As the Food Standards Agency (FSA) has recently released its official justification of inspection charges called “Cost Data for Great Britain”, it is perhaps a good time to make an assessment of the current situation.
This document is long and complex. It will be pored over, no doubt, but all it does is to instruct industry in outlining FSA reasons and timetable for recovery of full inspection costs.
Leaving aside confusion and lack of detailed information, there is the equally important point that is not dealt with at all, i.e., the fact that the regulations themselves are faulty: even the FSA has conceded they are neither risk-based nor proportionate.
Fundamental to any real progress, the trade has somehow to stand firm and get this message across; it is surely, both in law and justice, essential to address the problem of faulty regulation before pursuing any discussion on finance .The FSA can’t be reminded often enough of what the real issues are.
Full cost recovery has been the one and only serious agenda of this ignorant agency for years; they seem to have a mindset of never mind the law, we’re after recovering full costs, no matter what the law says. They will say or do anything just to trouser the money.
FSA targets may well suit some sectors of the industry, but I don’t see how, even the very big operators. For those of us who run small and medium sized enterprises, our whole future is at stake.
Common sense versus modern bureaucracy is no contest, especially when having to deal with the likes of the FSA whose revenue is directly proportionate to the amount of regulation it imposes. Or in other words, start with the result you want, and then work backwards (e.g. bogus consultations) to justify actions. Yes, exactly the opposite to what happens in the real commercial world where conclusion usually follows consultation and negotiation, not the other way round.
Blog has been relentless in trying to highlight this important point, and predicts that any industry responsive strategy is unquestionably doomed to failure unless this issue is tackled, once and for all.
To succeed you have to try.
Toby Baker