RABDF disappointed over Responsibility and Cost Sharing Advisory Group announcement
8 July 2009
The Royal Association of British Dairy Farmers has expressed disappointment and concern that Defra has announced a Responsibility and Cost Sharing Advisory Group, a joint industry and Government working group to advise on how best to develop the new independent animal health body being introduced as part of Responsibility and Cost Sharing. Instead, the association favours such responsibility to be adopted by the England Implementation Group.
“This announcement appears to be a presumptuous move by Defra,” commented RABDF chairman, Lyndon Edwards. “The dust has yet to settle following its Responsibility and Cost Sharing Consultation, let alone have a chance to take into consideration what the industry has said in their responses.
“RABDF in its response to the consultation suggested that we are part of the industry who is willing to listen to plans for a genuinely independent body which allows for unconditional partnership from the outset, however there is no way that we could support Defra’s proposals in its consultation document.
“The association and a number of other organisations also suggested that if a new body were created, it would have to include welfare, yet this week’s announcement gave no hint that this had been considered. It continues to speak of a body for animal health, therefore to ignore our calls for the inclusion of welfare seems to be an arrogant attitude towards the livestock industry’s views.”
He added: “There is a long way to go before we can start to think about implementing change. The sensible approach would have been to evolve the England Implementation Group; it has been working on responsibility and cost sharing for quite some time and would be best placed to act on behalf of the industry.”
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