Volume 16: Reference Material
7. The organisation of MAFF and DH, 1986-96
The creation of the Animal Health and Veterinary Group, 1990
1989-94

7.15 In 1990 the SVS was separated from ADAS, which was becoming increasingly commercially oriented. ¹ Those parts of the SVS involved in policy work were merged with the Animal Health Group, ² as shown in Chart B2. The aim was to integrate the two parallel hierarchies (veterinary staff and administrators) into a new Animal Health and Veterinary Group (AHVG) under the CVO, streamlining the headquarters organisation at MAFF's offices at Tolworth, Surrey 'to improve efficiency and accountability of decision taking'. ³ Another aim was to unify the accounting arrangements for veterinary and administrative resources used on animal health work, so that costs were properly accounted for. ⁴

7.16 The merger brought together 'under a single management line all the staff, veterinary and non-veterinary, engaged in policy advice, EU and international negotiations, implementation instructions and the coordination of programmes and resources', ⁵ although:

. . . the Animal Health and Welfare Veterinary Section continued to operate throughout as a separate team of veterinary surgeons advising administrative Divisions. ⁶

Two professional veterinarians became heads of integrated policy divisions dealing with international trade and zoonoses respectively. ⁷

7.17 Traditionally, two Grade 3 veterinarians, the Director of the Veterinary Field Service (DVFS) and the Director of the CVL, had reported to the CVO who was also, nominally, a Grade 3. ⁸ An unusual feature of the merged AHVG was that a Grade 3 administrator was 'under the leadership' ⁹ of the CVO. Mr Crawford, the DVFS, told the Inquiry that 'the Chief Veterinary Officer was the nominal head of the group at Grade 3 plus'. ¹⁰ For the purposes of their personal performance appraisal, ¹¹ however, both the CVO and the administrative Grade 3 reported to the Grade 2 head of the Food Safety Directorate. Senior veterinarians reported to the administrative Grade 3:

From 1991-4 I reported on policy issues to the Administrative Grade 3, Martin Haddon (who was my reporting officer), and on professional matters to the CVO. ¹²

I reported directly to Mr M Haddon, Grade 3, Animal Health and Veterinary Group (AHVG). ¹³

From that period, I reported for some time to Martin Haddon, who was the administrative Grade 3. ¹⁴

The exception was the Director of the Veterinary Field Service, who reported directly to the CVO. ¹⁵

7.18 Chart B2 illustrates these arrangements.

1989-94

7.19 The following charts illustrate the structure during this period:

1. Chart B1: the overall structure of MAFF from the establishment of the Food Safety Directorate in November 1989. This remained essentially the same until late 1994, apart from the merger of the Animal Health Group and the SVS in 1990, and the creation of Agencies. Reporting directly to the Permanent Secretary were:
1. three policy Commands headed by Grade 2 Deputy Secretaries;
2. until 1992 (when ADAS became an Executive Agency), ADAS and the Regional Organisation, headed by a Grade 2 Director-General;
3. the Chief Scientific Adviser to MAFF (Grade 2), who until ADAS became an Agency was also its Director-General;
4. the Legal Department headed at Grade 2 level;
5. the Management Services and Information (until 1992), Establishments and Finance Groups headed at Grade 3 level; and
6. from 1992, Information (headed by a Grade 5 Chief Information Officer).
1. Chart B2: the Animal Health and Veterinary Group as merged from 1990. The Meat Hygiene Division during this period and thereafter is shown in Chart C3.
2. Chart B3: the Veterinary Field and Investigation Service.
3. Chart B4: the Food Safety Group.
4. Chart B5: the Food Science Group.
5. Chart B6: the Central Veterinary Laboratory (CVL), supplementing Chart A8 by focusing on the departments involved in work on transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs), including BSE.

Chart B1: MAFF, November 1989 to October 1994

Chart B2: Animal Health & Veterinary Group, November 1989 to October 1994

Chart B3: Veterinary Field and Investigation Service, November 1989 to October 1994 (merged with AHG in 1990)

Chart B4: Food Safety Group, November 1989 to October 1994

Chart B5: Food Science Group, November 1989 to October 1994

Chart B6: Central Veterinary Laboratory (1985-96), TSE Staff