DNA traceability ‘likely to play crucial role following Brexit’

Imports: Meat body chief says premium UK brands must be protected

Premium British meat brands will need to be underpinned by DNA traceability in future if unrestricted imports enter the country in the wake of Brexit, according to a leading figure in the English meat industry.

Norman Bagley, head of policy at the Association of Independent Meat Suppliers (AIMS) in England and Wales, believes the traceability systems that are currently in place will not be enough to protect British produce in future, and something “pretty drastic” will need to be introduced soon.

Mr Bagley was responding to comments made by Queen’s University professor of food safety Chris Elliot, who recently told the Scotland Food and Drink conference that the meat industry was vulnerable to food fraud and recommended the introduction of block chain technology to authenticate premium produce.

Mr Bagley questioned the effectiveness of third-party audits by assurance schemes such as Red Tractor following recent food scandals involving Russell Hume and the 2 Sisters Food Group, and said more scientific evidence of traceability was likely to be demanded in future.

“If you take the third-party audits, for instance, Red Tractor has been highly criticised in recent incidents like 2 Sisters, because whatever their risk

“

It has started to highlight that something else has got to happen. NORMAN BAGLEY

assessment is, they never picked those things up, so it has started to highlight that something else has got to happen,” he said.

“If we’re going to face any significant amount of cheaper imports then the importance of underpinning the UK proposition is going to be absolutely vital, so provided the basic costs of doing this (DNA) technology is manageable – and I think it is – then the more people take it up the better, because I don’t think the Government is going to do anything to protect people from imports at all.

Mr Bagley predicted that the uptake of DNA traceability would be “customer-led”.

Scotch beef billboards to tempt buyers in London. DNA traceability will be crucial for the protection of the brand, say industry leaders.