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Industry Press Releases
FSA debt recovery change is an insult says SAMW
The FSA move applies to meat inspection costs and was taken without any consultation with processors.
While the new system is due to be introduced on September 13, FSA has already changed the way its current payment rules are applied, by imposing a new and draconian collection policy without any prior warning. This has resulted in businesses being faced with legal action despite responding to FSA invoices exactly as they have done for the past 20 years.
“Frankly, this is an insult to the industry,” said Alan Craig, SAMW president.
“FSA obviously has to have a debt recovery system, a fact we all respect, but to change a process which has been in operation for 20 years without so much as a phone call is an absolute disgrace. To also short-circuit the route to legal action, treating all payers, good, bad and indifferent, exactly the same, shows how seriously out of touch FSA is with this industry of ours.
“The Government has made many encouraging comments in recent months about its determination to assist small and medium size businesses in the current difficult trading environment. Clearly FSA isn't on the same page as their message to the industry is entirely negative.
There's certainly no hint of partnership or cooperation in helping the industry to ride out the current economic pressures.
“Indeed, everything FSA does on charging, smacks of pique at not getting their way in their bid to impose a massive increase of charges on the industry last year. Why else would meat businesses be asked by FSA to pay within 10 days when this doesn't apply to other businesses which buy services from government?
“We've been campaigning for FSA to complete the transformation of meat inspections for at least the last three years only to be met by painfully slow progress and continued service inefficiency. It seems, in fact, that the only time the transformation process works with any speed is when payment is involved, as in this latest case. FSA should start by sorting out the chaos in their charging system. Their bills are so complicated that a double first in accountancy is required to understand them within 10 days, never mind pay them. Rather like FSA itself, the charging system is simply dysfunctional.
“We will be joining with other industry bodies to oppose the debt recovery change. It is unnecessary in the form in which it has been announced and needs to be exposed to a bit of commonsense.”