The Food Standards Agency Board, at its open Board meeting held in London today, discussed future funding of UK meat controls. After a wide-ranging discussion, the Board agreed three key principles.
The three key principles are:
it is not a function of the FSA to subsidise the meat industry, and if a continuing subsidy is to be provided it should come from elsewhere
the best possible protection for consumers from food risk should not be based on economic circumstances or the ability of the industry to pay
the need to consult with the meat industry and UK Government stakeholders on the future funding of UK meat controls – this concerns the costs of official inspections of abattoirs and cutting plants
Agency Chief Executive Tim Smith said: 'We need to have a policy on funding for official controls that is consistent with the FSA’s position as the UK’s food regulator. Providing a subsidy to industry is inconsistent with that role.
'It is not a function of the FSA to subsidise industry and if a subsidy is to continue it should come from elsewhere. We cannot continue funding UK meat controls without the Agency having to reduce or end investment in other priorities.
'In the next few weeks we will be sitting down with the meat industry and other stakeholders to discuss proposals for implementing this policy.'
At present, the FSA pays about £36m towards meat hygiene regulation in Great Britain. In Northern Ireland the controls cost £7m, of which about half is recovered from industry, the other half is paid as a subsidy.
If the Agency moves towards full recovery of the current subsidy, analysis has shown that even if the full costs were passed on to consumers the impact would be minimal – less than a penny (0.8p) on a whole chicken retailing at £4.00; less than half a penny (0.47p) on 500g of lean mince retailing at £1.92.
The Board paper on the future funding of UK meat controls can be read in full at the link below.
Source: newsroom - meattradenewsdaily.co.uk
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