Proposals to reduce inspection burden welcomed by NFU Cymru

NFU Cymru has welcomed proposals from the Food Standards Agency (FSA) to reduce the frequency of dairy farm inspections describing them as a big step in the right direction.

If agreed the move will see dairy farms with current Assured Dairy Farms (ADF) membership subjected to routine official hygiene inspection at a frequency of 10 years and those non-assured farms will be inspected at a minimum frequency of once every 24 months.

Currently Welsh dairy farmers are inspected officially by AHDH on behalf of the FSA and as a member of ADF over 95% of producers are inspected again for farm assurance purposes. There is a large amount of duplication of inspection in the dairy sector with milk processors, retailers, trading standard and Animal Health all running their own inspection regimes and for a number of years NFU Cymru has called on the FSA to reduce the inspection burden on dairy farms.

NFU Cymru’s Deputy President Stephen James said, "NFU Cymru has been working with ADF, Animal Health Dairy Hygiene (AHDH), Defra and the Welsh Assembly Government for a number of years to reduce the inspection burden on dairy farms through recognition of assured farm status as an indicator of low risk.

"The earlier proposal from the FSA, last June, had suggested reducing the frequency of inspection on low risk category farms, which accounted for just 2% of producers, a proposal NFU Cymru initially rejected. This revised consultation now recommends reducing dairy hygiene inspections to one in ten years on all those dairy farms that are assured, encompassing some 95% of all milk produced – a proposal we fully support.

"At long last a regulatory body has offered a sensible proposal for reducing inspection burden on dairy farms."

NFU Cymru’s Milk Board Chairman, Maurice Jones, added, "We have always said that all farmers who belong to farm assurance schemes should see real benefits in reduced regulatory costs and inspections. Assurance schemes under the Red Tractor logo have been established to provide food of high quality, whilst maintaining good welfare standards and environmental protection.

Farmers participating in these schemes are already complying with standards that exceed the legal minimum, and their compliance is monitored by independent inspections. They clearly represent a low risk and that should be reflected in the frequency in which they are inspected.

"This is excellent news and a big step on the long road to reducing unnecessary regulation on our Welsh dairy farms."