BTSF

The Better Training courses for Safer Food (BTSF) is a training initiative of the European Commission on food and feed legislation, animal welfare and plant health. This is the largest training program in Europe for all Member States, for staff from candidate countries and third countries involved in official controls in these areas.

Within these courses, UMA participates in the activities related to the training of technicians and inspectors in the field of inspection and calibration of pesticide application equipments. This course is driven by the Spanish technological center AINIA, coordinated with the Consumers, Health, Agriculture and Food Executive Agency (CHAFEA), and also has the consultancy AETS.

This formative action, of two years, consists of six seminars with an average of 20 attendees in each session. In the previous editions (2015-16 and 2017-18), 250 professionals working in the public inspection of 35 European countries were trained on the EU legislative framework on inspection and certification of pesticide application equipment, as well as the standard ISO 16122, among other topics.

The seminars are aimed to promote the team spirit for several days, strengthening the competences of everybody in the areas of phytosanitary controls. They also encourage the experiences exchange and the development of the inspection capabilities in sprayers, promoting the dissemination of the standards and procedures established in Directive 2009/128/EC.

Courses held during the period 2015 - 2020
• July 2015: Barcelona (Spain)
• September 2015: Torino (Italy)
• February 2016: Torino (Italy)
• June 2016: Braunsweigh (Germany)
• September 2016: Barcelona (Spain)
• April 2017: Barcelona (Spain)
• July 2017: Wageningen (Netherlands)
• October 2017: Montpellier (France)
• April 2018: Montpellier (France)
• July 2018: Wageningen (Netherlands)
• October 2018: Barcelona (Spain)
• November 2019: Montpellier (France)
• February 2020: Barcelona (Spain)
• May 2020: Skierniewice (Poland)
• July 2020: Braunsweigh (Germany)
• October 2020: Torino (Italy)
• December 2020: Wageningen (Netherlands)

When the courses are in Spain, it is in the Agropolis facilities where classes are taught, with the participation of professors and researchers from the Group of Crop Protection Technology of the University of Torino, Julius Kühn-Institut (JKI) or L'Institut national de recherche en sciences et technologies pour l'environnement et l'agriculture (IRSTEA).