Highland (Core Audit)

The Highland Council is a Scottish Unitary Local Authority that has responsibility for the enforcement of food hygiene, food standards and feeding stuffs law in the Highland area in the north of Scotland.

Highland produce is distributed and sold throughout the world, and the production and export of shellfish, dairy and fishery products, and other agricultural produce is an important part of the Highland economy.

There are approximately 4,300 businesses that are subject to food law enforcement and 478 businesses that are subject to feeding stuffs law enforcement in the Authority's area.

The Authority has Service Delivery Plans covering food and feeding stuffs law enforcement that broadly follow the Service Planning Guidance in the Framework Agreement, although the annual review does not identify all variances from the previous year's Service Plan.

The Authority has appointed authorised Officers and inspectors to enforce food and feeding stuffs law who also have responsibilities for enforcing a range of other environmental health and trading standards legislation. However, the number of appointed Officers is not sufficient to deliver the service set out in the Service Plan.

Appointed Officers are generally well trained and qualified, although the training of some Environmental Health staff in HACCP principles, practice and assessment requires significant improvement.

Food hygiene and standards premises inspections are not being conducted at the required minimum frequencies.

The licensing and inspection of butcher shops and the approval and licensing of establishments that are subject to product-specific food hygiene legislation are not being carried out in accordance with relevant legislation and procedures.

Sampling programmes for food and feeding stuffs are in place and being undertaken, and adverse sample results are followed-up appropriately.

Some non-conformities that are identified in this audit report have been previously identified in the Authority's Food Standards Agency audit reports in 2001, 2002 and 2003. It therefore appears that the Authority has failed to complete the measures required to address some of the issues highlighted in those previous audit reports.

Following the Agency's audit in February 2005 Highland Council developed an action plan to address the non-conformities raised.

The Agency notes the progress that has already been made with implementation of the action plan.

The information below details the following:

• the original non conformity identified during the February 2005 audit
• the action the Authority intended to take to address the non conformity
• the date by which the non conformity was to be rectified
• the progress to date as notified by the Authority in April 2006
• the comments of the Agency Auditors following their follow up audit on 29 May 2006

The actions taken to address the action plan have been noted, however, the Agency intends to revisit the Authority in due course to check further implementation and satisfactory completion of the action plan.

Following the Agency’s audit in February 2005 Highland Council developed an action plan to address the non-conformities raised.

The Agency notes the progress that has already been made with implementation of the action plan. The Agency now intends to contact the Authority in 6 months time to assess progress with the remaining outstanding actions

The information below details the following:

• the original non conformity identified during the February 2005 audit
• the action the Authority intended to take to address the non conformity
• the date by which the non conformity was to be rectified
• the progress to date as notified by the Authority in April 2006
• the comments of the Agency Auditors following their follow up audit on 29 May 2006
• the progress to date as notified by the Authority in April 2007
• the comments of the Agency Auditors following their re visit in April 2007 (if required)
• current status of individual non conformities

The actions taken to address the action plan have been noted, however, the Agency intends to contact the Authority in due course to check further implementation and satisfactory completion of the action plan.