A REVIEW of meat hygiene rule enforcement in Scotland’s abattoirs has concluded that the Food Standards Agency is ‘heavy handed’ and too reliant on using criminal law against basically honest companies.

The review, carried out by Alan Kirkwood, a respected figure in the Scottish industry with experience of both running abattoirs and policy development, acknowledged the importance of firm enforcement during the early days of the BSE crisis, and accepted that the introduction of the FSA in 2000 had also helped build consumer confidence

However, Mr Kirkwood pointed out that, while BSE had all but disappeared from the UK, the emergency regulatory regime from the peak years was still largely in place, and being applied to the industry by the FSA ‘behaving like a police force’, ready to bring criminal cases against companies when no actual risk to human health was evident.

“This is damaging, both to industry and the reputation of a government publicly committed to reducing bureaucracy and red tape,” said Mr Kirkwood.

“There has to be a line drawn so that industry is subject to proportionate treatment and reasonable costs and FSA can become a modern proportionate regulator subscribing to mainstream government business policy and practice.

“The biggest stumbling block to a more consensual, risk-based approach would appear to be the fact that although, publicly, the FSA is making some encouraging noises about working together, the common reality is that unnecessary conflict with the meat industry is still far too evident.”

Mr Kirkwood’s overall recommendation was that, while the rules should stay as they are, legal prosecutions should be curtailed on all incidents except those involving conscious gross negligence.

Welcoming the review, Scottish Association of Meat Wholesalers presidentg Alan Craigg said: “For too long the FSA has espoused partnership working with abattoirs to deliver proportionate, risk-based controls, whilst falling well short of these aspirations in practice. We have had members dragged through the courts and criminalised for miniscule breaches of regulations which were not in any way negligent or a tangible threat to meat hygiene or public health.

“I agree entirely with Mr Kirkwood that the FSA need to seriously review their approach to enforcement. The current draconian approach, which they claim is the only course of action open to the agency, does nothing to promote the harmonious and pragmatic working relationship we all strive for and indeed, the public deserve,” said Mr Craig.

“Imagine, for example, a typical abattoir slaughtering say 1000 cattle a week and commanding an unblemished record on the removal of spinal cord for four years. That’s a case of successfully dealing with 388 miles of spinal cord! If, however, an operative failed to remove the equivalent of a one human fingernail sized piece of spinal cord, the owner/manager would be prosecuted, with FSA claiming that this is their only option.”