The State Food and Veterinary Service (SFVS) develops and implements the Government’s policy in food safety and quality as well as in animal health and welfare. The SFVS is accountable to the Government of the Republic of Lithuania.

Objectives

• - To ensure monitoring and control of contagious animal diseases, zoonoses and of animal welfare, to eliminate outbreaks of diseases; to apply all the necessary biological measures for prevention from the introduction of contagious diseases and zoonoses into the territory of Lithuania and the EU  
• - To ensure food safety and control at all the stages of food handling according to the principle “from stable/field to table”, to safeguard the interests of consumers, to ensure that the food supplied on the market as well as that intended for export complies with safety, labelling and other mandatory requirements established by the legal acts.

History:

State Food and Veterinary Service was established in the year 2000, after reorganizing State Veterinary Service and its subordinate institutions, State Hygiene Inspection under the Ministry of Health and the State Quality Inspection under the State Service for Competition and Protection of Consumer Rights. The State Food and Veterinary Service overtook the functions of the above-mentioned institutions and executes food control on all food handling stages “from stable to table”.

Work organization:

The State Food and Veterinary Service is headed by the director - Chief Veterinary Officer (CVO), who is accountable to the Government and Minister of Agriculture of the Republic of Lithuania. The director has 4 deputy directors. The inner work of SFVS is organized by the heads of departments, who are directly accountable to the director.

Subordination:

The Service has subordinate 14 Departments, 52 territorial State Food and Veterinary Services, 12 Border Inspection Posts and the National Food and Veterinary Risk Assessment Institute.
 
Employees:

In the system of the State Food and Veterinary Service about 1675 people are employed, 309 of whom belong to the National Food and Veterinary Risk Assessment Institute.