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  • Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed
  • The lifecycle of a notification

The lifecycle of a notification

The notification

The notifications are structured communications transmitted over the iRASFF network, usually referring to one or more consignments.

Actions related to the notifications

  1. Check

    1. Click on Check to verify that the notification contains all compulsory information before submitting or validating it.

    2. In case of mistakes or missing information, the program shows a red error message listing the errors or information needed on top of each panel. The fields where action is needed are highlighted in red. If anything needs to be changed, act accordingly and then submit or validate the notification.

      iRASFF error messages identifying the fields not filled in correctly

      Note

      If you decide to save a notification as a draft, the application will not carry out the check, so you can use this option to save the information even if it is not complete.

      Note

      Go through the structure of the data to the lowest level field that is marked red to see details of the error and correct the problem.

  2. Validate

    1. Click on Validate to validate the notification.

    2. A dialog box appears asking to confirm your choice. If you did not intend to validate the notification, click on Cancel and you will go back to the notification. If you wish to validate it, click on Validate.

      iRASFF pop-up window to confirm your action

  3. Delete

    1. Click on Delete to permanently erase the notification.

      Important

      Make sure you want to cancel the notification before using this button, as the action is definitive and the application will not save a copy.

    2. A dialog box appears asking to confirm your choice.

    3. If you did not intend to erase it, click on Cancel and you will go back to the notification. If you wish to erase the notification, click on Delete.

      iRASFF pop-up window to confirm your action

  4. Close

    1. Click on Close to close the page.

    2. A dialog box appears asking whether you would like to save the notification before closing, and allowing you to select among three options:

      • Save & Close: to save the notification with all information included in the draft, and return to the homepage;

      • Discard & Close: to close the notification without saving any information introduced in the notification, and return to the homepage;

      • Cancel: to stay in the notification and continue working on it.

        iRASFF pop-up window for you to choose your action

  5. Save

    Click on Save to save a draft of the notification.

    Note

    If you close the browser or click on the Back button without selecting Close or Save while editing a notification, a message appears allowing you to Cancel this action or to Confirm that you wish to exit.

    If you click on Confirm, your previous insertions are discarded.

  6. Edit

    Edit gives the possibility to access and modify (erase, add, change) all the information contained in the notification if it has not been validated yet.

  7. Suspend

    Note

    Only Validators can suspend a notification, and only if the notification has been submitted.

    This is used when the information is insufficient to evaluate and validate the notification.

    1. After clicking on Suspend, a dialog box appears to request additional information to the Creator.

    2. Select one information from the drop-down list next to Request .

    3. You may also add your own request next to Other request, select a deadline to receive an answer from the drop-down list next to Urgency level, or add a Comment with a free text.

    4. Then click on Confirm to submit your request for additional information and suspend the notification or click Cancel to go back to the notification.

      iRASFF request additional information dialog box

  8. Decline

    1. Decline enables the Validator or Escalator to decline escalation of a notification after its evaluation.

    2. A dialog box appears to select the relevant Reason from a drop-down list.

    3. An additional comment can also be added in the space next to Comment.

    4. Click Confirm to decline escalation of the notification, or Cancel to go back to the notification.

    5. The notification is now "sent back" to the lower level .

      iRASFF decline dialog box

      Note

      This button appears as Reject if the notification was created and submitted by a MS Creator.

      It instead appears as Decline if the notification was created by the regional level and submitted to the national one (i.e. from a RG Validator to a MS Validator or MS Escalator).

    6. After the notification was declined, the MS Escalator can:

      • Leave the notification at the national level (ms-validated status: national notification).

      • Escalate again the notification to EC, once the reason for declination is no longer valid (if for example the sufficient evidence of a direct risk to consumer health is given and the notification is escalated again).

      • Leave the notification at MS level, and in the General information panel change the notification classification to non-compliance notification and share it with other countries using a conversation. In this case, it is not possible to re-escalate the notification to EC.

  9. Reject

    If the notification was created and submitted by a Creator, instead of the decline button, the system display a reject button.

  10. Print

    1. Print allows to create ready-to-be printed reports of the original notification in PDF format, including its attachments.

    2. First, scroll down to the Attached documents panel on the bottom right of the notification.

    3. To include all attachments in the PDF, tick the box next to Add All to Print.

      To include only certain attachments, tick the box next to the specific attachment(s) you wish to print.

      To not include any attachment, leave all boxes unticked.

    4. Then scroll back up and click on Print. A pop-up window opens.

      • To only consult the PDF, tick Open with Firefox or Open with Adobe Acrobat and click on OK.

      • To save the PDF on your computer, tick Save file and click on OK.

    5. You can then go to File and select the option Print to print the documents from your local printer.

    6. The same option is available for follow-ups as well.

      Follow the same procedure, but clicking on Print on the right of the follow-up of interest in the Follow-up panel instead.

      iRASFF print dialog box

    This option includes the files as attachments of your PDF file. To open the attachments:

    • Either click on the file link in the last page of the PDF;

    • Or click on View on the top left of the PDF, then Show/Hide, Navigation panes and Attachments. Click on the clipboard that appears on your left to visualise all attachments.

    Note

    To see the attachment section or to open the attachment, you may have to Enable all features in your PDF reader software. If you cannot directly open the file by clicking on the hyperlink, you will first have to save the attachment on your desk.

  11. Print XML

    1. Print the notification in xml format with Print XML.

    2. After clicking on it, a pop-up window appears.

    3. To only consult the file, tick Open with Office XML Handler and click on OK.

      To save the document on your computer, tick Save file and click on OK.

    4. You can then go to File and select the option Print to print the documents from your local printer.

  12. Refresh

    Update the form with new or modified data with Refresh. It is recommended to do in case of an error; however any unsaved data is then lost.

    Tip

    This can also be used if the session on your computer has timed out.

  13. Follow-up

    Follow-up allows to create a follow-up for adding new information or/and modifying the necessary fields.

  14. Withdraw

    1. Withdraw enables the MS Validator or MS Escalator to withdraw a notification once it’s MS validated.

    2. A dialog box appears to select the relevant Reason for the withdrawal from a drop-down list.

    3. An additional comment can also be added in the space next to Comment.

    4. Then click on Confirm to withdraw the notification, or on Cancel to go back to the notification.

      iRASFF withdraw dialog box

  15. Notify

    1. Notify allows to inform the Member States or competent authorities within your country concerned by the notification.

    2. At MS level, a dialog box appears to select the competent authorities (border, feed or food) to notify.

      Note

      This is an old function that is no longer operational and should therefore no longer be used.

      97.png

  16. History

    History shows all modifications made to the original notification through subsequent follow-ups.

    For each modified field, the content of such change, the follow-up number, the status and the country responsible for the change appear.

    Risk history

  17. Rehabilitate

    Rehabilitate allows a MS Validator and MS Escalator to rehabilitate a notification that was previously rejected or withdrawn.

  18. Submit

    1. Submit allows to submit the notification to the MS Validator or MS Escalator.

    2. A dialog box appears to confirm the choice.

    3. Click on Submit to submit the notification to the National contact point (MS Validator), otherwise click on Cancel to return to the notification.

      iRASFF pop-up window for you to confirm your action

  19. Escalate

    1. Escalate allows the MS Escalator to escalate the notification (after it has been validated or submitted) to an EC Validator.

    2. A dialog box appears to confirm the choice.

    3. Click on Escalate to escalate the notification to the EC, otherwise click on Cancel to return to the notification.

      iRASFF pop-up window to confirm your action