Viva! 8 York Court Wilder Street Bristol BS2 8QH Tel: 0117 944 1000 Fax: 0117 924 4646 email: media@viva.org.uk	15 May 2001 MAFF Riding Roughshod Over Consumer Interests As criticism of MAFF (Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries & Food) gathers pace for its handling of the foot and mouth crisis, two articles in Viva!Life magazine reveal the depth of its abuse of power in other areas. Secret papers shown to the magazine reveal that MAFF has ridden roughshod over the supposedly independent consumer watchdog - the Food Standards Agency (FSA) - forcing it to change its opinion in the critical area of BSE and animal slaughter. Entitled More Lapdog than Watchdog, the article reveals how the FSA bowed to pressure from MAFF and reversed its opposition to new EU regulations governing the slaughter of cattle - designed to reduce the spread of BSE. The FSA prepared a consultation paper on the proposed changes and expressed its clear opposition. MAFF civil servants were shown the draft and replied: “We are not convinced that blaming the EU is the best approach”. They then redrafted the consultation paper to show support for the EU’s proposals and the FSA went along with it. “The BSE enquiry showed that MAFF was incapable of protecting the interests of both consumers and producers”, says Tony Wardle, Editor of Viva!Life. “It always came down in favour of producers. It was for this reason the FSA was formed. Now we see that nothing has changed and the Government’s claims that the FSA is independent are patently false. It doesn’t really matter who is right and who is wrong, it is clear that we can have no faith in anything the FSA says.” In a second article, Countryside Vandals (p.12), Viva!Life reveals how MAFF’s support for intensive farming has devastated the countryside and prepared the ideal conditions for an accelerating spread of diseases such as foot and mouth. It also reveals that far from badgers spreading TB to cattle, it is cattle who have spread the disease to badgers. MAFF’s badger cull is described as being “solely to placate farmers”. In the midst of public concern for the widespread slaughter of new-born lambs, the article also reveals that 20 per cent of all new born lambs - 4 million every year - die from, cold exposure and disease because farmers force ewe’s to give birth in mid winter. “It’s time to stop the crocodile tears”, concludes Tony Wardle, “and take a long hard look at the damage that modern farming is doing to wildlife and the countryside.” Read the article here. For further information contact Tony Wardle on 0117 944 1000