Law 23 December 1978, n. 833 Establishment of the Department of Public Health

L 833/1978 is the framework law for the Italian Public Health System. It establishes the Istituto Superiore della Sanitá (Art. 9) and Consiglio Sanitario Nazionale (Art. 8), and allocates public health competencies and functions among the different administrations at state, regional and local level. In this abstract are highlighted just the public health provisions related to the food system, sanitation and water, and veterinary subjects.
Under Art. 6 among the competencies of the State fall international relations and international prophylaxis, maritime and air, including in veterinary matters; the production and control of chemical products used in the veterinary field; the production, control and management of baby food; scrutiny over colourants, additives, and materials used in the food industry; quality and food safety standards; chemical substances that ca alter ecological and biological equilibrium; zoo-prophylaxis discipline.
Under Art. 14 local health agencies have competence for the prophylaxis and veterinary matters; such as inspection and veterinary supervision of animals intended for human feeding human, on slaughtering and processing plants, on food of animal origin, on zootechnical feeding and on diseases communicable from animals to humans, on reproduction, animal husbandry and animal health, on veterinary drugs;
Art. 16 (Veterinary Services) states that is the regional law to establish rules for the reorganisation of veterinary services at regional level, taking into account of the distribution and production skills of the livestock, animal breeding, dislocation and the potential of slaughtering, processing and processing plants preservation of meat and other products of animal origin, production of feed and supplements, needs zooprophylaxis, the fight against zoonoses and vigilance on food of animal origin.
Art 32 (Hygiene and public health and veterinary police functions) authorises the Minister of Health to issue Orders of contingent and urgent character, in matters of hygiene and public health and veterinary police, with effectiveness extended to the whole national territory or part of it. Regional law establishes the rules for the exercise of functions in matters of hygiene and public health, and veterinary police, including those already exercised by the provincial veterinarian offices and by municipal or consortium health and veterinary officers.