Scotland’s pork gets independent FSA and meat inspection service

Scottish ministers have decided to create an independent food standards agency and meat inspection service for Scotland.

The decision follows the recommendations outlined in the Scudamore review, which was published in April and concluded that Scotland would be best served by a new public body to fulfil the Food Standard Agency’s functions for Scotland.

Scotland’s Public Health Minister Michael Matheson said: “The changes in England removed significant capacity in the FSA’s nutrition and labelling functions for Scotland and needed to be addressed. I thank Professor Jim Scudamore and his colleagues for their months of work to develop this comprehensive report, which we have been considering since publication in April.

“We have accepted all their recommendations. A new body will allow a Scottish approach to be taken to tackle poor diet and food-borne diseases and should support our food and drink industry in growing its strong, international reputation for safe, quality food.”

Officials said the new body would be kept at “arms-length” from Scottish government and will encompass nutrition and labelling policy, and meat inspection policy and operational delivery, in addition to food safety and standards. They added that creating the new body would require primary legislation, and the Scottish government plans to consult on options before the end of this year.

The decision has been welcomed by the Scottish meat industry and described by the Scottish Association of Meat Wholesalers (SAMW) as “a progressive and far-reaching move which will benefit the country’s whole meat chain, from producers to consumers”.

Source: Meat Info UK