The Austrian Agency for Health and Food Safety (AGES) focuses on minimizing healthcare, food safety, and consumer protection risks through scientific research and interdisciplinary collaboration. Established in 2002, AGES operates under the Republic of Austria, providing key services like analysis, assessment, and risk management across various sectors including agriculture, public health, and medicines. Its goals include ensuring safe food production, improving public health, and enhancing consumer protection through comprehensive solutions and international cooperation.

1. Österreichische Agentur für Gesundheit und Ernährungssicherheit GmbHwww.ages.at
AGES – Austrian Agency for Health and Food
Safety
Health for Humans, Animals and Plants
Research Coordination, Knowledge Transfer, AGES Academy
Contact: Dr.Dr. Alois Leidwein cooperation@ages.at

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Our Vision
“Health for Humans, Animals and Plants”

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Our Mission
Our Mandate: Protection
AGES is THE leading expert organisation for minimising healthcare risks, food safety risks, food
security risks and consumer protection risks.
Our Responsibility: Austria
AGES is a limited liability company fully-owned by the Republic of Austria, which carries out
services based on the Health and Food Safety Act (GESG), special administrative laws and the
relevant European directives.
Our Tool: Knowledge
AGES works at interdisciplinary levels. Thus, we use bundled, scientifically proven expert
knowledge. AGES is a partner in national and international networks.
Our Competence: Comprehensive Solutions
The AGES service range encompasses analysis, assessment, monitoring, certification and
licensing. We use an approach based on risk assessment principles to maximise healthcare,
food safety and consumer protection within AGES’s reach: we assess risks, provide risk
communications, give advice on risk management and also conduct risk management in
government agencies.

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Areas of Competence
AGES’s major areas of activity
• Agriculture and Food Security
• Public Health
• Food safety and consumer protection
• Animal Health
• Medicines and Medical Devices Market Surveillance
collaborate in testing, approving, consulting and conducting
research to protect health and ensure food safety.
• Overall issues
ο Integrated Risk Assessment
ο Radiation Protection
ο Research, Knowledge Transfer and Capacity Building

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AGES Structure
FoodSecurity
VeterinaryMedicine
FoodSafety
PublicHealth
AustrianMedicine&
MedicalDevicesAgency
Radiation Protection
Data, Statistics & Integrative Risk Assessment
Research Coordination, Knowledge Transfer, AGES Academy
Business
Area
Department
1) 2)
1) Austrian Federal Office for Food Safety
2) Austrian Federal Office for Safety in Healthcare

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Locations
Food Security*
Veterinary Medicine
Public Health
Austrian Medicine & Medical Devices Agency
Radiation Protection
Data, Statistics & Integrative Risk Assessment
Food Safety
*The department Food Security operates several experimentation
stations in addition to its premises in Vienna and Linz.

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What is AGES aiming at?
AGES aims at
• safe food production from the soil to the fork
• effective control and prevention of epidemics for
people, animals and plants
• providing effective and safe pharmaceutical
products

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Capacity Building within the Food
Production Cycle

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Impact orientation of AGES
1. Improve the state of communicable
diseases affecting humans
2. Improve the state of food borne diseases
3. Further development of integrated risk based methods within the cycle
humans – animals – plants - soil
4. Freedom of animal and plant diseases
5. Faultless goods including feeding stuffs and water
6. Safe and effective medicines and medical devices
7. Food security and ensuring competitiveness of agricultural production,
particularly by ensuring faultless agricultural inputs
8. Develop research for being able to perform official tasks and current issues
9. Well informed and economic operators and consumers

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Key Figures
AGES = Mandated Body
o AGES = Federal Authority and Limited Company
• Federal Office for Food Safety
• Federal Office for Safety in Health Care
o Owner: Republic of Austria
• 50% Federal Ministry of Health
• 50% Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, Environment
and Water Management
o Founded by federal law in 2002
o Merger of 18 formerly independent institutions
o Staff: 1.350
o Locations: Vienna, Graz, Innsbruck, Linz, Mödling, Salzburg
o approx. 500 000 samples with 4.2 million tests per year
o Annual budget: approx. € 110 Mio.

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• Agro-ecology and Biodiversity
• Epidemiological models, economic assessment
• Apiculture
• Faultless Goods and Food Safety
• Faultless Water
• Nutrition and Consumer protection
• Food Security
• Research Infrastructures
• Food borne diseases and Zoonosis
• Method Development and Risk Assessment
• Sustainable Plant Production
• Radiation Protection
• Animal Nutrition and Feedingstuffs
• Animal Health
• Communicable diseases
Strategic Research Questions

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Business Areas
Description
12

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Business Area Agriculture/Food Security
• Seeds & Potato plant material
• Plant varieties
• Plant genetic resources
• Soil health & Plant nutrition
• Plant protection products
• Plant health
• Feeding stuffs
• Apiculture
• Specific analytics
• Agricultural experimentation
• Marketing standards

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Agricultural Reference Laboratories and
collections
• National Phytosanitary Laboratory
• Official Seed Testing Laboratory
• Official Testing Laboratory for Potato Varieties
• National Seed Bank
• National Variety List
• National Gene Bank for cereals and legumes
Specific laboratories
• Soil Laboratory
• Laboratory for feeding stuffs
National Reference Laboratories

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Business Area Food Safety
& Consumer Protection
Health - Food Safety – Food Quality
Main tasks
• Appraisal of food samples
• Generating control plans for food inspection
• Expertise for Codex Alimentarius and politics
• Consumer goods and cosmetics
• Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF)
• Novel Foods
• Analytics and National Reference Laboratories

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• Biochemistry
• Pesticide Residues
• Veterinary Drugs & Hormones
• Hydroanalysis
• Chemistry Cluster (PAHs, Vitamins & Biomonitoring,
Mycotoxines)
• Radiation Protection & Radiochemistry
• Elements (Trace Elements & Heavy Metals, Fertilizer &
Plant Analysis)
• Radioecology & Radon
Analytics
Health - Food Safety – Food Quality

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NRL for feed and food
• Milk and milk products
• Zoonosis (salmonella)
• Marine biotoxines
• Monitoring the viral and bacteriological containment of bivalve mollusks
• Listeria monocytogenes
• Staphylococcus
• E. Coli
• Campylobacter
• Parasites (in particular Trichinella, Echinococcus and Anisakis) Antimicrobial resistance
• Animal proteins in feedingstuffs
• Residues of veterinary medicines and contaminants in food of animal
• Transmissible spongiform encephalopathy’s (TSEs)
• Additives for use in animal nutrition
• Genetically modified organisms (GMOs)
• Material intended to come into contact with foodstuffs
• Residues of Pesticides
• Cereals and feeding stuffs
• Food of animal origin and commodities with high fat content
• Fruits and vegetables, including commodities with high water and high acid content
• Single residue methods
• Heavy metals in feed
• Heavy metals in food
• Mycotoxins
• Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons
• Dioxins and PCBs in feed and food
• Water content in poultry meat
National Reference Laboratories
(acc. Regulation EC 882/2004)

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Business Area Animal Health
Health - Food Safety – Food Quality
Main tasks
• Animal disease control
• Zoonosis
• High security laboratories
• Reference laboratories

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Health, Food Safety
NRL for animal health and live animals
• Classical swine fever
• African horse sickness
• Avian influenza
• Newcastle disease
• Swine vesicular disease
• Fish disease
• Bivalve Mollusc Diseases
• Rabies
• Bluetongue
• African swine fever
• Foot-and mouth disease
• Brucellosis
• Equine infectious anaemia
• Crustacean diseases
• Bovine Tuberculosis
• Transmissible spongiform encephalopathy (TSEs)
• Bovine viral diarrhoea
National Reference Laboratories
(acc. Regulation EC 882/2004 & OIE)
• Aujeszky’s disease
• Psittacosis
• Enzootic bovine leucosis
• Peste des petits ruminants
• Vesicular stomatitis
• Lumpy skin disease
• Sheep and goat pox
• Rift valley fever
• Rinderpest
• Glanders
• Dourine
• Infectious bovine rhinotracheitis/Infectious pustular
vulvovaginitis
• Contagious bovine pleuropneumonia, Porcine
Teschovirus
• Para–tuberculosis
• Swine vesicular disease
• Parasites and p. zoonosis

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Business Area Public Health
Health
Main tasks
• Medical Microbiology
• Hygiene
• Infectious Diseases
• Epidemology
• Water (bathing, mineral and drinking waters)
• National Reference Centres

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Business Area
Medicines & Medical Devices Agency
Main tasks
• Pharmacovigilance
• Official medicines control laboratory
• Market authorization & Lifecycle
management
• Inspections, medical devices,
haemovigilance
• Science & Innovation

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BMG
(Federal Ministry of Health)
Regional and local authorities
BMLFUW
(Federal Ministry of Agriculture,
Forestry, Environment and
Water Management)
BAES
(Federal Office
for Food Safety )
Food and Feed Safety
Authorities in Austria
AGES
(Austrian Agency for Health
and Food Safety)

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Federal Office for Food Safety (BAES)
Authority for implementation of following acts:
• Seeds Act
• Plant propagating materials Act
• Plant varieties Act
• Plant protection products Act
• Plant health Act
• Feeding stuff Act
• Fertilizers Act
• Marketing standards Act
§

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Federal Office for Safety in Health
Care (BASG)
Authority for implementation of following acts:
• Austrian Medicines Act
• Medicinal Products Import Act
• Blood Safety Act
• Medical Devices Act
• Compulsory Prescription Act
• Austrian Tissue Safety Act
• Inspections according to the Addictive Drug Act
§

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International Cooperation
1. Capacity Building
2. Research Projects
3. Agricultural Experimentation
4. Networking

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International Cooperation
1. Capacity Building
ο Twinning
ο Development Cooperation

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Capacity Building Projects
Twinnings
• Bulgaria (BG/2007/IB/AG/06/UE/TWL), Testing, Field Inspection and Seed Control for GMO control of seed and propagating
material (2007)
• Czech Republic (CZ/06/IB/AG/08-TL): “Improved Implementation of Acquis in the Area of Food Safety Surveillance (2009)
• Slovakia (SK06/IB/HE/01/TL): Improving analyses and risk assessments regarding residue pesticides (2008 - 2009)
• Turkey TR 07 IB EN 01, Capacity strengthening and support of implementation of Nitrates Directive in Turkey (in co-
operation with Austrian Environmental Agency –UBA),
• Latvia (LV/2006/IB/AG-02TL): Strengthening of the capacity of the Competent Authorities on the application of food hygiene
requirements in the specific sectors of food chain, running (in cooperation with Agrarmarkt Austria -AMA),
• Czech Republic (CZ/05/IB/AG/01-TL): The optimization of CISTA control activities in the field of feedingstuffs safety in the
frame of Reg (EC) 882/2004 implementation
• Serbia (SR/06/IB/JH/01): Implementation of Integrated Border Management in Serbia (in cooperation with the Austrian
Agency for European Integration and Economic Development - AEI)
• Lithuania (LT/2005/IB/AG01): Administration of Import/Export, Market Information System, effective use of Farm
Accountancy Data Network and Organic Agriculture (in cooperation with Agrarmarkt Austria -AMA)
• Slovenia (SI/2005/IB/AG/04): Risk assessment methodology and Risk assessment in the food chain regarding
microorganisms (in cooperation with Agrarmarkt Austria -AMA)
• Bulgaria (BG/2004/IB/EC/01): Strengthening of the system for health control on trade with chemical substances,
preparations and products and strengthening the capacity for control on the novel foods and novel food ingredients, and for
control on the irradiated foods and food ingredients (in co-operation with Austrian Environmental Agency –UBA)
• Cyprus (CY/2003/IB/EN/01/TL): Developing of capabilities for integrated risk assessment of chemicals at State General
Laboratory (SGL)* (in co-operation with Austrian Environmental Agency –UBA),
• Slovakia (SK/03/IB/EN/02): Biosafety Monitoring System (AGES in co-operation with Umweltbundesamt – UBA)
• Slovenia (SI/2003/IB/EC/02): Further development of chemical safety (Ages in co-operation with Umweltbundesamt - UBA)
• Regional Countries (West Balkan): EU-CARDS Regional Programme "Support to and Coordination of Integrated Border
Management Strategies"
• Poland: EU-PHARE Project: "Agriculture Information System“

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Capacity Building Projects
Better training for safer food
European commission, organisation and implementation of training activities concerning the
evaluation and registration of plant protection products and control of their proper use and
marketing
Development Cooperation
• Serbia: Integrated Regional Development Plan of the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina
(agriculture, organic agriculture)
Bilateral Projects
• Saudi Arabia: Laboratory training for experts of the Saudi Food and Drug Authority (2010-12)
• Croatia: Laboratory trainings
• Lithuania (2008): Workshop – GMO in feed inspections for Lithuanian officials
• Bulgaria – TAIEX (2007): Workshop on phytosanitary inspections at import and transit
Cooperation with international organisations
• UNIDO: “Food Safety Infrastructure in Palestine - The way forward” (2010)
• UNIDO: Thai national food institute study visit (2010)
• IAEA: Bangladesh: Establishing a Veterinary Drug Residue Laboratory
Algeria: Training Laboratory “Antibiotic Residues in Food of Animal Origin”
Various countries: "Development of Radiometric and Allied Analytical Methods to
Strengthen National Residue Control Programmes for Antibiotic and Anthelmintic
Veterinary Drug Residues" (2009 - 2013)

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International Cooperation
2. Research Projects

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Research - Challenges
• Climate change adaption
• Food security
• Food safety
• Human health
• Plant health
• Animal health

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Examples of running research projects
National financed projects
• Consequences of climate change on ecosystem functions, water
balance, productivity and biodiversity of agricultural soils in the
Pannonian area.
• Modelling epidemiological and economic consequences of Grapevine Flavescence
dorée phytoplasma to Austrian viticulture under a climate change scenario
• Climate change induced invasion and socio-economic impacts of allergy-inducing
plants in Austria
• Food security risks for Austria caused by climate change
• Appearance of Diabrotica virgifera virgifera L. in Austria
• Actions for bee health promotion – elucidation of unclarified bee losses
• Copper as Plant Protection Product – Strategy for a sustainable use
• Development of a geo referenced exposure model for the evaluation of Plant
Protection Products regarding ground water contamination risks

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Examples of running research projects
EU financed projects (Framework Programme)
• Soil Transformations in European Catchments
• European Phytosanitary (Statutory Plant Health)
Research Coordination I
• European Research Infrastructure on Highly
Pathogenic Agents
• Coordination of European Research on Emerging
and Major Infectious Diseases of Livestock

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International Cooperation
3. Agricultural Experimentation

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Field trials
Technical experimentation
greenhouses – quarantine cabins
tissue cultures/lysimeter

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Tirol
Vorarlberg
Salzburg
Tirol
Kärnten
Burgen-
land
Fuchsenbigl
Gleisdorf
Hörzendorf
Schönfeld
.
Dt. Jahrndorf
Weiz
Gießhübl
Ritzlhof
Jetzing
Taufkirchen
Gumpenstein
Tulbing
Pummersdorf/Hofing
Kilb
St. Andrä
Kalsdorf
Kappel
Völkermarkt
Experimentation stations
Fluttendorf
Eltendorf
Paurach
Hatzendorf
Andau
Albrechtsfeld
Frauenkirchen
Nikitsch
St. Andrä
Tadten
Absdorf
Ebergassing
Gaisruck
Gerhaus/Pachfurth
/
Nickelsdorf
Mallon
Melk
Neuaigen
Pottendorf
Pultendorf/Prinzersdorf
Phyra
Dietach
Mitterbachham
Naarn
Niederabsdorf
Blaustauden
Eichhorn
Hohenau
Trials in test stations
Field trials
Enns
Wartberg
Alkoven
Breitbrunn
Bierbaum Stang
Eichfeld
Strass
Weinberg
Wieselburg
Staasdorf
Tulln
Wolfpassing
Weikendorf
Fraham
Weißkirchen
Authal Kobenz
Söding
St. Georgen
Unterwölbling
Unterwaltersdorf/Schranawand
Winklhof
Petzenkirchen
Rossa
RamsauWurmbrand
Pehendorf
Zinsenhof
Reidling Zissersdorf
Rutzendorf
Breitstetten
Haringsee
Stammersdorf
Linz
Freistadt
Großnondorf
AGES Wien
Grabenegg
Experimentation stations
• Weinviertel
• Marchfeld
• NÖ und OÖ Alpenvorland
• SO- Flach- und Hügelland
• Kärntner Becken
• Wald- und Mühlviertel

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Lysimeter
Research facility for soils
Sandy chernozem Teep chernozem Moisty Black Soil

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Lysimeter – Status quo

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Lysimeter – measuring systems

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AGES Services
AGES Academy
Training, further training and information events
Contact: akademie@ages.at
Product Warnings
Information on product recalls and product warnings per email or RSS feed
(Subscription: www.ages.at)
Folders & Brochures
Special information & consumer tips
(to order or download: www.ages.at)
AGES Newsletter
Special information & consumer tips per email (Subscription: www.ages.at)
AGES in Social Networks