HL Deb 30 March 2000 vol 611 cc93-4WA
Baroness Whitaker

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food's relations with consumers' organisations will be affected by the establishment of the Food Standards Agency. [HL1756]

The Minister of State, Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (Baroness Hayman)

The Ministry already has well developed relations with consumers and their representative organisations which we intend to build on following separation of the Food Standards Agency on 1 April.

The consumer interest in food safety will become the principal responsibility of the Food Standards Agency. The Ministry's aim already states clearly the central role which consumer benefit plays in our work. This will not change, but the Ministry's first Objective will be amended (the word 'food' in the former Objective will be replaced by the words 'farm produce') to became:

`To protect public health in relation to farm produce and to animal diseases transmissible to humans'.

The Ministry will retain all its other objectives unchanged as set out in the Departmental Report.

We want to strengthen the Ministry's links with consumer organisations. I will be taking specific responsibility for MAFF's relationship with consumers. My right honourable friend the Minister and I intend to meet representatives of the main consumer organisations as soon as possible after the establishment of the Food Standards Agency. Our goal is to ensure that consumer concerns are fully reflected in decision making across the Ministry's responsibilities.

We will also be looking to change existing arrangements which no longer serve to deliver real benefits to consumers. The Consumer's Committee for Great Britain was established under the Agricultural Marketing Act 1958. Despite its name, the Committee's statutory responsibilities relate only to the interests of consumers in the operation of marketing schemes made under the Act. As a result of changes over the years, only one such scheme now remains, covering wool, and this scheme does not have any direct impact on consumers. We are considering, along with the Scottish Executive and the Welsh Assembly, whether the Agricultural Marketing Act 1958 should be amended. In the meantime, we intend to leave the Committee in abeyance and not re-appoint members.