Farmers urged to take note

Friday 6 June 2008

The Food Standards Agency Northern Ireland (FSANI) has today launched a campaign called 'Take Note' to encourage farmers to keep records that will help them to comply with food and feed hygiene legislation.

The campaign advises farmers that although the legislation requires record keeping of on-farm activities, this can be achieved in a simple and easy way, without adding to farmers’ administrative burden.

To promote this message FSANI have produced ‘Farm Notes’, a notebook that will help farmers to keep appropriate records. This pocket-sized notebook has been designed for farmers to keep with them on the farm and record activities as they happen.

Farm Notes includes useful information such as:

• the importance and benefits of record keeping
• information on type of records required
• examples of records
• advice on simplifying record keeping
• calendars for forward planning

Speaking at the campaign launch, Gerard Smyth, Senior Policy Officer from FSANI, said: 'This initiative aims to raise awareness with all farmers and growers of the requirement to keep records. It is primarily, but not exclusively, targeted at the smaller farmer and at farmers who are not part of farm quality assurance schemes.

'Inspections at farm level have shown that deficiencies in record keeping are more likely to be found with the smaller non quality assured farm. In the past year, a significant proportion of such farms having primary production hygiene inspections were found to have inadequate records.

'While the focus is on producers who do not currently keep records, this notebook will be of use to everyone. It will be useful for recording all types of information relevant to good management practice, and can be used out and around the farm by all farmers and growers.'

During the design phase of the campaign, FSANI consulted with colleagues in the Livestock and Meat Commission (LMCNI) and the Ulster Farmers’ Union (UFU).

Ulster Farmers' Union President Graham Furey says: 'We are pleased to see that the Food Standards Agency have produced this resource to help farmers. We are always trying to keep farm paperwork to a minimum, but when we are dealing with necessary legislation our task is to keep record keeping as simple and stress free as possible. By using this notebook, farmers can make timely and accurate records and I think the notebook will be a helpful resource for farmers.'

The Agency will take this message to farmers at a number of provincial agricultural shows, beginning with Ballymoney on 6-7 June, then Castlewellan and Clogher Valley, on 19 and 30 July respectively. Farmers attending these events will have the chance to speak to staff about record keeping and can also pick up a copy of Farm Notes free of charge from the FSANI stand at the shows.

As well as promoting messages to farmers at these events, staff will also be on hand to publicise the Agency’s front-of-pack traffic light labelling scheme, which helps consumers identify at a glance whether a food contains high, medium or low amounts of salt, fat, saturated fat and sugar using the red, amber and green traffic light colours.

For more information on the Take Note campaign, or to find out where to get your copy of Farm Notes, please telephone: 028 9041 7700 or email: infofsani@foodstandards.gsi.gov.uk