Better Regulation

Regulation is important in the food and drink industry because it protects workers, consumers and the environment we live in. FDF endorses proportionate effective regulation to support these ends. But too much inappropriate regulation imposes unnecessary costs and administrative burdens on companies – and even risks making the industry uncompetitive.

Much of the legislation that impacts our sector originates in the EU and it is vital that the Government engages early enough in negotiations to influence outcomes in a way that delivers the objectives of proportionality and effectiveness and which does not impact adversely on the UK industry's competitiveness either within Europe or globally. For this reason, we also urge the Government not to adopt new legislation early, or to 'gold plate'.

FDF welcomes the increased importance UK policymakers have placed on reducing the amount of red tape and finding alternatives to regulation. As part of this, we hope that Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs accepts the recommendations made in the recent the Farming Regulation Task Force Report to remove over-regulation and concentrate only on areas of real risk.

FDF believes there is a real opportunity to reduce the burden of regulation in the food and drink sector through more effective enforcement. Both at EU and national level we have seen a disturbing trend towards hazard-based regulation and enforcement. The Government must take a clear stance in favour of a risk-based approach, and ensure that this is reflected not only in its policy formation but in the guidance and training given to enforcement agencies and individual officers.

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Last reviewed: 16 Jun 2011