As horsemeat contamination continues to hit the headlines
I'm sure we will all face some challenging questions. As previously blogged I attended a Heads of
Service meeting earlier this week. One
of the points raised with me during main discussions, and in private, is that
have we de-regulated too much. The
number of inspections and samples has fallen – partly due to falling resources
and partly due to policy shifts.
Policy makers have a balancing act to perform, minimising
burdens on business against the need to have appropriate safe guards in
place. Stepping away from a focus on
routine inspections to a more intelligence led approach has, in most cases,
brought a bigger bang for the public buck.
Some would argue, however, that a move away from the routine has left
the door ajar for greater fraud. This is
particularly relevant to the consultation on powers of entry.
Whatever your views it is important that any debate focuses
on intelligence and reasoned argument, rather than sound bites, anecdotes and
an unwillingness to collaborate. We
need to work together as policy makers and practitioners to ensure we manage
this delictate balance act.
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