Civil servants told to work on farms
Government officials should be sent to work on farms so they can see first-hand the consequences of their policy-making, says an influential committee of MPs.
The recommendation – and a warning that burdensome regulations threaten to stifle farm businesses – is included in a report by the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee published today (23 September).
“Officials within DEFRA and its agencies need to appreciate the impact of regulatory decisions on farming enterprises, particularly small businesses that may be facing other financial pressures or uncertainty,” says the document.
“DEFRA should consider whether a programme of hands-on experience with farming businesses targeted at the relevant staff would lead to improved policy-making and how this could be delivered.”
The report, which examines the outcome of the independent Farming Regulation Task Force, calls for the prompt implementation of over 200 recommendations made earlier this year following the first ever review of Whitehall red-tape affecting agriculture.
The primary recommendation of the task force was for DEFRA to effect a “far-reaching regulatory culture change [moving] from an environment where the default is to regulate to an approach based on trust, responsibility and partnership.”
Committee chairman Anne McIntosh congratulated the task force for striking a balance between upholding standards and slashing over-zealous regulation. DEFRA’s culture of over regulation should be rationalised, she added.
“DEFRA needs a cultural change in its approach to regulation and enforcement. It needs to develop a risk-based approach to inspection that will target those farms that demonstrate the greatest risk of non-compliance with farm regulation.”
At the same time, the department should engage earlier and more proactively in Europe to reduce the cost burden imposed by EU regulations. “It must also ensure that adequate staff resources are available to deliver this engagement.”
Industry leaders – including the NFU and the Country Land and Business Association – believe a greater understanding by regulators of agricultural issues would encourage farmers to view regulators as being on-side rather than a hindrance.
“Staff dealing with farming and food must be allowed to get out there and experience it first hand,” aid CLA president William Worsley. “The CLA has lots of members who would be delighted to let Defra employees get their hands dirty.”
A Defra spokesperson said: “We asked the Farming Regulation Task Force to challenge us and they did. We’re working hard on a range of measures to free farmers from unnecessary red tape while keeping high standards of environmental protection, animal welfare and food safety.
“We’ll publish an interim response to the McDonald report this autumn and a full response early in 2012, setting out the changes we intend to make.”