Last November DEFRA (the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) invited representatives from Consumer Organisations to meet officials at the Ministry. The meeting was chaired by John Robbs, whose title is now Head of Food Industry and Crops Directorate, and who has chaired previous meetings under the aegis of MAFF Also present was Judy Allfrey, Head of Marketing, Competition and Consumer Division, and an impressive line up of experts from various Divisions and Teams within DEFRA. Among the representatives of consumer organisations were Sue Dibb, from the National Consumer Council, and John Godfrey, who was present on behalf of ERICA (European Research into Consumer Affairs - see Children and the Internet elsewhere). Both are now members of the new FSA Consumer Committee.
The OFT proposals for a Good Behaviour Code of Practice for Supermarkets had just been published and its implications were discussed. They were welcomed by the consumer organisations. It was recognised that there must have been a lot of hard talking to bring the often-opposing views of supermarkets and their suppliers to some sort of compromise. We now know that the supermarkets have agreed to abide by the code and Stuart Coverley points out some of its weaknesses in his News Roundup.
The work of the Commission on Food and Farming was also discussed. The deadline of the end of the year for submissions was far to short, thought the DEFRA people. However, there had already been over 1,000 responses and regional visits were taking place. What was hoped for was not just some short term solutions to today's crisis in farming but a real vision for the future. The report was published on 29 January and received wide publicity. Did we get a real vision for the future? There was talk about helping farmers to market their produce. Help, it seems, is available through grants from the Rural Development Programme. DEFRA was actively encouraging Farmers' Markets both with Local Authorities and through the Association, which it supports financially.
There were two enquiries underway, the Anderson enquiry to look at the future in the light of lessons learned in this epidemic, and a scientific enquiry being conducted by Sir Brian Follett which would consider, among other things, the seemingly vexed question of vaccination.
Both DEFRA and the FSA are reviewing the measures in place to combat food terrorism. There are contingency plans which could be brought into action very quickly. Mr. Robb reported that food industry precautions against contamination were good. DEFRA now has charge of the water supply which is perhaps a possible target, though both the water and food supply is very diverse which makes them poor targets for terrorists. The worst reaction would be panic buying.
Both DEFRA and the FSA are concerned that the requirements for traceability and labelling are very safety orientated. Discussions had only just started and there are difficulties ahead. How will testing take place? Consumers need information. It was reported that the FSA Board decided to reject a proposal to label all GMO derivatives. They want a GM FREE label, but how do you test the untestable? In the UK, GM labelling of catering foods is required, though not in the rest of Europe. However, it is thought that this requirement is not well observed because it is difficult to enforce. Field trials of GM crops are continuing and it seems that the earliest any general cultivation might occur in this country, subject to all the clearances, is during 2003. Another observation was that foods with a GM content had largely disappeared from supermarket shelves. We were told that the Advisory Committee on Novel Foods and Processes - ACNFP - has extended its remit to include animal feed.
Discussion was mainly about eliminating scrapie in sheep. This is a disease caused by a prion attached to a host and has been present in sheep for centuries. Some sheep are more resistant than others and a breeding programme for elimination has been started which will concentrate, in the first instance, on the 15,000 pedigree flocks and progress on to the 40,000 pure bred flocks and so on. The aim is resistance to rather than immunity from. Sheep farmers are being urged to join the programme.
Statement from the Food Standards Agency concerning the theoretical risk of BSE in sheep and risk reduction
This statement was made on January 9th 2002.. "We do not know whether BSE entered the sheep flock in the past and, if it did, whether it is in sheep today. Given this uncertainty the Agency has been proactive in examining whether further precautionary measures may be appropriate in addition to those currently-in place. Research by Imperial College, published in Nature on 10 January, was commissioned by the FSA and contributes to current thinking about the theoretical risk of BSE in sheep. This study does not show if BSE has entered the sheep flock. It is based on limited data and uses a wide range of assumptions. Allowing for the uncertainties, it indicates how the theoretical risks might be further reduced. This research, alongside other research, will inform a report from an FSA stakeholder group that will be issued for consultation. The FSAs position is that the risk of BSE in sheep remains theoretical and the agency is not advising against the consumption of lamb. The Board of the Agency will discuss in public whether further risk reduction measures should be introduced".
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