Defra's red tape taskforce takes shape

The team of nine – with a wide array of experience within the farming, retailing, food processing and conservation sectors – will advise Defra how best to achieve a risk-based system of enforcement.

Farm Minister Jim Paice said he wanted ‘to transform how we implement and enforce regulations’ to make the Government ‘supportive rather than prescriptive’.

“We need to target the red tape that ties up our farmers and food businesses and trust in their ability to get on with the business of producing our food, managing our countryside and contributing to our economic recovery,” he said.

Richard Macdonald, former NFU Director General, will lead the team which is due to meet for the first time later this month.

The team has been urged to identify and make recommendations on:

• Unnecessary measures, which might be revoked or, if EU-based, re-negotiated
• Alternative approaches that could reduce the burden of existing regulations – removing ‘gold-plating’
• Disproportionate or overly complex implementation and enforcement that could be made more simple, empathetic, risk-based and outcome driven.

Mr Macdonald said: “We will need to be radical and innovative in our thinking. We look forward to receiving ideas from across the farming and food sector, and together I hope that we can make a real difference.”

The Task Force will make its report early in 2011.

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