Meat wholesalers and watchdog in charges row

A public spat erupted yesterday between Scotland’s meat wholesalers and the regulatory body, Food Standards Scotland (FSS), over increased charges for veterinary and hygiene inspections at abattoirs and processing plants.

Claiming that “excessive” increases had been heaped on the industry, the Scottish Association of Meat Wholesalers (SAMW) yesterday said that additional costs which they estimated to be close to half a million pounds were thoroughly unjustified - and would damage the whole industry and threaten the viability of smaller plants.

In an angry statement the organisation’s president, Frank Clark said that the increased charges came despite a seven per cent reduction in the FSS’S workload in red meat plants:

“Despite engaging in emergency talks with FSS officials on this issue, during which we were promised a future charging review, our members are still to have increases of up to 11 per cent in inspection charges imposed on them with immediate effect,” said Clark. This is unacceptable and belies any thought that the promised review is being approached in the correct manner.”

He said that while the global increase being made by the organisation might be close to the promised 0.5 per cent increase on the previous year, this was for considerably less work:.

“According to our calculations, FSS is imposing a 0.5 per cent cost rise for 7 per cent less work, a budget move which we believe is adding more than £400,000 of unjustified cost to members’ businesses.”

He said the reduction in the FSS workload was due to increased operating efficiencies made by SAMW members, a reduction in livestock numbers and the closure of a major Scottish chicken plant.

He said that it also appeared that beef and lamb processors were being forced to pick up the bill for FSS’S loss of poultry work.

“This is nothing to do with the beef and lamb sector and nothing to do with SAMW, whose membership does not include poultry processing plants,” said Clark, who added:

“We will continue to press FSS to put their charging increase on hold until a full and fair review has been carried out.”

Food Standards Scotland, however said that every plant in Scotland benefited from a discount system – with this figure standing at 80 per cent for the smallest plants. In a statement, the organisation also claimed processors had incurred unnecessary costs of £278,000 last year in time they commissioned and then didn’t use.