Scottish agriculture's push in Brussels for a sensible timetable for introducing the new food hygiene regulations is paying off. The European Commission is recommending a four-year transition period to allow the effective introduction of new declarations for farmers submitting animals to slaughter. NFUS will be encouraging EU Farm Ministers to accept this timetable.

NFUS, together with other industry stakeholders including the Scottish Association of Meat Wholesalers and Quality Meat Scotland, has questioned the value of producers submitting these lengthy declarations in the absence of a system to actually store and use the information. The declarations would include, amongst other things, detailed veterinary records, including names of any medicines administered, the dates of their use and withdrawals periods. As a result of industry representation, a transitional period of four years is likely, subject to agreement by EU Farm Ministers, to allow the necessary systems to be developed and implemented within the UK.

The debate on the producer declarations is one element of the discussions on the new EU Food Hygiene Package, which will come into effect in 2006. This package will include five new regulations to encompass the requirements currently set out in 17 different food hygiene and commodity-specific regulations. The aim of the new package is to modernise and consolidate existing consumer protection legislation and ensure there are clear and consistent hygiene rules throughout the food chain, from farm gate to plate. If agreed, the transition period for the producer declarations would delay their introduction until 2010.

NFUS Vice President David Mitchell said:

"We currently have an effective system of assessing the suitability of animals for slaughter in our abattoirs in Scotland. Vets, producers and meat inspectors all have a vital role to play in assessing any risks. Simply providing a new heap of paperwork before a system has been devised to actually use the information makes little sense. Modern agriculture accepts that as suppliers of products for the food chain, we must supply all the relevant information, but we don't want another layer of paperwork unless it is going to deliver meaningful benefits.

"I am pleased the Commission has recognised this and we'll be urging EU Farm Ministers to agree to this new timetable. This will give the industry four years to develop and implement effective systems which will deliver all requirements envisaged in this new legislation."

Isla Roebuck, President of the Scottish Association of Meat Wholesalers, said:

"Under the proposed regulations, abattoirs would be responsible for this food chain information. We are therefore encouraged by the Commission's stance and this transitional period will ensure a robust system can be established before these declarations are introduced. It must be remembered that once these forms are introduced, if the information on an animal cannot be accessed easily and quickly by vets, it will be excluded from the food chain. Therefore, to avoid this potential financial penalty, the UK needs time to develop the right system to handle the information."