축산농장 위생안전관리 강화 방안

Abstract

축산물 소비가 증가하면서 축산식품의 안전성에 대한 소비자의 관심이 높아지고 있다. 소비자가 관심을 갖는 식품 안전성은 최종 소비재의 안전성이지만, 최종 소비재의 안전성을 확보하기 위해서는 해당 제품의 생산, 가공, 유통의 모든 단계에 대한 안전관리가 필요하다.

축산식품 푸드체인의 시작점인 가축사육단계는 가축질병 감염, 동물약품‧농약 잔류 등의 식품 위해요소에 오염될 위험이 있다. 그러나 다른 단계에 비해 소홀한 관리가 이루어져 왔다. 이런 관점에서 축산식품의 안전성을 향상시키기 위해서 축산농장에 대한 위생안전관리 강화가 요구된다.

우리나라는 식품의 안전성을 확보하기 위하여 푸드체인 단계별 위해요소중점관리기준을 도입하여 운영하고 있다. 축산 분야에는 도축장과 집유장은 의무화가 적용되거나 진행되고 있다. 이에 비해 축산농장에 대한 인증은 다른 단계에 비해 저조한 상황이다.

이 연구는 축산농장에 대한 위해요소중점관리기준 인증 확대를 통해 축산식품 안전성 향상을 도모하기 위하여 시행되었다.

Consumers point out that livestock products are foods that concern them most in an aspect of safety. The products play an important role as the people’s nutrition source. Moreover, because livestock products have a high possibility of being exposed to many hazards, efforts are needed to secure the safety of the products. Securing food safety should be approached from a view of the food chain. Therefore, sanitary control strategies should increase the sanitation level of a certain stage (from production to consumption) and consider the balance of each stage’s management level at the same time. Livestock farms are still considered vulnerable in animal products’ food chain. Accordingly, sanitary and safety control for the farms is necessary. This control is the management not to be exposed to hazards during the raising term in farms in order to raise animal foods’ safety, and the management to ship safe livestock products and healthy domestic animals uninfected with a disease and uncontaminated by hazards including heavy metals and pesticide or drug residues. Korea’s laws on sanitation safety in the livestock raising stage are related to infectious diseases in domestic animals; the control of animal drugs, residues, and feed; excreta treatment; and farms. Related policy projects are the livestock products’ HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point) consulting project and the direct payment program for eco-friendly, safe livestock products; a relevant system is certification of environment-friendly products (antibiotic-free, organic), of animal welfare farms, and of HACCP. The farm survey result shows that HACCP-certified farms considered PR of HACCP to consumers, facility cost support, and HACCP accreditation simplification as important policies. Non-accredited farms thought certification simplification and facility cost support significant. They answered they did not obtain HACCP certification because it was difficult and was not helpful to management. This result means that farms still consider accreditation hard despite the consulting project for helping their certification. It indicates the necessity for improving the service quality of HACCP consulting. According to the result of the consumer survey on livestock products safety, an expiration date was what consumers checked most for the purchase of the products, followed by a HACCP certification mark. Also, compared to the previous survey, consumers’ awareness of HACCP accreditation is on the rise. They answered that the livestock raising stage’s sanitary and safety control was most crucial among the distribution stages. Their confidence in HACCP-certified animal products’ safety was also high. In addition, they expected that the integrated certification system of livestock products safety control would contribute to increasing the products’ safety. Also, many consumers agreed to make livestock farms’ HACCP accreditation compulsory, although product prices might rise. The survey on retailers showed that 68% of eggs on sale have obtained HACCP certification. According to the quantitative analysis, prices of HACCP-accredited eggs were higher than those of non-certified eggs, but estimated coefficients were not statistically significant. This may indicate that HACCP’s value is not recognized in consumption regions’ markets. The ultimate goal of strengthening livestock farms’ sanitary and safety management is to enhance animal products’ safety by shipping healthy livestock and producing safe products. This study presented plans to expand the farms’ HACCP certification in order to improve their sanitation and safety control as follows. First, demand for HACCP-accredited animal foods should increase by improving the integrated certification system of livestock products safety control. Second, consumers’ evaluation needs to be better through PR of HACCP-certified products to them. Third, targets of the policy project, the HACCP consulting project should be expanded so that the government can support more farms. Fourth, consulting companies’ role needs to increase to help farms’ HACCP operation and support their regular and renewal evaluation after certification. Last, it is necessary to raise the number of livestock products safety control certifiers in order to improve the quality of HACCP accreditation and of services for farmers.

Researchers: Song Woo-jin, Kim Hyun-jung, Seo Gang-cheol, Kim Jin-nyoun, and Lee Yong-geon Research period: 2014. 1. ~ 2014. 10. E-mail address: gnos@krei.re.kr