Volume 9: Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland
Part 1: Wales
4. Departmental responsibilities
Local government

4.23 Local government arrangements in Wales mirrored those of England, with a two-tier system of District and County Councils. Local authorities in Wales were designated as enforcement authorities for the purposes of food safety legislation. The Secretary of State for Wales, usually jointly with the Secretary of State for Health and the MAFF Minister, issued Codes of Practice under the Food Safety Act 1990 for the guidance of local authorities. ¹

4.24 The responsibilities of the local authorities for meat hygiene changed in parallel with those in England during the period covered by this Report. Before January 1993, District Councils in Wales were solely responsible for licensing, supervision and enforcement of hygiene legislation in abattoirs and cutting plants that traded in the domestic market only. ² Those cutting plants and abattoirs that were engaged in exporting meat were required to be inspected by the Welsh Regional Meat Hygiene Adviser (a member of the SVS) and, if they met the requirements of the hygiene legislation, were approved by WOAD for export purposes under the Fresh Meat Export (Hygiene and Inspection) Regulations 1987. Export-approved plants remained the responsibility of the local authorities but had an Official Veterinary Surgeon (OVS), appointed by the Secretary of State from a list approved by MAFF, to supervise their compliance with the Regulations.

4.25 From 1 January 1993 all Welsh abattoirs and wholesale cutting plants trading in the European Single Market had to meet harmonised EU hygiene requirements and be licensed by WOAD. ³ Local authorities' responsibilities for meat inspection were transferred to the Meat Hygiene Service (MHS) when it was established in April 1995. ⁴

4.26 As in England, operational responsibility for the enforcement of the human and animal SBO bans (see paragraph 5.7) lay initially with the District and County Councils respectively. Later the MHS became responsible for the enforcement of regulations that applied within slaughterhouses. The SVS monitored enforcement on behalf of MAFF. It was not part of the procedure for WOAD to be alerted separately to any breaches of the SBO Regulations.