Top civil servant to leave MAFF
20 December 1999
Top civil servant to leave MAFF
By Donald MacPhail
THE most senior civil servant at Ministry of Agriculture will quit his job in February after seven years service under six agriculture ministers, it is confirmed.
Richard Packer, MAFF permanent secretary, was the senior MAFF official during the BSE crisis and has served under Conservative and Labour ministers.
His departure is likely to fuel speculation that the current Labour government is pressing ahead with plans to replace MAFF with a Ministry of Rural Affairs.
The announcement comes at a time when Prime Minister Tony Blair openly considering a radical shake-up of MAFF to create a rural affairs ministry.
Last month, the government announced it was setting up a Cabinet committee to co-ordinate all government policies on rural affairs.
Tony Blair favours an integrated rural affairs ministry to counter criticism that his is a “townies” government with little sympathy for rural concerns.
But Mr Packers departure will also add to rumours that he will be singled out for criticism in the official report from the public inquiry into the BSE crisis.
It is likely that the report, due to be published by the end of next March, will criticise former ministers and civil servants who presided over the crisis.
The Financial Times reported last year that Mr Packer was “anything but the top dog” in the eyes of the then agriculture minister Jack Cunningham.
It predicted that Mr Packer could embark on a career in the private sector if he emerged from the BSE inquiry “with an amount of sticky stuff on his boots”.
The inquiry heard that Mr Packer gave assurances British beef was safe just weeks before ministers admitted it was possible BSE could be passed to humans.
It also heard how Mr Packer told former Conservative agriculture minister Douglas Hogg about serious breaches in BSE regulations as late as 1995.
In a memo he said an “unsatisfactory treatment of specified bovine offal in slaughterhouses reflected an unfortunate state of affairs”.
Giving evidence to the inquiry this month, Mr Packer described the EU ban on British beef as a “a foolish measure” and “disproportionate”.
In 1996, Mr Packer told the European Parliaments BSE inquiry that the British governments response to the disease had been prompt and effective.
But he conceded: “Viewed from todays perspective some matters might have been handled differently. ”
Neverthless, the current agriculture minister, Nick Brown, praised Mr Packers “remarkable contribution” to public service.
“He has led the department through an exceptionally difficult period and done so with steadfast resolve and rigorous professionalism,” he said.
Mr Packer described his time as permanent secretary as “probably the most turbulent period in MAFFs history,” saying it was now time to move on.”
A successor will be sought by open competition starting in the New Year.