Call for evidence: The Meat (Official Controls Charges) (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2019

This call for evidence will inform a Post Implementation Review which is required under the Statutory Review Requirements of the regulations (Regulation 6).

Note: This Post Implementation review relates to England only. The equivalent regulations relating to the other countries of the UK do not contain requirements for statutory review. 

Post Implementation Review objective 

The objective of this Post Implementation Review is to establish whether the above regulations met the FSA’s policy objective to maintain the FSA’s meat charging regime following changes in EU law. This was to be achieved by amending the regulations under which the FSA recovers costs for official controls (inspections) in approved meat premises in England, to refer to then new EU law and equivalent provisions within it. Further detail on the amendments can be found in the ‘Post Implementation Review Detail’ section below. 

This call for evidence will be most relevant to 

Food business operators, industry associations and other stakeholders who have experience with, or are affected by, these Regulations, in particular: 

• Food business operators (FBOs) – operators of meat establishments in England whose activities are subject to official controls (meat hygiene and animal welfare at slaughter inspection) conducted and charged for by the FSA, including the operators of approved slaughterhouses, cutting plants and game handling establishments and authorised on-farm slaughter facilities
• Trade bodies representing such FBOs 

Legislation under review 

The Meat (Official Controls Charges) (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2019 (SI 2019 No. 1475) 

How to respond 

Responses to this call for evidence should be sent to meatchargingPIR@food.gov.uk

Post Implementation Review detail 

Background 

This Post Implementation Review is required as part of the Statutory Review Requirement of Regulation 6 of The Meat (Official Controls Charges) (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2019 (“the 2019 Regulations”).   

The 2019 Regulations: 

• Came into force on 14 December 2019 (prior to EU Exit) at the point EU Official Controls Regulations (EC) Nos. 882/2004 and 854/2004 were revoked and replaced by Regulations (EU) 2017/625 and Regulations 2019/624, 626 and 627 (which have since become assimilated EU law in relation to Great Britain)
   
• Amended The Meat (Official Controls Charges) (England) Regulations 2009 (SI 2009 No. 1574) (“the 2009 Regulations”) to: 
• Update references to EU law being revoked and replaced to refer to the new EU law or equivalent provisions within it. (In so doing this provided for the execution of powers and enforcement, in England, of Articles 78 to 84 of Regulation (EU) 2017/625 in relation to fees and charges for meat establishments subject to official controls by the FSA)
• Remove references to the EU law being revoked and replaced
• Make a minor technical amendment to replace an erroneous reference to ‘Directive 2004/412’ with a reference to ‘Directive 2004/41’

Policy objective of the legislation under review 

The FSA’s policy objective was to amend the 2009 Regulations to: 

• Update references to EU law on Official Controls that was being revoked and replaced to refer to new EU law (which has since become assimilated law relating to Great Britain) or equivalent provisions within it
• Maintain, by means of the amendments, the FSA’s meat charging regime, by continuing to require the FSA to charge operators of approved meat establishments in England to recover costs it incurs in carrying out official controls at such premises

Relevant legislation 

Relevant legislation is listed, and available via the links, below: 

• The Meat (Official Controls Charges) (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2019, Explanatory Memorandum (PDF) and Impact Assessment (PDF)
• 
  The Meat (Official Controls Charges) (England) Regulations 2009
• 
  Revoked Regulation (EC) No 882/2004 on official controls performed to ensure the verification of compliance with feed and food law, animal health and animal welfare rules
   
• Revoked Regulation (EC) No. 854/2004 laying down specific rules for the organisation of official controls on products of animal origin intended for human consumption
• 
  Now Assimilated Regulation (EU) 2019/624 concerning specific rules for the performance of official controls on the production of meat and for production and relaying areas of live bivalve molluscs in accordance with Regulation (EU) 2017/62 (relating to Great Britain)
• 
  Now Assimilated Regulation (EU) 2017/625 on official controls and other official activities performed to ensure the application of food and feed law, rules on animal health and welfare, plant health and plant protection products (relating to Great Britain)
• 
  Now Assimilated Regulation (EU) 2019/626 concerning lists of third countries or regions thereof authorised for the entry into the European Union of certain animals and goods intended for human consumption, amending Implementing Regulation (EU) 2016/759 as regards these lists (relating to Great Britain)  
• 
  Now Assimilated Regulation (EU) 2019/627 laying down uniform practical arrangements for the performance of official controls on products of animal origin intended for human consumption in accordance with Regulation (EU) 2017/625 and amending Regulation (EC) No 2074/2005 as regards official controls (relating to Great Britain)

Evidence requested 

Stakeholders’ views are requested on the operation and effect of the 2019 Regulations and whether the policy objective is met and whether the objectives remain valid.  As with other Post Implementation Reviews, we would in particular welcome views on: 

• The impact of implementation or compliance with the 2019 Regulations 
• Any unintended consequences resulting from implementation 
• Opportunities to reduce the burden of implementation, particularly in relation to impacts on business from complying with the 2019 Regulations 
• How UK implementation compares to other international approaches 

Responses 

Responses are required by close Tuesday 21st April 2026. Please state, in your response, whether you are responding as a private individual or on behalf of an organisation/company (including details of any stakeholders your organisation represents). 

Please send responses to meatchargingPIR@food.gov.uk

For information on how the FSA handles your personal data, please refer to the consultation privacy notice.

Further information 

If you require a more accessible format of this document, please send relevant details to meatchargingPIR@food.gov.uk and your request will be considered.
 
Your responses will help inform a PIR Report, which will be published alongside a summary of responses to this call for evidence.
 
Thank you for your anticipated participation and your comments and thoughts.

Annex

Interested parties

Operators of approved meat establishments in England subject to charges for official controls conducted by the FSA. 

FSA/Industry Partnership Working Group (PWG) members covering England* 

• Agriculture & Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) 
• Association of Independent Meat Suppliers (AIMS) 
• British Meat Processors Association (BMPA) 
• British Poultry Council (BPC) 
• International Meat Trade Association (IMTA) 
• National Craft Butchers (NCB) 
• National Farmers Union (NFU) 
• National Game Dealers Association (NGDA) 
• National Pig Association (NPA) 
• Provision Trade Federation (PTF) 

* Other PWG Members have been alerted for their information. 

Other Interested Parties 

• Abattoir Sector Group  
• Association of Meat Inspectors (AMI)  
• British Pig Association  
• British Retail Consortium (BRC)  
• Landworkers’ Alliance  
• Local Abattoirs R Key (LARK)  
• Pasture for Life  
• Rare Breeds Survival Trust (RBST)  
• Soil Association  
• Sustainable Food Trust 
• UNISON