2002/03 Annual report - Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority of Singapore

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We at AVA believe that a cohesive, professional and innovative workforce is the hallmark of an excellent organisation. To promote an organisational culture that values these attributes and strives to attain them, varied programmes and training frameworks are in-place and continue to be developed. Coupled with the latest that information technology has to offer, our staff are well-equipped to more than meet the expectations of our customers and face future challenges with confidence. Our People AVA’s strength and success lie in the dedication of our people. The organisation, in turn, works to develop and train each staff member to his or her fullest potential. In FY02/03, the average training days attended per staff was 13. During the year, we also took over the management of the Veterinary Science scholars from the Public Service Commission, and as a result awarded two undergraduate scholarships. In addition, three officers embarked on postgraduate studies in Mass Communications, Preventive Veterinary Medicine and Aquaculture. Since our journey towards achieving the People Developer Standard (PDS) began in 2001, we have put in place practices and systems such as incorporating the Individual Learning Plan and Career Development Plan in the Staff Appraisal, introducing a structured Induction Programme, and launching the Training and Evaluation System. The PDS application would be submitted to SPRING Singapore in May 2003 for assessment. A total number of 73 staff were promoted in FY02/03, in recognition of excellent performance. Numerous types of awards were also bestowed, including 101 Long Service Awards. In recognition of their service, a total of 43 AVA staff received National Day Awards. One officer was conferred the Public Administration Medal (Silver) and two officers were awarded the Public Administration Medal (Bronze) in addition to 37 Long Service Award recipients. Three tea sessions were arranged for new and incumbent staff to meet CEO, AVA for the purpose of exchanging views and garnering feedback on areas such as career development and AVA profile. To welcome officers from FCD to AVA after their transfer in July 2002, an induction briefing and tea was organised. In May 2002, the policy on medical claims was extended to allow claims for in-patient medical expenses at private hospitals. In the pipeline are plans to implement the Management Executive Scheme which rewards based on staff performance in place of the current graduate schemes of service. An Electronic Leave Application System to facilitate the application and recording of leave will be implemented upon successful trial results expected to be out in June 2003. PS21 and Quality Service Programmes At AVA, emphasis is placed on continuous improvements. Staff are encouraged to embrace innovation and teamwork and to contribute suggestions to streamline work processes, cut red tape and improve overall service and effectiveness of the organisation. A total of 9 WIT teams presented their projects at two WIT Management Presentations. During the 2nd AVA WIT Management Presentation held on 18 December 2002 where four WIT projects were presented, a newly introduced “Fave Award” was given to the team with the most audience votes. Plaques and certificates were presented by CEO to all the teams that had completed two WIT projects in FY01/02. The CEO also gave away the Best WIT FY01/02 award during the ceremony. In FY02/03, we completed 104 WIT projects, which were all implemented. Beyond AVA, two of our WITs teams received the Bronze award in the 2002 PS21 ExCEL Convention held in November 2002 and one team received the Ministry of National Development (MND) NOVA AWARD (Bronze) in July 2002. Under the Staff Suggestion Scheme, AVA staff achieved 100% participation rate and the implementation ratio of the suggestions was 0.58 per staff member. For our excellent improvement in SSS in 2002, AVA has been awarded the Dynamic SSS Award by MND. In working towards achieving the Singapore Quality Class (SQC) for AVA, we have made substantial progress in FY02/03. A central depository was created to facilitate the storage and retrieval of materials and documents required for the SQC project. The system offers access to relevant personnel to enable the sharing of information and input for internal assessment using the Business Excellence Assessment for Continuous Improvement (BEACON) instrument. The preliminary internal assessment was conducted and areas requiring improvement identified. A draft organisational profile and a list of best practices and awards won by AVA have been compiled. To spur the innovative spirit among staff, creative certificates of appointment, signed by the CEO, were given to all AVA innovation activists, or “innovists”. Innovists were also the first to undergo customised training to enable them to effectively drive innovation in AVA. Idea re-generating boxes and an online innovation forum were set up as additional avenues for generating and sharing of ideas. Other activities to encourage innovation included two Knowledge Conferences with talks by Innovation practitioners and an Innovation Puzzle Quiz. In addition to innovation events within AVA, we also participated in inter-agency activities such as the MND Family Innovation Launch on 12 July 2002 and the i-Xchange project discussion. One hundred AVA officers attended the Innovation Expedition organised by the Public Service Division from 24-28 February 2003 and AVA innovists were actively involved in the MND Innovation Rendezvous aimed at proposing a common framework to rationalise and integrate the various Organisational Excellence initiatives for MND and its statutory boards. In the coming year, an Innovation Room filled with colourful creative toys and innovative books and tools aimed at triggering staff’s minds to unleash innovative ideas, will be opened for use by AVA staff. Quality service is another key focus in AVA’s drive for excellence, and is exemplified in one of AVA’s corporate values i.e. service excellence where AVA takes pride in delivering high quality and efficient service. Through benchmarking, sharing of best practices and feedback from customers, we aim to deliver service that is courteous, accessible, responsive and effective. An AVA staff member was granted the inaugural Public Sector STAR Service Award on 18 February 2003 for demonstrating exemplary service. Staff Welfare At AVA, we adopt a holistic approach towards staff well-being, encompassing fitness and fun for every individual. Four overseas tours were organised during FY02/03. Two were to Malaysia – a oneday trip to Kukup and Johore Bahru in September 2002, and a Malacca/Kuala Lumpur tour in April 2002. Further from our shores, a shopping tour to Hong Kong was organised in July 2002 as well as a tour to Shanghai and Suzhou in September 2002 which included a visit Performance in WITs for FY02/03 Holding Strength No. of WITs to the Agri World and Speedling, two agricultural parks established by a Singapore company with consultancy from AVA. Local educational tours were also conducted to Parliament House, Senoko Fishing Port, Pasir Panjang Wholesale Market and factory outlets. The annual AVA Dinner & Dance was held on 13 July 2002 at Mandarin Court with Mr Mah Bow Tan, Minister for National Development, as Guest-of-Honour. The event was well attended by AVA staff and their guests. Another main recreational activity for the year was Family Day on 21 December 2002. Held at the Night Safari, Board members and senior management joined 250 staff and family members for dinner and an entertaining programme. No. of Completed Projects No. of Projects No. of Accepted for Implemented Implementation Projects AVA recognises the importance of a healthy lifestyle. To encourage staff to take care of their health, several activities were organised in the year, such as a health screening exercise by the National Kidney Foundation, lunchtime and public talks on health issues, and the launch of ACTIVE Day and Health Week on 6 September 2002. For the latter, CEO of AVA demonstrated his support by leading the exercise and giving approval for staff to stop work 30 minutes earlier to participate in a once-a-month workout. For championing a healthy lifestyle at work, AVA was awarded the Singapore H.E.A.L.T.H (Helping Employees Achieve Life-Time Health) Award, Silver for 2002. Sports activities play an important role in AVA’s social calendar. The Sports Action Group organised a badminton clinic, Project Implementation Ratio Ratio 805 52 104 104 104 2.00 1.00 Ministry’s FY02/03 Targets 1.70 1.00 Page 56 Page 57 HR Staff Strength Categories of Staff Performance in SSS for FY02/03 Holding Strength No. of 1st time Suggesters Food and Veterinary Food Supply and Corporate Development Administration Technology and Support Management/Professional 150 52 48 250 Technical Support 136 111 6 253 Non-technical Support 44 18 48 110 Operations Support 87 110 5 202 Total 417 291 107 815 No. of Suggestions No. of Implemented Suggestions Suggestion Participation Implementation Ratio Rate Ratio 805 805 4,222 2,429 5.24 100% 0.58 Ministry’s FY02/03 Targets 5.00 100% 0.53 Total
which was attended by 22 badminton enthusiasts. We also participated in sports competitions organised by the Public Service, including the Beach Volleyball Contest, Scrabble Competition, Chess Competition, Badminton Tournament and Basketball Tournament. Information Technology The merger of Food Control Division of the Ministry of the Environment (ENV) with AVA called for a seamless integration of hardware and software of the two organisations to ensure that workflow was not disrupted due to the migration of systems. Systems that were migrated from ENV to AVA included the Food Inspection System, which assists FCD in monitoring their food safety operations in the areas of import, licensing, inspection and laboratory testing; the Enforcement Application System, which helps FCD enforce legislation; and the Summon Application and Food Database, which acts as a repository of summons from various sections and for food-related information. AVA uses TradeNet to control the import permits of animals, plants, seafood, meat, fruits, vegetables and eggs. The transfer of FCD to AVA saw the enhancement of TradeNet to allow online and autoprocessing of import permits of processed foods. The upgrading was carried out in two phases – Phase I in July 2002 and Phase II would be implemented in April 2003. Improvements were also made to the Trade-declaration Auto-Processing System that is closely interfaced with TradeNet. In line with the e-Government targets set by the Ministry of Finance, all forms for public services were uploaded onto the AVA website for easy access. A project to develop a new ICT system – the Electronic Licensing, Certificates and Permit System (e-CLiPS) has been initiated. The new e-CLiPS system will enable the application, renewal, payment or enquiry on licences, permits and health certificates to become more convenient for businesses and members of the public. Two separate committees were set up to develop two IT systems to provide technological support to AVA’s services. The two systems are the Food Safety Inspection System (FSIS) and the Laboratory Information & Management System (LIMS). When implemented, FSIS will replace the existing Veterinary Public Health System and provide electronic services delivery to internal and external customers; while LIMS will assist the laboratories in their daily operations, including the registration, modification and deletion of applications, as well as laboratory results. In terms of ICT infrastructure, a network connection both internally and to AVA HQ was set up for the Veterinary Public Health Laboratory which was to be relocated to the Agri-Bio Park in Lim Chu Kang in 2003. Another relocation which required new IT infrastructure was the Plant Regulatory Branch at Sembawang Research Station which moved to the Veterinary Research and Training Institute block at the same location, in March 2003. The IT security and risk assessment project to ensure system availability, confidentiality and integrity at AVA was completed. In addition the AVA IT Security Policy was developed and the Intrusion Detection System was installed to alleviate security threats. Singapore Computer Systems was engaged to provide a disaster recovery site for critical ICT systems to minimise impact to AVA’s operations in case of a disaster. Disaster Recovery briefings were conducted for management and key ICT users; and a Disaster Recovery Plan and accompanying tests were completed in January 2003. Other operational systems that were enhanced include the Food Inspection System (FIS) to facilitate sampling and inspections and the Financial Accounting and Resource Management System (FARM$) to update the re-organised cost centres. The Enforcement Application System (EAS) captures data on offenders and the fines imposed. With the impending implementation of the Compound Fines System, we will be reviewing and upgrading the EAS to enhance enforcement activities. Paperless and electronic services will be developed to facilitate trade, for example SANCRT with Australia and electronic health certificates with New Zealand. Public Education and Community Outreach Shared Responsibility in Food Safety and Animal Welfare With more than 90% of Singapore’s food originating from overseas, ensuring the well-being of our nation is a shared responsibility that can only be achieved through the observation of good food safety practices and raised demands for higher food safety standards. To this end, AVA has initiated a public education programme for consumers, which was launched on July 2002 by Dr Vivian Balakrishnan, Minister of State for National Development. The food safety public education aims to communicate food risks and share knowledge on food safety to help consumers better protect themselves against foodborne diseases. The programme’s many activities included the launch of Oscar, the Food Safety Mascot, quarterly advertorials to educate the public on useful food safety tips, public forums, roadshows and exhibitions to promote food safety, and bus advertisements, among others. A section of the AVA website has also been dedicated to consumer education on food safety. Visitors to the website can refer to many food safety articles to gain a better appreciation of the various food safety efforts made. Set up in April 2001, the Animal Welfare Education Branch (AWEB) located at CAWC promotes animal welfare and responsible pet ownership through education instead of traditional enforcement. In FY02/03, AWEB visited 78 schools and conducted a total of 189 talks on responsible pet ownership. Other activities undertaken by AWEB included participation in exhibitions and roadshows. We also continued to work closely with animal welfare groups such as the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, Cat Welfare Society, Action For Singapore Dogs and House Rabbit’s Society Singapore to promote responsible pet ownership. The AVA Pet Starter Kit, first produced in 1998 to provide potential pet owners with basic information on pet care and pet laws, saw an attractive second edition in four languages. A book specially tailored for children entitled “How to Take Care of Pets”, was also published. Both were distributed free of charge at schools, at the Centre for Animal Welfare and Control (CAWC) and at our educational talks. AWEB plans to produce a pet activity workbook on pet matters for primary school children in FY03/04. AWEB also oversees a resource centre at CAWC comprising a poster gallery, library and seminar room. The poster gallery showcases informative posters on animals permitted as pets in Singapore, the salient aspects of a responsible pet owner, and animal cruelty, among other topics. Organised group visits to CAWC are made available where visitors can enjoy a pet education talk, a tour of the library and poster gallery, and hands-on interaction with small pets such as cats, rabbits, guinea pigs and hamsters. In February 2003, the programme for the Centre visits was audited and approved by the Ministry of Education (MOE) for inclusion in its Learning Journeys programme. Content on AWEB’s education programmes and downloadable educational materials were developed and placed on the AVA website for public reference. Information on CAWC’s publications, talks and visits is also posted on this site. Caring for the Community AVA strongly believes in contributing to the community and helping the less fortunate in society. AVA staff set up stalls to help the less fortunate at our AVA Care and Share Day Charity Bazaar held on 30 January 2002 during which a sum of $11,835 was raised for the Straits Times School Pocket Money Fund. AVA also participated in the donation drive to pledge hearts costing $10 each for the MND Family Heart Bus in September 2002. Out of the $20,590 raised by the MND family, $2,400 was raised by AVA. AVA staff initiated and conducted an IT programme for the boys of Bukit Batok Teen Challenge Home that lasted from July to August 2002. In addition to teaching basic Microsoft courses every Friday evening, the AVA volunteers helped to test and set up the donated computers for use at the the course. For our contribution to the SHARE Programme, we were awarded the Bronze award for 2002. AVA participated in the GardenTech 2002 Show organised by National Parks Board from 24–27 October 2002. Showcased were posters and information materials promoting the range of horticulture services provided by the AVA’s Horticulture Service Centre. Two courses were conducted on Plant Tissue Culture to train eight teachers from Chung Cheng High School and the N2 clusters of primary schools in June 2002. The courses are intended to promote the life sciences through technology transfer. In our drive towards organisational excellence, AVA harnesses the latest that information technology has to offer, ensures the well-being of staff and reaches out to the community through public education efforts. Page 58 Page 59
Page 1 and 2: The Look of Life\ Agri-Food & Veter
Page 3 and 4: The contrast of textures
Page 5 and 6: Board of Directors Mr Koh Poh Tiong
Page 7 and 8: The spontaneity of expression
Page 9 and 10: AVA placed several advertorials in
Page 11 and 12: Enhancing the Safety of Our Food No
Page 13 and 14: A total of 177,427 import permits w
Page 15 and 16: These surveillance programmes enabl
Page 17 and 18: Singapore Food Manufacturers’ Ass
Page 19 and 20: To ensure that the introduction and
Page 21 and 22: Animal Control Measures Stray anima
Page 23 and 24: The inevitable result of urbanisati
Page 25 and 26: Forging Global Ties and Facilitatin
Page 27 and 28: As the national authority for agric
Page 29: Synergising Staff and Resources An
Page 33 and 34: AVA Service Centres AVA Service Cen
Page 35 and 36: Food Supply and Technology Agri-Tra
Page 37 and 38: Consumption, Import and Local Farm
Page 39 and 40: Three-Year Financial Summary FY 02/
Page 41 and 42: Financial Position As at 31 March 2
Page 43 and 44: Capital Expenditure Capital expendi
Page 45 and 46: Statement of Changes in Fund and Gr
Page 47 and 48: Notes to the Financial Statements F
Page 49 and 50: Notes to the Financial Statements F

2002/03 Annual report - Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority of Singapore

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