Conservative MEPs in the UK scored a major success by staving off plans to impose EU-wide fees on inspections related to the food supply chain.
The proposals, tagged onto legislation to improve monitoring of the food chain following the horse-meat scandal, would have introduced compulsory fees.
Each EU country would have been obliged to levy fees from food-business operators in relation to the cost of official controls on food and feed supply.
A Whitehall study predicted the measure would add £48 million in direct costs to the UK industry, with a further burden of £30 million through extra administration to process and record the payments.
However, intensive negotiation and persuasion applied by South West Conservative MEP, Julie Girling, succeeded in garnering sufficient support from across the political groups to reject the compulsory-fee scheme.
Mrs Girling told regional news source 'In Dorsett' that “consumers and farmers need a regime that gives them confidence in the supply-chain when it comes to food and feed. But they should not be forced to pay for it by way of arbitrary and compulsory fees which do nothing in themselves to improve quality or standards. “Doubtless the impact of the extra costs would ultimately have been felt in higher food prices which shoppers can ill afford," she said.
© 2014 - European Supermarket Magazine by Enda Dowling
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