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FSA Priorities and Budget for 2023-24.

FSA Priorities and Budget for 2023-24 - Annex A

FSA BC 24/03/04 - Annex A

Diweddarwyd ddiwethaf: 11 March 2024
Diweddarwyd ddiwethaf: 11 March 2024

Annual Business Plan - Priorities for 2024/25

These priorities are a subset of the list of activities contained in our three-year corporate plan and represent the executive’s view of the most important things to deliver in 2024/25.  The list has been iterated with the Executive and Board members to identify our top priorities.

Corporate plan objective

Top priorities for 2024/25

Regulator

 

Deliver our regulatory responsibilities to ensure food and feed businesses to comply with the rules so that food is safe and what it says it is.

  • Deliver official controls in meat, dairy and wine establishments.
  • Deliver effective and efficient response food incidents and food crime.
  • Deliver food business trade audits and support inward and outward missions as determined by UK Office and Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.
  • Continuing support for Local Authority delivery of standards / hygiene controls and undertaking performance management of Local Authorities.
  • Delivery / oversight of statutory controls on feed, shellfish and egg hygiene
  • Deliver risk analysis outcomes and regulated product authorisations, expect to complete around 33 regulated product applications in 24/25.  Continue to manage applications through the system in the most efficient way possible with the expectation of completing a further approximately 75 applications through the stages of the service, in 25/26.

Reform the food safety regulatory framework to deliver proportionate and risk-based assurance, now and in the future.

  • Implement milestones for Vet Resourcing Programme, Risk Crisis Management Programme, National Food Crime Unit Police and Criminal Evidence Act powers and Modernisation Projects to improve effectiveness and efficiency in delivering Official Controls.
  • Roll out new food standards model to all Local Authorities in England and Northern Ireland, complete evaluation of food standards pilot in Wales and prepare for implementation.
  • Evaluation of enterprise level regulation and, if successful, continue with the existing enterprise level relationships and allow new retailers to join.
  • Continue to inform cross-govt work to develop the new borders operating model and provide delivery support for Local Authority / Port Health Authority to implement it.
Policy Maker

 

 

 

 

Make robust recommendations and support decision makers to take informed decisions on rules relating to food and feed, based on evidence and independent assessment.

  • Make robust recommendations and support decision makers to take informed decisions on rules relating to food, based on evidence and independent assessment.
  • Supporting response to complex, non-routine incidents
  • Ensure obligations for working across England, Wales and Northern Ireland and working with Food Standards Scotland are fulfilled and devolution is at the heart of delivering both policy and operations.
  • Deliver in line with our service agreement with the UK Office for Sanitary and Phytosanitary Trade Assurance.
  • Work with Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to carry out inward inspections by importing countries, export approval visits and support on completing third country questionnaires.
Policy Maker

Create a proportionate, effective, efficient and future focused approach to regulation through the risk analysis process and regulated products service, that protects consumers and removes barriers to innovation.

  • Bring forward reforms under Retained EU Law powers to speed up regulated product authorisations.
  • Deliver regulations required for Precision Breeding and prepare for implementation.
  • Continue work to improve the provision of allergy information in the out-of-home sector, and to ensure precautionary allergen labelling (PAL) is communicated more clearly and consistently.  Publish new guidance on written allergen information, explore options to legislate with Ministers.  Gather stakeholders’ views to feed into work to develop international standards for PAL allergen thresholds.  Publish new guidance on written allergen information, explore options to legislate with Ministers.
  • Continue to contribute to the development of the Windsor Framework policy and implementation whilst managing the operational implications on Northern Ireland consumers.
  • Inform cross-government work to develop and implement the Borders Target Operating Model and ensure food and feed standards are improved or maintained.
Evidence Generator

 

Ensure that our decisions, and those of others are informed by evidence.

  • Deliver appropriate risk assessments.
  • Support highest priority food / feed incidents response where a new risk assessment is required.
  • Analysis (such as, impact assessments, business cases) to support regulated products, regulated products reform and the future vet resourcing model.
  • Routine analytics for Field Operations activity and foodborne disease and if priorities require analysis for regulatory compliance and trade.

Build evidence so we can anticipate opportunities and risks across the UK food system.

  • Evidence and analysis of FSA data for the Annual Food Standards Report.
  • Phase 2 of the Labs System and sustain the laboratory system in its current state.
  • Meet commitments for the Pathogen Surveillance in Agriculture, Food and Environment (PATH-SAFE) Programme.  We hope to continue further programme activity with the approval of a multi departmental business case.
  • Maintain research infrastructure e.g. Food and You 2, consumer tracker.
  • Continue to undertake food additive research as it supports our role in risk assessment and regulated product authorisations.
  • Continue involvement in SALIENT (3-year cross Government programme of to understand which interventions can effectively encourage healthier and more sustainable diets)
  • Analysis on Ultra Processed Foods
Watchdog

 

Speak out publicly about areas of consumer interest to support food standards in the UK.

  • Publish annual report on food standards.
  • Provide FSA expertise into other government department led trade agreement negotiations to secure food safety and provide scrutiny of Free Trade Agreements through our input to section 42 requirements on invitation from Department for Business and Trade
Convenor and Collaborator

 

Work in partnerships across the food system to address issues in the food system affecting consumers and businesses.

 

  • Engagement in Food Data Transparency Partnership with Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and Department of Health and Social Care.
  • Continue to deliver against the international workplan and forward look for 2024.  We will not seek to increase our work in this area but will consider opportunities as they arise through the year.
Enabler

 

Provide the people, resources and processes needed to deliver the FSA’s corporate objectives and priorities.

  • Deliver the priorities of Year 2 of the People Plan – enhancing people management capacity, corporate development planning, succession planning, talent management and supporting development of Government Veterinary Profession Graduate Programme.  How we will improve as an employer and benefits this will bring us, businesses we regulate and consumers we protect.
  • Delivery of all finance and human resources and digital services meeting government standards in efficiently and effectively.  This includes the final stages of implementation of the Workday system, and Adaptive Planning forecasting model.
  • Support the retender of the FSA official controls contract for veterinary and meat hygiene inspection services.
  • Plan, develop and submit our next HM Treasury Spending Review submission.