FSA boss appeals to meat industry
New director throws down gauntlet in north-east during first public presentation
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The boss of the Food Standards Agency in Scotland urged the meat industry yesterday to work with him to address its concerns on alleged inefficiencies in the way it operates – and to secure changes in BSE rules.
Professor Charles Milne threw the gauntlet down yesterday in Aberdeen at his first public presentation since becoming director in June.
He also promised to address what he termed as a “patchy food business inspection” regime that led to Russia last year restricting fish imports from the UK to just three processing plants in Scotland.
Prof Milne, Scotland’s much-admired former chief vet, told the north-east Scotland agricultural advisory committee – made up of councillors from Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire and Moray, government organisations and industry representatives – he wanted greater co-operation between food businesses and the agency.
He added: “It is very easy to criticise a service, particularly when it is a government service. I want to develop a partnership approach because we all need to work together.
“I want to stop the confrontation and sit down and discuss various issues. A lot of progress is being made and could continue to be made.”
Prof Milne had hailed the 20% reduction in the last two years in the operating costs at the FSA’s Meat Hygiene Service, and a continuing transformation process that has seen hundreds of staff lose their jobs and further efficiencies being targeted.
He also highlighted the move to time-based charging for meat inspection, saying it would help processors.
But former ANM Group chief executive Brian Pack said the trade view on the FSA and the MHS was much further away from the one presented by Prof Milne. “Knocking out 20% of costs over two years given the MHS is 100% inefficient is not hard to do,” said Mr Pack, who also complained that time-based charging was not the panacea as claimed as it was still surrounded by bureaucracy.
Mr Pack also asked why if European food law put the onus for food safety on business operators, including farmers, the MHS was still needed. “Why do we need six folk from it in an abattoir? Why can’t we be allowed to produce safe food from our own resources.”
There too were complaints at the slow progress in removing controls against BSE as the disease had virtually disappeared.
Prof Milne acknowledged the frustration, but said meat inspection was required by EU law. He also said the FSA was working hard to get controls removed, but that industry needed to recognise the problems in doing this as Britain was still very much seen as a problem state for animal disease.
The FSA supported Scandinavian-led moves to reform the inspection process. It was also gathering the scientific evidence to persuade other states to back other changes.
“We need to modernise, but we have to get the balance right,” he added.
He reminded the meeting that the jury was still out on the potential number of cases of new variant CJD, which has been linked with eating BSE-infected meat.
Prof Milne vowed to improve the inspection process for food businesses after the Russian fish import ban which showed significant deficiencies.
He said that local authority inspectors and the FSA’s own staff had allowed various fish businesses to operate not just in contravention of export rules, but domestic legislation too.
He said an audit after the ban showed unacceptable standards, including mouldy walls, sinks that were not connected to drains and which instead spewed out dirty water on to floors as well as filthy walls.
An audit has since found problems at councils and the FSA itself. He has written to council bosses to offer improved training so that consistent enforcement can be achieved and a repeat prevented. Prof Milne added: “We all assume food is safe to eat. If we undermine that then we all have a problem.”
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