Vertebral Column Update

1. At our teleconference meeting on 20 December we undertook to arrange an update meeting. I am sorry that we have not yet done that, but the Agency, together with the UK Representatives in Brussels, has given priority to actively seeking clarification on the scope to accelerate the EP scrutiny procedure. The Agency has also sent an information note to MEPs on the Environment Committee to explain the importance of the proposal and that it has UK government support.

2. We understand from our investigations that there is no formal mechanism within the Commission's comitology rules to speed up the scrutiny process other than through invoking the emergency procedure, which is not appropriate in this case. We have therefore been exploring the possibility of accelerating the procedure through informal means. UK Officials in Brussels are working closely with us on this, and their enquiries indicate that it may be possible for representations to made to the EP to deliver an earlier opinion.

3. Our latest information from Brussels is that the Commission will ask the EP to reach a view on the proposal by the end of February, thus accelerating the scrutiny process forward by six or seven weeks. However, although this is an encouraging sign there remains no guarantee the scrutiny will be speeded up or that the proposal will be adopted by the Commission any earlier.

4. We, of course, remain acutely aware of the delays so far in the process of obtaining the VC age change and the frustration this is causing. We hope to have some further information very shortly.

Karen McCallum-Smith
Animal Food Chain & Novel Foods Branch
Food Standards Agency Scotland
15 February 2008