The subject of Meat Hygiene Service (MHS) charging was hotly debated in March of this year with the industry welcoming the decision in June to freeze MHS charges.
The Board agreed this week it is not a function of the FSA to subsidise the industry, and if a continuing subsidy is to be provided it should come from elsewhere. It also agreed that the best possible protection for consumers from food risks should not be based on economic circumstances or the ability of the industry to pay.
The latest move will leave UK abattoirs facing a major hike in costs and was met with anger by the meat industry and NFU Scotland.
Executive manager Ian Anderson, of the Scottish Association of Meat Wholesalers, slammed the Board’s decision, calling for a devolved body to carry out inspections in Scotland: “This is just a cop-out with the FSA walking away to leave industry at the mercy of a UK Government which is now clear to use the blunt instrument of full cost recovery by the back door.
“This is obviously as far as their imagination stretches. All the fine talk of helping small and medium sized businesses through the economic mess they have created has been shown to be nothing more than hollow words.
According to Anderson, the FSA has admitted that the total cost of meat inspection should be deliverable for £50m. “At present it costs around £70m, so by their own figures an efficiency saving of £20m should be achievable.”
“For too long, the Scottish industry has been dragged down by the inefficiency of the York-based MHS and the London-based FSA and it is now surely time to reopen the issue of our own Scottish inspection service,” Anderson added.
NFUS is to coordinate a meeting of Scottish meat industry representatives in the near future with the intention of taking opposition to the FSA decision forward as a united Scottish industry.
l Market reports: James Craig Ltd sold 1044 prime lambs and 420 cast ewes at Newton Stewart yesterday. Averages for lambs: 30 light weight 150p/kg, 805 medium 152.3p and 209 heavy 134.8p to a top of £68 for Texels. 420 ewes averaged £54.97.
Cumberland and Dumfriesshire Marts sold 67 prime cattle, 106 OTM, 1019 prime lambs and 503 cast ewes and rams yesterday at Dumfries. Beef cows to 157p to average 99.8p and dairy cows to 97p to average 147.2p.
Overall average for lambs was 154.2p. Averages: light 151.7p, standard 158.6p, medium 155.8p and heavy 143.8p. Cast ewes were exceptionally dear for all classes to a top of £96.50p for Texels and averaged £54.97p.
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