Dear Sir/Madam
CHANGES TO BSE TESTING
JOINT CONSULTATION WITH FOOD STANDARDS AGENCY SCOTLAND
I am writing to invite views on raising the minimum age for BSE testing cattle slaughtered for human consumption and fallen stock to 48 months and on amending the Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathy (Scotland) Regulations 2006 to administer this change. This follows a series of public meetings held throughout the UK organised by the Food Standards Agency. Responses to the consultation will be considered jointly by Scottish Government and Food Standards Agency Scotland.
The following background documents may be found on the internet:
· Summary of SEAC Meeting on 15 October 2008 http://www.seac.gov.uk/papers/101-summary.pdf
· Paper for FSA Board on 15 October 2008 http://www.food.gov.uk/multimedia/pdfs/board/fsa081007.pdf
We welcome your views and comments on the proposals. If you have any queries on the proposals, please contact Andrew Taylor on 0131 244 6642.
*This consultation has received Ministerial clearance to proceed over a reduced time period in order to meet the EU's expected timetable and allow the possibility of applying these proposals from 1 January 2009.
Responding to this consultation paper
We are inviting written responses to this consultation paper by 3 December 2008. Please send your response to:
Ian.murdoch2@scotland.gsi.gov.uk
or
Ian Murdoch
The Scottish Government
Animal Health & Welfare Division
Pentland House
47 Robb's Loan
Edinburgh
EH14 1TY
The Scottish Government now has an email alert system for consultations (SEconsult: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/consultations/seconsult.aspx). This system allows stakeholder individuals and organisations to register and receive a weekly email containing details of all new consultations (including web links). SEconsult complements, but in no way replaces Scottish Government distribution lists, and is designed to allow stakeholders to keep up to date with all Scottish Government consultation activity, and therefore be alerted at the earliest opportunity to those of most interest. We would encourage you to register.
Handling your response
We need to know how to handle your response, particularly whether it can be made public. Please complete and return the Respondent Information Form along with your comments. This will ensure that we are clear about your wishes. All respondents should be aware that the Scottish Government is subject to the provisions of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 and would therefore have to consider any request made to it under the Act for information relating to responses made to this consultation exercise.
Where respondents have given their permission, responses will be published in association with a report on the consultation. This will be available on the Scottish Government consultation web pages by 23 December 2008. Before publication all responses will be checked for potentially defamatory material. You can make arrangements to view responses by contacting the Scottish Government Library on 0131 244 4552. Responses can be copied and sent to you, but a charge may be made of this service.
Yours faithfully
Martin Morgan