The FSA Lend Their Ears To The Farmers
UK - The British meat industry is more heavily regulated than anywhere else. Each year the British taxpayer spends 30 million pounds on hygiene controls alone. Now the Food Standards Agency questions just where that money is going, and if it could be spent more efficiently.
3 April 2007
1 minute read
To gather information the FSA is prompting industry members to put forward their own opinions. Current proposals are for changes to the meat inspection practise, entailing service charges for processors and the delegation of new duties to private bodies.
One favoured idea would see a complete overhaul of MHS, which would see reduced costs, improved productivity and forge more effective industrial partnerships. To implement these principles the board is suggesting a new charging and cost-sharing structure, moving to recover the industry and reduce the FSA subsidiary to the MHS.
Another proposal favoured by the board was for the FSA to delegate official controls to the private sector.
Under EU regulations, the FSA is permitted to select and accredit control bodies and manage them by contract and service level agreements, including removing their accreditation where necessary.
The independent control bodies, whether private, public or voluntary, would employ the vets and inspectors. They would also offer to provide official controls to the plants, perhaps alongside other services, the report suggests.
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