse Race Betting Act. The regulations on food are largely harmonized within the EEA. The department is responsible for enact the EEA agreement on animal health, animal welfare, starter produce security (fodder, seeds, fertilizers), pesticides, animal byproducts, organic production, origin labelling of food and safe food production / food safety (in cooperation with the Ministry of Health (MOH), the Ministry of Industry and the Ministry of fisheries (NMF)).

The department also oversees matters under the WTO / SPS (sanitary and phytosanitary conditions under WTO). The department supervises licensing terms for Norwegian Rikstoto.

The department is responsible for the institutional management of the National Veterinary Institute and the Food Safety Authority. FSA Management is carried out in close cooperation with the others Ministries with a food safety remit: the MOH and NMF.

The department consists of the following sections

• International coordination and consumer interests section

  The International coordination and consumer interests section is responsible for licensing and regulating various brand programs, food quality, traceability and genetically modified organisms (GMOs). The section is also charged with taking measures to strengthen consumer interests, to monitor international agreements and to coordinate the department's international engagements. In addition, The section works on the SPS Agreement, quality standards, fees and taxes, and it has a coordinating role in the institutional management of the FSA.

• Animal welfare and environmental section

  The Animal welfare and environmental section is responsible for devising and managing regulations related to animal welfare for livestock, pets and sports animals. The section is responsible for environmental legislation on food production, including pesticides and ecology. The section also handles matters related to breeding, starter produce (feed, fertilizer, seeds) and horticulture. The majority of the section's tasks constitute parts of the EEA Agreement. The department works to ensure that horse race betting takes place within the framework of the national gambling policy and oversees the licensing terms for Norwegian Rikstoto.

• Animal health, plant health and zoonoses Section

  The Animal health, plant health and zoonoses Section is responsible for regulations regarding animal health, plant health and zoonoses (diseases transmitted from animals to humans). The section handles legislation on animal health, readiness, border control, animal medication, and by-products. The section exercises the department's directorship of the National Veterinary Institute.