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FSA Board Meeting - September 2025: Agenda and Papers
Titanic Hotel, Queen's Road, Titanic Quarter, Belfast, BT3 9DT
The agenda for this meeting includes:
- Annual Local Authority Performance
- Annual FSA Science Update
- Animal Welfare Report 2024/25
- Annual Freedom of Information Requests, External Complaints and Internal Whistleblowing Report
- Report from the Director for FSA in Wales
- Annual Report from the Chair of the Audit and Risk Assurance Committee (ARAC)
09:00 Chair's Introduction and Chair's Report
Professor Susan Jebb presents the minutes and actions from the previous FSA Board meeting in June 2025 and presents the Chair's report.
FSA 25/09/01- Minutes of 18 June 2025 Board Meeting
FSA 25/09/02 - Actions Arising
09:20 Chief Executive's Report
Katie Pettifer presents the Chief Executive's report to the FSA Board.
FSA 25/09/03 - Chief Executive's Report.
10:00 Annual Local Authority Performance (FSA 25/09/04)
Nathan Barnhouse and Karen McCloskey present an update on local authority performance in enforcing food law for the financial year 2024/25, including statistics on the delivery of Animal Feed Official Controls, and rollout information regarding the Food Standards Delivery Model in England and Northern Ireland.
FSA 25/09/04 - Annual Local Authority Performance
10:30 Annual FSA Science Update (FSA 25/09/05)
Rick Mumford presents the Annual FSA Science Update paper providing a review of progress made, and impact delivered, over the last year and an overview of future strategic science priorities and the approach for delivering them across the next Spending Review period.
FSA 25/09/05 - Annual FSA Science Update
11:00 - Break
11:20 Animal Welfare Report 2024/25 (FSA 25/09/06)
Richard Wynn-Davies and Kevin Maher present the Animal Welfare Report 2024/25, covering the FSA’s delivery of animal welfare controls in slaughterhouses during 2024/25.
FSA 25/09/06 - Animal Welfare Report 2024/25
11:50 Annual Freedom of Information Requests, External Complaints and Internal Whistleblowing Report (FSA 25/09/07)
Noel Sykes and Jenny Desira introduce the Annual Freedom of Information Requests, External Complaints and Internal Whistleblowing Report, which presents data and commentary on the FSA's management of requests made under the Freedom of Information Act 2000; external complaints and internal whistleblowing; and raising a concern cases.
12:10 - Report from the Director for FSA in Wales (FSA 25/09/08)
Sian Bowsley presents the Report from the Director for FSA in Wales, giving a high-level overview of the work of the FSA in Wales over the last year and a forward look at priorities for the coming months.
FSA 25/09/08 - Report from the Director for FSA in Wales
12:25 Annual Report from the Chair of the Audit and Risk Assurance Committee (ARAC) (FSA 25/09/09) and Report of the September ARAC Meeting (INFO 25/09/01)
Anthony Harbinson presents the Annual Report from the Chair of the Audit and Risk Assurance Committee (ARAC), which sets out the work of ARAC in relation to the Committee’s activities in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland (NI) during the year to 31 March 2025.
FSA 25/09/09 - Annual Report from the Chair of the Audit and Risk Assurance Committee (ARAC)
Anthony Harbinson will then present a report from the September ARAC meeting.
INFO 25/09/01 - Report of September ARAC meeting
12:35 Report from the Chair of the Business Committee (INFO 25/09/02)
The Chair of the Business Committee, Timothy Riley, presents a report from the Business Committee meeting, taking place on 10 September 2025.
INFO 25/09/02 - Report from the Chair of the Business Committee
12:45 Reports from the Chairs of the Food Advisory Committees (oral reports)
The Chairs of the Northern Ireland Food Advisory Committee (NIFAC), Anthony Harbinson, and the Wales Food Advisory Committee (WFAC), Rhian Hayward, deliver oral updates from the recent meetings of the two Committees.
12:50 - Any Other Business
12:55 - Questions
13:05- End of Meeting
Questions to the FSA Board
We are keen to ensure, as far as is practical, that questions are addressed in the discussion at the Board meeting. Notwithstanding discussions on the day, all questions will receive a written reply within 20 working days of the meeting.
Please note questions are listed below in the order in which they were received.
Question 1
From: Mark Tallon
Why have there still been no ministerial sign off of any CBD submission since the April 2024?
Can you please confirm that there will be completed approvals by the end of 2025 and if not why?
Question 2
From: Richard Webster, Director of Safety, Marston's
Chart 10 Percentage of FHRS rating 5 for each Country from March 2020 to date. The key shows 4 line colours. The colours for England & NI are very similar which is a bit confusing. The chart appears to only show 3 lines. This looks like NI, Total FHRS and Wales. Is England's line missing or is it obscured by the total FHRS red line? If this is the case, the chart shows what we are concerned about i.e, that LAs in Wales (and in South Wales in particular) consistently score food businesses lower than LAs North Wales and England
Question 3
From: Simon Dawson, Policy Advisor, AIMS
Para 3.6 of the Annual Report refers to an internal audit reviewing the approval process for abattoirs when non-compliance has been escalated to the point that their approval to operate may be suspended / withdrawn. The report gave a moderate assurance opinion.
Can the Board publish the findings and/or recommendations from that audit that justified this Moderate rating?
Question 4
From: Simon Dawson, Policy Advisor, AIMS
Several food business operators in the meat industry have reported that FSA and their contractors have stated that they are experiencing difficulties in providing the necessary level of staffing resource, both Meat Hygiene Inspectors and Official Veterinarians, to meet their operating requirements. Have FSA executive reported problems supplying staff in some areas of the country to the Board or its Audit and Risk Assurance Committee and is there a risk on the FSA Risk Register concerning the availability of effective staffing resources? If so, can this risk and any associated mitigation and contingency plans be published?
Question 5
From: Aneke Schwager, Director Government Relations, Impossible Foods Inc
Will the FSA proceed with the ‘reference laboratory’ reform proposal as outlined in the June Board's Market Authorisation Modernisation paper, considering that it is of technical and non-controversial nature, is not in conflict with ongoing SPS negotiations and would free up significant resources for both, regulators and applicants?