Between The Lines August 2021

ISSUE 49 | AUGUST 2021

WELCOME TO OUR NEW RECRUITS We hear how some of our Trainee Official Auxiliaries are getting on

PAGE 04 Congratulations Collin Willson

PAGE 08 Spotlight on our networks

PAGE 12 Camel milk inspection

WELCOME

WELCOME TO THE AUGUST EDITION OF BETWEEN THE LINES For many it’s holiday time.

Personally, I’m just back from a staycation where we enjoyed some marvellous weather.

But in contrast to many in the public sector, this time of year can be busy, particularly for our colleagues on the frontline.

I am especially grateful to all who contributed to making our response to the Eid al-Adha 2021 festival a success.

This year not only did we have annual leave to contend with, but also the pressures of Covid and staff isolating. Thank you to so many of you who have gone above and beyond to assist.

One positive to mention is that we’ll shortly be launching another Official Auxilliary recruitment drive.

You can read more about our trainee inspectors on pages 6-7. Also this

month, there’s information about our plans to bring enforcement decisionmaking in-house (p4), an article about a new mobile slaughterhouse that’s close to approval (p5) and an update on our staff networks, including the Race and Ethnicity Network and the recently launched Social Mobility Network and Men’s Network (p8-9).

On a separate note, due to the nature of job roles, I know many colleagues don’t get the opportunity to listen to the discussions that take place at senior meetings, or hear how decisions are made. The Senior Management Team in Operations wish to change that by inviting someone along to observe each of our weekly Ops SMT meetings. This is open to anyone and I hope you’ll

take the opportunity to join us.

Finally, I’d like to encourage you to read the National Food Strategy for England, published last month. The report provides a fascinating insight into our food system and makes a number of bold recommendations for an expansion of our remit. It’s an exciting time for us and we’ll be working closely across government to shape our response.

Thank you to everyone for keeping on, keeping on.

Colin Sullivan Chief Operating Officer

HELLO FROM SUSAN JEBB, OUR NEW CHAIR Hello, I wanted to say how pleased I am to join you as Chair of the FSA. As I’ve been preparing for this role, I’ve watched in admiration as you all continue to work tirelessly, adapting to extraordinary circumstances to keep food safe and maintain the trust of consumers in the food they eat. I don’t underestimate the impact the Covid-19 pandemic and the EU transition has had on the organisation and the huge amount of work that’s been undertaken as a result.

Excellent food safety is not about good luck, it takes a great deal of effort from everyone, especially those on the frontline, going out to plants each day to feed the nation and keep food safe.

The last 18 months have been challenging and for some people, lives and priorities have changed, sometimes in quite fundamental ways. It can feel unsettling as we try to re-establish a routine. I want to assure you that as we adapt, we’re committed to learning from our experience and improving our ways of working.

00 02

Looking ahead, we need to focus on how the FSA can play its part in securing our food system for the future. Food policy is in the spotlight as never before, especially following the publication of the National Food Strategy, and we have a critical role to play. You know best where we can make a difference and I really want to hear your views.

For now, I’d like to leave you with this thought: food standards are not just about minimising risk but maximising the opportunities for the food system to be the best it can be, delivering food that is good – for people, the planet and the economy. It’s a big challenge but it’s what motivates me to do this job.

I’m really looking forward to meeting you, seeing your work firsthand, hearing your thoughts about what we can do better and then getting on with the job of upholding excellent food standards.

NEWS

News & updates COVID LATEST Since the national lockdown lifted, life has started to get easier and feel more normal for many of us. But it’s important we don’t become complacent. The three most important and effective control measures against the virus continue to be: Social distancing Observing personal hygiene Thorough cleansing and disinfecting regimes

When these measures are followed, the risk of transmission is low.

Working on the frontline We are working closely with industry to reduce the risk of Covid outbreaks. The health and safety of our colleagues is our priority, and risk assessments and local arrangements remain under constant review. If you are concerned about social distancing where you work, report it to your line manager immediately.

Stay up-to-date with the latest Covid guidance by visiting the Covid Hub and staff information pack on the intranet.

NEW-LOOK INTRANET HOMEPAGE Fresh, modern and easy to use, our new intranet homepage brings us the many benefits and features of the latest version of SharePoint.

The new site provides better access to all our usual apps via the dropdown menu and to Between the Lines which features as a permanent webpart on the homepage.

Rio Ollerhead, Official Auxiliary, says: “The new homepage is a big improvement on what we had before. I like the new mega menu, where I can search by task or department. It is really easy to access all the apps from that menu or from

the sidebar. It’s great to have Twitter as a feature to see what’s topical externally for the FSA - sort of bringing the outside in.

I also like being able to access the latest all-staff call recordings under the ‘one to watch’ section.”

The homepage is the ‘face’ of the intranet that sits behind it. In the coming months we’ll be working with departments to migrate our remaining webpages over to the new modernised site ensuring our content is as accessible as possible.

EID AL-ADHA FESTIVAL: THANK YOU Eid al-Adha, the Muslim festival of sacrifice, took place in July. It’s one of the most important festivals in the Muslim calendar and one of our busiest times of year.

FBOs work around the clock to meet consumer demand and facilitate the safe production of Qurbani, ensuring food safety requirements and animal welfare standards are maintained.

Simon Tunnicliffe, Head of Field Operations, says: “I’d like to say a huge thank you to everyone who has been involved in planning, resourcing and facilitating the festival this year. As always, preparations begin months in advance and we’re grateful to our frontline teams who worked throughout the festival to ensure Qurbani was safe to eat.

“Colleagues have been incredibly flexible, changing rest-days and volunteering to work extra hours to help ease resourcing pressures.

Qualified staff from across the wider organisation have continued to provide support on the frontline too. We really appreciate all of your help.”

CONTENTS News

03-05

Welcome our recruits 06 Networks spotlight

08

Initiatives

10

In conversation with… 11 Last word

12

03

NEWS

ENFORCEMENT DECISION-MAKING TO COME INHOUSE Following a review of the way we carry out enforcement activity in meat operations, we are modernising our delivery approach to align with the latest legislative framework contained in the OCR. As a result, we’re planning to bring enforcement decision-making in-house and clarify the duties of employed FSA decisionmaking Vets and contracted Official Veterinarians (OVs) working in plants.

Robert Locker, Head of Delivery for the North, says: “While OVs will continue to play a critical role in delivering Official Controls, investigating suspicions of non-compliance and advising enforcement options where appropriate, the final enforcement decision and any action required will be made by an FSA-employed Vet. “We’re in the early stages of scoping out how we can deliver this most effectively and have been investigating a number of resourcing options with veterinary colleagues. As soon as we have an implementation plan in place, we’ll provide details of what our new processes will be.”

04

CONGRATULATIONS COLLIN! Animal Welfare Veterinary Lead Collin Willson has been elected President for the Welsh Branch of the British Veterinary Association.

The British Veterinary Association (BVA) is the leading body representing, supporting, and championing the UK veterinary profession. As President of the Welsh Branch, Collin will help represent all BVA members in Wales, making sure their work is understood and valued by the public.

He’ll also lead on bringing together specialist and territorial divisions, government, academic institutions, and research organisations in Wales to help ensure BVA members’ expertise is heard and respected by the people shaping national policies.

Jane Clark, Director of Veterinary Services, says: “It’s a fantastic achievement for Collin to have been elected to this prestigious role and very well-deserved given his dedication to animal welfare and the veterinary profession throughout his career. He has so much experience

and knowledge to bring to the role.

We’re very proud of him and it’s wonderful news for the vet profession in the FSA.” Stepping into the role, Collin says: “I am delighted to take on the role of BVA Welsh Branch President. The landscape for veterinary surgeons is changing fast. As we navigate our way around and possibly out of the global pandemic and see the effects of Brexit, the profession will continue to adapt and change to meet the new challenges.

“As President I will ensure BVA members in Wales will have a clear understanding of how the ongoing restrictions may affect veterinary services in the coming years. With the legislative changes affecting animal health and welfare, there are lots of issues that will need a strong veterinary voice.”

NEWS

MOBILE SLAUGHTERHOUSE SEEKS APPROVAL A mobile slaughterhouse in Gloucestershire is close to being given the green light to operate.

Fir Farm Limited is seeking FSA approval for a mobile slaughterhouse project in a bid to tackle the decreasing numbers of small rural abattoirs and reduce the distance for livestock to travel to slaughter.

Earlier this month FSA Chair Susan Jebb, Defra Minister Lord Richard Benyon, Sir Geoffrey Clifton Brown MP, Defra Minister Victoria Prentis MP, and Neil Parish MP, EFRA Committee Chair (pictured from left to right), visited the site to tour the new facility and engage in a wider discussion about the challenges facing the sector and its decline.

The project has been in development for nearly three years and the mobile slaughterhouse

has been custom-built to meet EU requirements. The unit is selfsufficient to slaughter cattle, sheep and pigs but will require each site it visits to undergo an assessment to ensure adequate facilities are in place to achieve approval.

Darren Whitby, Head of Animal Welfare and Delivery Assurance, and Jose Camara-Diaz, Field Veterinary Leader, accompanied Susan on the visit. They and the wider approval team have been closely involved to work through the unique challenges

the unit presented.

Darren says: “We’ve been in ongoing discussions with the business to support this innovation and carried out site visits to ensure all hygiene and welfare requirements can be achieved, through a combination of the unit’s in-built facilities and those on the farm.

“Coordinating the delivery of Official Controls for a facility like this will brings its own challenges, such as resourcing, auditing and the need for different health marks at each location. But there are plenty of potential benefits too and we’re looking forward to working with more locations, once they gain approval in future.”

A second FBO in Devon has already registered their interest and an assessment of the site will likely take place during the summer.

FOOD FRAUD RESILIENCE SELF-ASSESSMENT TOOL We’re encouraging food businesses to use our online tool to assess their vulnerablity to food crime.

Our Food Fraud Resilience self-assessment tool guides food business owners and employees through a series of questions to help them identify the risk of food crime to their business and outlines how they can protect themselves.

The tool has been designed to be used by all food businesses, regardless of the size or sector in which they operate. Businesses can complete the tool anonymously or choose to share their details with the NFCU for follow-up engagement.

Hayley Ward-Ivan, Prevention Officer, says: “The online tool has been positively received by

industry, reaching businesses across the UK and even attracting international interest. “So far, we’ve received more than 340 submissions and NFCU offer a follow-up service, which provides businesses with advice and support tailored to their needs.

“It’s important that everyone in the food industry knows about food crime and what they can do to protect themselves from it. Please take a look at the online tool and endorse it among industry partners wherever possible.”

To find out more and share the tool with your industry partners, visit: www.food.gov.uk/food-fraudresilience-self-assessment-tool

05

FEATURE

WELCOME TO OUR NEW RECRUITS Since 2018, we’ve been steadily increasing the number of Trainee Official Auxiliaries (TOA) we recruit.

In this edition of Between the Lines we hear how some of our new trainees are getting on…

Eddelle Allen, Area Manager and recruitment lead, says: “We currently run two recruitment drives a year with the next starting this September. We’ve seen real diversity in those attracted to the Meat Hygiene Inspector (MHI) role, with a 50-50 split between men and women and ages ranging from 18 to 50 years old. The FSA is a great place to work and I’m proud that 91% of trainees agree – and stay with us.”

ATTRACTING NEW RECRUITS Alice Leathley (pictured right) is based in the Wales and West region. Alice qualified in red meat in June and is currently working towards her white meat qualification. She says: “When I came across the Trainee Official Auxiliary (TOA) position, it felt like I’d hit the gold mine – it was a role that sounded perfect for me, yet I never knew it existed.

“The training has been intensive but fascinating.

I’ve genuinely wanted to spend every spare moment studying. I’ve found the anatomy and physiology module particularly interesting!”

Former Royal Navy chef George Rigby (pictured left) based in the East, agrees: “I joined as a trainee in June and was attracted by the challenging and rewarding career inspection could provide. The training

06

FEATURE

programme is fast-paced and challenging, but I’ve felt a real sense of achievement. It’s been great to meet a wide range of people, learning about the role and the specifics involved, like parasitology and anatomy.”

ADAPTING HOW WE TRAIN Trainees undergo 26 weeks of training which includes seven modules, combining theory with practical application. On completion, trainees are awarded the Royal Society for Public Health Level 4 Diploma for Proficiency in Meat Inspection and Level 2 Certificate for Proficiency in Poultry Meat Inspection.

Training has taken place virtually throughout the pandemic, except when practical placements are required in plants.

Peter Tiley (pictured above left), based in Wales and West, says: “It’s been brilliant to work with such knowledgeable and generous inspectors and my mentors and assessors have been great. The amount of knowledge you need to qualify is overwhelming. You need to know all about anatomy, physiology and pathologies, but it’s great fun to learn – although I’m struggling to find resources on lagomorphs, if anyone reading this can help…?!

“The only downside has been when plant placements get cancelled last-minute because of Covid. That’s been a struggle for me, but there’s always someone on-hand to listen and provide support.”

Alice agrees: “It’s been difficult to get the practical experience I’ve craved because of the pandemic. But I’m grateful to my Inspection Team Leader who has worked tirelessly behind the scenes to get placements for me.”

Former Civil Engineer Fred Horsfall (pictured above centre) says: “The most challenging part of the training has been writing assignments, something I

haven’t done since my master’s degree. Working in a slaughterhouse isn’t what I expected, but I’ve enjoyed learning on the job.”

Recent recruit Lewes Evans (pictured above right) has also valued the practical experience, and says: “My background is in catering, but the insight I’ve had of how meat is produced, from farm to fork, is incomparable.

“I’ve particularly enjoyed working alongside the Official Veterinarian and learning about the different species and observing the care that goes into ensuring animal welfare is maintained.”

PROVIDING THE RIGHT SUPPORT Dedicated mentors and assessors are on-hand throughout the training programme to help trainees with any issues, provide guidance and offer encouragement.

Graham Clark (pictured below right), MHI from the North region, believes MHIs should pass on their knowledge to the next generation to ensure standards are upheld in future. He says: “I was lucky enough to have a great mentor when I trained and I feel privileged to be able to help. It’s wonderful to see people join the profession.”

Oleg Tchesnokov, MHI from the East region, adds: “It’s important to me that trainees receive a solid standard of training to qualify. I really enjoy mentoring trainees to progress into fully-fledged MHIs.” As well as sharing their knowledge, mentors play an important role in helping trainees settle in and supporting them with whatever they need. Trainee Alice says: “The support has been invaluable. I’ve had the opportunity to work with some really experienced and passionate inspectors who are really keen to pass on their knowledge. I’ve found it really inspirational to learn from them and hear about their careers.”

Ian Robinson (pictured second left), MHI and Assessor, concludes: “Hearing that a newly qualified MHI has settled in, is performing well and enjoying the role they’ve trained hard to do is the icing on the cake. I wish this year’s cohort all the best and hope they go on to support trainees in future, completing the circle and passing on the knowledge they’ve learned along the way.”

07

BEHIND FEATURE THE SCENES

SPOTLIGHT

ON OUR NETWORKS

Our networks are there to help colleagues and provide a source of support, inclusion and the collective power to influence.

In this edition of Between the Lines, we share details about the new Men’s Network and the Social Mobility Network, and hear from the Race and Ethnicity Network, formerly known as the BAME Network. For more details about all of our staff networks and how to get involved, visit the intranet.

SOCIAL MOBILITY NETWORK Social mobility is the relationship between the starting point in our lives to where we end up as adults and takes into account our income, status and background.

The Social Mobility Network launched this summer with a range of awareness-raising events and a new Yammer group.

John McGirr, Network co-chair (pictured right), says: “Social mobility shouldn’t be a barrier to success.

While it is true people from lower social economic backgrounds do have less opportunities that doesn’t

08 00

mean opportunity isn’t out there.

“The Social Mobility Network aims to remove the barriers to progression regardless of background. Currently just 18% of senior civil servants are from a low socioeconomic background, which we want to change. Everyone is welcome to join the network. Please get involved and help us grow our influence in the FSA and wider community.”

Find out more and join the network by emailing John’s co-chair, james.cunliffe@food.gov.uk

BEHIND FEATURE THE SCENES

MEN’S NETWORK Recently launched, the Men’s Network provides a platform to support and encourage the promotion of men’s health and wellbeing.

Led by Mark Dawson, Wine Inspector Team Leader (pictured left), and sponsored by Simon Tunnicliffe, Head of Field Operations, the network will provide a safe space to discuss men’s

issues, health and wellbeing and will work towards an event to support International Men’s Day this November.

Mark says: “Our Men’s Network is inclusive to men, women, and all gender identities. I’m keen to recruit volunteers to assist to help make the network as visible and active as possible. If you’d like to get involved, please please contact me.”

Keela Shackell-Smith, Inclusion Lead, says: “It’s fantastic to be part of an organisation where colleagues care so passionately about inclusion.

We have a wide range of staff networks available, each providing valuable support. I’d like to encourage everyone to get involved and reap the benefits our networks can bring. Our networks welcome allies – someone who is willing to take action in support of another person. For example, colleagues who aren’t disabled who join the AccessAbility network to learn what they could do to support disabled colleagues.”

REN NETWORK The Race and Ethnicity Network (REN), formerly known as the BAME Network, aims to create a supportive working environment for all diverse groups in our organisation.

Rochelle Devonish, a Lawyer in our Legal department (pictured right), is a member of the network and she says: “I love being part of the REN. It honestly feels like a space where I can be myself. I feel fortunate to be part of a network that really listens.

“We meet regularly and have achieved a lot in the last year alone.

Most of our work has focused on working towards equality, and hopefully more diversity within the organisation, especially at a senior level.”

The Network has also hosted some high-profile organisation-wide events including curating a series of talks and

colleague sessions for Black History Month last October and ‘Show Racism the Door’, an event where staff could talk openly about their experiences of racism.

Rochelle says: “Personally, I’m most proud of our ‘Understand Me’ series. These events provided an opportunity for colleagues to share their cultural differences and backgrounds in a positive and meaningful way. We’ve just delivered our third session and the response has been fantastic.”

If you’d like to find out more about the network, please email Network Chair, Solomon Okoruwa.

00

INITIATIVES

TRANSFORMATION – LATEST UPDATE The Operational Transformation Programme’s consultation on the Future Delivery Model closed on 23 July. A summary report of the responses is being prepared, which will be complete in late August.

The report will be: • discussed by our Board in September • published on food.gov.uk in a Consultation Response Report • considered as we further develop the proposals • discussed at internal meetings – for example, with the Change Champions.

In July the programme team held workshops with the three regions’ Change Champions to explore the Future Delivery Model. The programme team were really pleased with these and are thankful to the Change

Champions for their positive and constructive approach to the debate.

Graham Clark, Change Champion from the North region, says: “The workshop went well. We had a lot of discussion and open debate on how Ops Transformation could change our ways of delivering official controls.

“Numerous questions were asked and taken for consideration.

It was a good start and I enjoyed the open and constructive way that the programme team listened and respected our ideas and concerns.

I think Change Champions will become more engaged once we have a definite direction on how the future will look.”

Feedback from the workshops and Change Champions paper will be included in the consultation response analysis.

HEALTH SAFETY AND WELLBEING Face-to-face health surveillance, an essential service we provide to protect and support frontline colleagues will be available again from September.

Health surveillance will be delivered by our occupational health provider (Health Management Limited), and will include audiometry and spirometry testing depending on your requirements. Mobile health units will be visiting certain offices and plant sites – details will be available shortly.

Health surveillance can help: • detect ill health effects at an early stage • provide an opportunity to raise

10

a concern about how your work affects your health • highlight any lapses in workplace control measures, providing invaluable feedback to risk assessment • provides an opportunity to train and educate colleagues – for example, how to use protective equipment.

Look out for more information about where the mobile health unit will be and how to make an appointment.

If you have any queries, please contact HeathSafetyWellbeing @food.gov.uk

TAPP UPDATE TAPP, our mobile friendly timesheet application, has now been fully rolled out and delivered to 322 frontline Meat Hygiene Inspectors.

The phased delivery approach has allowed the project team to make changes based on user feedback, including: • clearer summary screens • consistency of menus and summaries • the addition of the day/ hours summary tracker – based on travel-time feedback.

CBI and the IT Training Group are hosting weekly drop-in clinics to provide colleagues with ongoing support.

If you haven’t received an invite to the TAPP Drop in Clinic and need to attend please contact CBI@food. gov.uk for a Teams invite.

Next steps The TAPP project team are launching a pilot with Eville & Jones and are developing management screens which will move all timesheet activity onto the TAPP platform.

IN CONVERSATION WITH…

ALEX YATES Senior Prevention and Relationship Management Officer in our National Food Crime Unit (NFCU) I was a police officer for more than five years before I joined the FSA. I made the move because the NFCU was still in its infancy. We had a blank canvas to work with and the freedom to go in any direction we thought best, which was very exciting.

There are two key areas I’m really passionate about. The first is our Food Fraud Resilience Self-Assessment Tool, which is something we’ve created completely from scratch. It allows businesses to selfassess their risk of food fraud and offers advice on how to protect themselves, which is something that’s never been done before.

The second is raising organisational awareness of modern slavery, a passion which stems from my previous life in policing. Historically food and agriculture has been a risk sector for modern slavery and human trafficking, often coming into the top five industries for labour exploitation. As well as having a moral obligation as human beings to do something about this, we have a duty as the regulator, to act to prevent it and safeguard victims.

I love the variety my job brings, there’s no

typical day. The only constant is our daily management meeting where we discuss any new intelligence that’s come in. Following that, I can get involved in all sorts of things to do with the NFCU Control Strategy. It’s not uncommon to go to a meeting looking at new prevention interventions about dangerous non-foods, then move onto how we best share information on counterfeit alcohol with industry or be working with colleagues to develop engagement plans.

Among all that, I’m on hand to support my team, offering advice and working through issues.

Every day is different though – just the way I like it.

QUICK FIRE Q&A Describe your job in three words: Challenging, varied, rewarding.

What’s been your favourite part of the role?

Creating the online tool. It’s never been done before and we developed it from scratch. The response has been overwhelming.

I’m really proud of the team for delivering it.

What keeps you sane?

Sport, exercise, friends and family. Although more recently, anything that gets me some alone time (I have a twomonth-old baby and a puppy).

How would your colleagues describe you?

Easy-going, reliable, pragmatic and a good sense of humour.

What makes you proud to work for the FSA? Simply knowing that the work we do protects the public each and every day.

11

LAST WORD

VOICES In our latest Voices series, we hear from Daniel Jones, Dairy Hygiene Inspector, who recently branched out into camel milk inspection Life as a Dairy Hygiene Inspector is varied, you never know what to expect, but even I was surprised when a request came in to inspect camel milk!

The FBO initially made contact last year, enquiring about what requirements there are for selling raw camel milk. It was an ongoing dialogue as the camels were still pregnant with a gestation period of 13 months and so they have had plenty of time to comply with the required standards.

Once the calves were born, I visited the FBO as part of a joint guidance visit with Stratford Local Authority. The FBO intends to produce six litres of camel’s milk per day, which exempts them from the Food Safety Management System requirements due to the low quantity.

It was interesting to watch the camels being milked. Once each camel is in the crush, the calf

OVER ON YAMMER Join our weekly Yammer chats!

Every Monday between 4pm and 5pm, Field Operations Management Group are hosting a Live Yammer Chat for colleagues to ask questions and share what’s on their mind.

suckled to encourage the mother to let the milk drop. Then the teats are cleaned and inspected and clusters are attached. After, it’s a waiting game to see if the camel will continue to let the milk drop. Camels can be quite temperamental and the first camel produced no milk while the second produced only one litre. The poor production was put down to stage fright as they had never performed in front of an audience before!

The FBO uses a portable milking machine that is wheeled from the dairy to the crush and then back to the dairy for bottling. There is no bulk tank on the farm. The churn is emptied into a jug with a filter and decanted into bottles which are labelled with a production date, health warning and shelf-life and then frozen immediately.

At the moment, the camel milk is sold via the internet and at the farm gate, but the FBO is in discussions with a distributor in an attempt to grow this niche business further.

I’m looking forward to monitoring their progress.

Richard Sharp, Head of Operational Delivery for the East, says: “The weekly Yammer Chats provide us with an opportunity to speak directly with colleagues, particularly those working on the frontline, hear about issues and answer questions. So far, we’ve discussed laundry, Ops Transformation, pay and the FSA’s networks. Please keep the conversation going.

You can access the weekly Yammer Chat every Monday using your FSA mobile phone. You can drop in at any time during the session to ask your question and you don’t have to commit to the full hour.”

DATE FOR YOUR DIARY Cuppa and a Chat with Simon Tunnicliffe Head of Field Operations

4pm – 5pm 22 September on MS Teams Email CBI@food.gov.uk to find out more

Do you have a story for Between the Lines?

Email us at internalcommunications@food.gov.uk