Things are certainly warming up in the full cost recovery debate after Food Standards Agency (FSA) Chief Executive Tim Smith’s interview on Radio 4 programme “You and Yours”.
The Meat Trades Journal (17 December) was full of it. “FSA boss invites industry ire” was the leader title. British Meat Processors Association (BMPA) director Stephen Rossides said “I am surprised and very disappointed that Tim Smith chose to resort to scaremongering by deploying “the meat industry cannot be trusted card”. This is......... deeply insulting to the great majority of businesses that operate.........””.Positively vitriolic stuff from a trade group that likes to think it has a good working relationship with the FSA. This is a major reality check for the BMPA who have always seen themselves as THE people of the meat trade, but who are probably just starting to realise that nobody and nothing is going to derail agency ambitions. Indeed, I have felt for some time that Mr Smith was brought into this role as Chief Executive simply to oversee the move to full cost recovery. My guess is that when and if this target has been met, within a few months he will be gone.
Norman Bagley, policy director at the Association of Meat Suppliers (AIMS) is never shy of letting off steam. He said “............Whatever happened to food business operators being responsible for food safety and competent authorities (the FSA) being responsible for auditing operators controls? Demonising the industry and scaremongering consumers – is that the new role of the Chief Executive of the FSA?"

Strong words, and it will be interesting to see what action backs up the rhetoric of these industry leaders in the new year, because make no mistake, Mr Smith has unequivocally declared war on the abattoir sector of the meat trade. Lets not kid ourselves that his actions are anything less than that.

What really caught my eye and made me sit up was an open letter to the FSA from Peter Hewson , the former head of veterinary operations at the FSA. Yes, The top man. I have had my share of run-ins with Mr Hewson over the years, but have always found him fair minded but, more importantly, extremely knowledgeable about the realities of meat hygiene in abattoirs. He reached the number one position of veterinary meat hygiene because of that knowledge.
He stated that “during my eight years there (at the FSA) ( I tried) to get outdated and ineffective meat hygiene controls that did not address current safety problems replaced by measures that would be more effective and affordable....” Music to my years, heresy to former agency colleagues who now have to face and hear an eminent previous civil servant speaking the truth!
The biggy for me, though was this. Mr Hewson said “.......giving food business operators (FBO’s) full responsibility for production....was not to be self-regulation as operators controls would be subject to robust audit by the competent authority. It would, however, allow quality control, which is really what meat inspection is.......”
This public utterance from such an important figure as Peter Hewson is absolute dynamite. No bogus claims about protecting public health, no claims of magical powers to make meat safe by meat inspectors and vets, or whatever. Quality control in meat inspection means removal of physical abnormalities, and that the carcases are clean. Yes, it is that simple and straightforward.

Could this be an opportunity for the meat trade. The farmers have been outspokenly against full cost recovery, important trade figures such as Paul Cheale has shown the potential disaster awaiting his business, BMPA and AIMS have woken up to reality, the Scottish wholesalers (SAMW) have been upfront with their anger for months. Unity could at last prevail as increasingly we are starting to do what the FSA fears most – to sing from the same hymn sheet.

I can , at last, see a task force emerging. You could not have a better technical advocate in such a group as Peter Hewson, to deal with crunch questions about meat hygiene while others concentrate on the business aspects. A funded group to get right to the core – media coverage, television and radio interviews, the lot. Perhaps even a publicist. Max Clifford? Why not?

Even after his banana skins from the Radio 4 interview, Mr Smith and his agency colleagues will be expecting things to die down in 2011. It is up to all of us to make sure that this is just the beginning.
A very merry Christmas and happy new year.

Toby Baker