Bureaucratic burdens on the farming industry will be put under the microscope by a new task force announced by agriculture minister Jim Paice.
The Task Force on Farming Regulation, to be chaired by Richard Macdonald, will identify ways to reduce the regulatory burden through a review of the relevant regulations and their implementation, as well as advise on how best to achieve a risk-based system of regulation in the future.
Paice said: “There’s too much red tape tying up our farmers and preventing them from getting on with the business of producing our food and managing our countryside. That’s why we committed in the Coalition Agreement to reduce the regulatory burden on farmers by moving to a risk-based system of regulation. The burden on farming and food manufacturing businesses is not just the number of regulations but the emphasis on process rather than outcomes.
“I’m going to ask this industry-led Task Force to look at the way we make and implement regulations right across the board, both at what’s already in place, and how we should do things in the future.
“I’m very pleased that Richard Macdonald has agreed to head this Task Force, as he brings with him a unique knowledge of the farming and food industry, outstanding leadership skills and a track record of commitment to partnership working between government and industry.”
Macdonald added: “I am very much looking forward to leading a task which I have long thought needs doing. It won’t be easy to achieve significant results overnight, and as well as the task force itself I plan to consult everybody in the farming and food sector interested in working with us. Together I hope that we can make a real difference.”
National Farmers' Union (NFU) president Peter Kendall said: “The announcement is just the commitment the industry needs. The coalition government is standing by its promise to review this area which will help ensure we have a competitive food and farming sector in the future.
“Farmers repeatedly cite the cumulative burden of regulation as a key barrier to increased productivity. The NFU has long lobbied for a reduction in costly red tape arguing that moving to a risk-based approach is the only answer. I would also hope that the review will scrutinise the gold-plating of regulations.
“Richard Macdonald is well-placed to head this task force as he has a wealth of experience, solid leadership skills, as well as a unique knowledge of the farming and food industry.”
The task force will make its initial recommendations to government by early 2011. An announcement on the full membership of the task force and the details of how the wider farming and food sector can engage with the work of the task force is imminent.
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