Tag: food safety

Concerns over possible UK – USA trade partnership

Scottish Ministers press UK Government for urgent clarity

Rural Affairs Secretary Mairi Gougeon and Trade Minister Richard Lochhead have written jointly to the UK Government to voice the Scottish Government’s concern about the possibility of the UK Government negotiating a ‘foundational trade partnership’ with the United States of America, as reported recently in the media.

The letter clearly reiterates the Scottish Government’s opposition to any derogation of food safety and animal welfare standards, and asks that Scottish Ministers are fully involved – and meaningfully engaged in UK Government’s activity in relation to trading arrangements with the United States.

Ms Gougeon commented: “The interests of Scottish agriculture, and other sectors, must not be traded away in order to secure a quick deal with the US, or any country.”

The full text of the letter is below:

10 October 2023

Dear Thérèse and Nigel,

We are writing to highlight the Scottish Government’s serious concerns about recent media reports of the possibility of the UK Government negotiating a ‘foundational trade partnership’ with the United States of America. This prospective arrangement reportedly covers topics such as digital trade, labour protections and agriculture. It is particularly concerning that we are only hearing of this now from the media, and while the implications of this arrangement are not yet clear, the media reports will most certainly be of acute concern to our farming communities and so we have decided to write to you jointly about this issue.

The Scottish Government recognises the benefits to trade and investment of building relationships with United States and this is reflected in Scotland’s Vision for Trade, as well as our plan for growing Scotland’s exports, A Trading Nation, where the US is identified as Scotland’s number one priority market. As a result, we have made clear the value we see in the Department for Business and Trade’s Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) programme with US States, and we have engaged constructively so that Scotland might maximise any benefits that these state-level agreements offer. For example, the UK and Washington State MoU on trade cooperation, innovation, and clean energy, which the Minister for International Trade recently shared with us, is the most recent illustration of this close working relationship that our governments have worked hard to establish.

Given this close cooperation on US MoUs, along with our proven track record of engaging meaningfully and securely across the suite of UK free trade agreements, we would be extremely disappointed if it transpired that the UK Government had been working on plans to deepen the trading relationship with the United States without any indication, advance notification, nor involvement of Scottish Ministers, leaving us to learn of this purported development through the media.

However, it is the potential practical effects of such an arrangement on Scottish farming and food interests which concern us the most. As already mentioned, the Scottish Government, and many of our agricultural exporters, view the United States as an important destination for our food and drink produce, but we must not forget that it is our reputation for safety and quality that makes our exports so highly sought after in the first place. It would be entirely counterproductive if we were to undermine these high standards and lose market access elsewhere as the price to secure a trade deal with the United States. More specifically, we have concerns around any potential impact this may have on vital UK-EU trade, and potential increased cost for business directly and through increased scrutiny from our EU partners.

While, from media reporting, this deal appears to fall short of a Free Trade Agreement it could be viewed as a bridging step towards one. Working towards a quick deal, and in light of the well-known domestic agriculture policy in the United States, could lead to significant changes to consumer protections, production standards and the profitability of our vital agricultural sector if any trade deal enables US agri-food imports produced to lower standards to be imported into the UK. Language such as ‘science-based’ approaches or ‘equivalent’ standards is particularly concerning in light of the US use of such terms in other trade agreements; it would not allow us to protect our valued reputation for a clean and biosecure environment for agrifood products.

Specifically, any relaxing of our opposition to hormone treated beef, GM crops and chlorine washed chicken would be especially egregious when the red meat sector in particular is already facing substantial threat from the trade arrangements reached with Australia and New Zealand and in light of consumer opposition in Scotland to the use of such treatments. We would find this completely unacceptable. The UK Government should not be trading away the interests of Scottish agriculture, and other sectors, in order to secure a quick deal with the US, or any country.\

If the Prime Minister’s commitment made to farmers earlier this year is to be honoured, we would not expect to see any concessions like this in agriculture.

While we are well aware that the UK Government has a policy of not commenting on leaks to the media, it is important to recognise that the content of those reports have nonetheless already created considerable concern in the agricultural sector. We therefore suggest that you alleviate those concerns by clearly reiterating your government’s opposition to any derogation of food safety and standards and animal welfare standards.

The Scottish Government remains committed to engaging constructively throughout any negotiation with the United States, and will continue to do so with regards the MoU programme. However, this engagement can be too easily undermined when questions are raised through media reporting of this kind, particularly if there is any degree of truth to the story. To avoid this, I ask that you and your officials now commit to involving Scottish Ministers and officials fully with regard to the UK Government’s plans for improving trading conditions with the United States going forward, and so that the veracity of any media reports can be gauged without creating undue concern between our administrations.

It is vital that we receive an early response to this letter and so look forward to receiving clarity from you about this issue as soon as possible.

Yours sincerely,

MAIRI GOUGEON
RICHARD LOCHHEAD

Best before dates, use by dates and sniff test – what do they mean?

Major supermarkets are scrapping best before dates and encouraging shoppers to use the ‘sniff test’ instead, but what do all of these terms really mean?

Penny pinching pros at NetVoucherCodes.co.uk have shared their advice on what the difference between ‘use by’ and ‘best before’ dates are and the importance of the new sniff test.

With some major supermarkets removing the ‘use by’ labels on bottles of milk, shoppers are being encouraged to use the sniff test rather than chucking away expired food which is still safe to eat.

This is causing concern to those who are not aware of the labelling differences and are worried about consuming expired goods.

The change is being brought in by supermarkets in an attempt to tackle food waste following news of further food price increases for everyday essentials like dairy and vegetables.

When an item passes its best before date, it is not necessarily ‘out of date’ so Brits shouldn’t be too worried about this change.

In fact, this date is just a guideline for quality and freshness. It’s typically added by manufacturers and after this date has passed, the ‘best taste’ has gone.

Mitch Barnes, online consumer expert at NetVoucherCodes.co.uk said: “With the cost-of-living soaring, selected supermarkets are adapting their product labelling by removing the best before label.

“While it can massively help with food wastage problems, it can be quite confusing to suss out when they need to be used by and how people can tell if a food has gone off at home.

“We’re advising people to check the remaining labels and to use the sniff test at home to save the extra pennies on a weekly food shop bill.”

Here are NetVoucherCodes.co.uk’s top tips explaining the importance of different expiry date meanings:

Best before dates

Most labels have the best before dates on the packaging, usually two or three days before the use-by dates – this is usually put on by manufacturers. Once you’ve passed the use-by date, it doesn’t necessarily mean the product is inedible, but it’ll just lack the freshness it once had and it will essentially lose its ‘best taste’.

While they may be lacking in taste and texture, they’re still safe to eat for a limited time and can help to save extra cash during a food shop.

Use by dates

Use by dates are often confused with Best Before dates. The labelled use-by date on a product is a recommended time for how long you should use a product by.

Meat and fish products should not be consumed after the ‘use by’ date as there is a high chance that you’ll get food poisoning if you do. What you can do is freeze the meat before the expiry date for as long as nine months if it’s raw chicken.

Sniff test

This is the system being steadily introduced into supermarkets. If a milk carton was previously labelled as ‘best before 12 Sep 2022’, it’s likely to still have a few days of safe consumption afterwards.

You’ll be able to tell if your milk is off by the foul smell, so make sure to just give it the test instead of spending a fortune buying a fresh carton each time it goes beyond the labelled best before date.

Avian Influenza outbreak: what you need to know

Bird keepers in Scotland are reminded to maximise biosecurity and keep their flocks housed after avian influenza (H5N1) was confirmed in a flock of approximately 14,000 mixed gamebirds on a gamebird rearing premises in Leven, Glenrothes.

Laboratory results of samples taken from the flock have identified the strain as highly pathogenic in poultry. In order to limit the further spread of disease, appropriate restrictions have been imposed on the premises.

A Protection Zone (PZ) of 3 km and a Surveillance Zone (SZ) of 10 km have now been put in place around the infected premises to limit the risk of spread of the disease. Within these zones a range of controls are in place, including restrictions on the movement of poultry, carcasses, eggs, used poultry litter and manure. 

Legislation for the H5N1 strain require a Restricted Zone (RZ) to also be declared.  However, this RZ will also be 10 km and will have the same extent as the PZ and SZ, with no additional measures.

Public health advice remains that the risk to human health from the virus is very low and food standards bodies advise that avian influenzas pose a very low food safety risk for UK consumers, and it does not affect the consumption of poultry products including eggs.

Producers and bird keepers are reminded to comply with the order to house birds that came in to effect on the 14 December 2020, or ensure they are kept separate from wild birds and follow biosecurity procedures.

Minister for Rural Affairs and the Natural Environment Ben Macpherson said: “Following this confirmation I have put in place controls required under domestic and EU legislation that will help control any further spread of the disease in the surrounding area. 

“We ask that the public remain vigilant and report any findings of dead wild birds. People should not handle the birds. ”

Scotland’s Chief Veterinary Officer Sheila Voas said: “This highly pathogenic strain of avian influenza (H5N1) has been confirmed on a farm of approximately 14,000 mixed gamebirds with high mortality in the last few days. All remaining birds are being humanely culled for disease control purposes.

“It is vital that keepers take steps to improve their biosecurity and protect their birds from disease. Keepers who are concerned about the health or welfare of their flock should seek veterinary advice immediately. Your private vet, or your local Animal and Plant Health Agency office, will also be able to practical provide advice on keeping your birds safe from infection.”

Don’t be a turkey victim this Christmas

For many families across the UK, turkey will be the centerpiece of their menu this Christmas. A veritable feast undoubtedly lies in store – but the traditional festive food highlight should be treated with the utmost care to avoid harmful bacteria spreading and causing potential infection. Continue reading Don’t be a turkey victim this Christmas

Make sure your dinner’s not a ‘turkey’ this Christmas

With families across Scotland preparing for their annual Christmas feast – NHS 24 is reminding people to be vigilant about food safety. The call comes as the Telehealth and Telecare organisation run their annual Be Health-Wise This Winter campaign. Continue reading Make sure your dinner’s not a ‘turkey’ this Christmas