UK's FSA to review future funding of meat controls

UK's Food Standards Agency (FSA) Board will review the policy on the future funding of UK meat controls on Tuesday (Nov 10), covering concerns on the costs of official inspections of abattoirs and cutting plants.

At present, the industry pays 35 percent towards the cost of controls, around GBP24 million of the GBP69 million total cost.

The remainder is funded by the government - GBP20 million from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) for the costs of animal welfare and the Meat Hygiene Service-s (MHS) specified risk material controls (specified risk material consists of those parts of the animal that contain almost all BSE infectivity). The remaining GBP25 million is funded by the FSA.

The MHS, which undertakes the controls in Great Britain, has already reduced its operating costs from GBP91 million in 2006-07 to GBP69 million in 2009-10, a reduction of 24 percent.

In Northern Ireland, the controls cost GBP7 million, of which around half is recovered from industry, while the other half is paid as a subsidy.

FSA chief executive Tim Smith said a significant part of the FSA-s budget is required to subsidise the meat processing industry, which limits FSA-s ability to do as much as dietary health, campaigns, research and information for consumers.

Smith explained that as financial pressures increase, the continuation of the subsidy would force the FSA to reduce or end investment in other priorities.