Papers by Gerry A Danby
Engage in conversation with a group of small scale food producers and you will inevitably hear th... more Engage in conversation with a group of small scale food producers and you will inevitably hear the criticism that EU food hygiene rules are excessive when it comes to artisan and small scale food production. In the present context, when we talk about ‘artisan and small scale’ we are broadly speaking of that group of food producers that for all practical purposes exercise direct control over the whole of the production process and environment. The question is to what extent the regulatory burden placed on producers in this sector is disproportionate to the risk and level of activity undertaken? What may be reasonable in regulating industrial and factory processed food is out of all proportion to what is necessary in small scale food production.
The net result is a belief that EU rules constrain artisan producers in terms of both the quality of what they are able to produce and their ability to make and sell products in a way that provides a living wage.
The question is does hygiene policy help or hinder artisan and small scale cheese production?
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In 2001 a pig finishing unit at Burnside Farm, Heddon on the Wall, Northumberland, which was lice... more In 2001 a pig finishing unit at Burnside Farm, Heddon on the Wall, Northumberland, which was licensed to feed processed waste food under The Animal By-Products Order 1999 was the source of a devastating FMD outbreak. It was probably caused by pigs fed with infected swill not properly heat-sterilised and which may have contained the remains of illegally imported infected meat. The cost of the outbreak totalled over £8 billion, involved the slaughter of millions of animals and traumatised rural communities across the UK.
What was the regulatory framework and enforcement regime in 2001? What were the facts of what happened? Was swill feeding the cause? Was it a failure of the regulations or of enforcement, or a combination of the two? How effective was the management of the outbreak by the responsible authorities? How did the UK and then the EU respond to the disaster? What is the current state of the law concerning the feeding of food waste to pigs? Do we have a proportional and rational legal framework governing the treatment of catering waste?
These are some of the questions explored in considering the ban on swill feeding to pigs which took effect on 24 May 2001. The real question being was it a sledgehammer to crack a nut? The answer is in the affirmative. The current legal framework is neither proportionate to the risks it seeks to address, nor is it entirely rational.
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The Food Standards Agency (FSA) is reviewing legal controls surrounding the production, sale and ... more The Food Standards Agency (FSA) is reviewing legal controls surrounding the production, sale and distribution of raw drinking milk. This submission is to the FSA was intended to contribute to the constructive development and application of the legal framework which applies to the sale and distribution of raw drinking milk.
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Journal of Law and Society, 1985
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Articles by Gerry A Danby
Early last year the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) embarked on a consultation with a vie... more Early last year the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) embarked on a consultation with a view to producing guidance that would help protect the integrity of certain marketing terms used in relation to food – notably ‘artisan’, ‘farmhouse’, ‘traditional’ and ‘natural’.
Attempts to define in any legal sense the meaning of words can be fraught with difficulty, but given there is so much evidence of the abuse of words like ‘artisan’ maybe it’s worth a try.
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Comparisons can be fraught with difficulty, but all food carries some degree of risk and all risk... more Comparisons can be fraught with difficulty, but all food carries some degree of risk and all risks are relative. Supermarket chicken and raw drinking milk are two foods in the news headlines recently, how do they compare?
The British Poultry Council estimates that in 2013 about 870 million chickens were bred, hatched, reared, and slaughtered in the UK and the equivalent of another 400 million birds were imported, mainly from Europe. A total of 1,270 million. There are no official figures for raw milk sales, but best estimates suggest that around 1.2 million litres or just over 2.1 million pints of raw drinking milk are presently consumed in the UK every year.
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A seemingly innocuous discussion paper was presented to the Board of the Food Standards Agency (F... more A seemingly innocuous discussion paper was presented to the Board of the Food Standards Agency (FSA) early last November. ‘Our Approach to “Risky” Foods’ set out a significant new approach to the management of so-called ‘risky’ foods. Let's take a closer look ...
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Sorry Chobani, I always understood ‘Greek yoghurt’ came from Greece, that’s why we have ‘Greek st... more Sorry Chobani, I always understood ‘Greek yoghurt’ came from Greece, that’s why we have ‘Greek style yoghurt’. Chobani’s views about what people think are, like its yoghurt, a US import.
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On one side stands the New Under Ten Fishermen’s Association (NUTFA) representing small inshore f... more On one side stands the New Under Ten Fishermen’s Association (NUTFA) representing small inshore fleet fishermen, on the other the United Kingdom Association of Fish Producer Organisations (AFPO), a trade association which almost exclusively represents large fish producers. David and Goliath. The main protagonists, however, were AFPO and the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) who is responsible, under Article 20(3) of Regulation (EC) 2371/2002, for allocating the UK’s fishing quota within the terms of the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP).
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The Food Standards Agency’s (FSA) public consultation on the future availability of raw drinking ... more The Food Standards Agency’s (FSA) public consultation on the future availability of raw drinking milk comes to a close in a few days on 30 April. Artisan Food Law has covered many different issues surrounding raw milk over the last 12 months and more, so now seems a good time to bring some key ones together and provide, in no particular order, 10 good reasons for securing the future of raw milk.
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Burgers cooked ‘as you like them’ are back on the menu at Davy’s Wine Bars and Restaurants after ... more Burgers cooked ‘as you like them’ are back on the menu at Davy’s Wine Bars and Restaurants after two years of legal wrangling with Westminster City Council. The Artisan Food Law Blog provided the background to this story back in December 2012 and we can now bring you up to date.
In July last year Davy’s won the right to serve rare burgers and in a second case, heard on 17 December last month, Westminster offered no evidence and the prosecution was dropped. It is the reasoning of the court set out in the judgement handed down last July which provides interesting reading.
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Book Reviews by Gerry A Danby
Investigative food journalist Barry Estabrook exposes the “human and environmental cost of the $5... more Investigative food journalist Barry Estabrook exposes the “human and environmental cost of the $5 billion fresh tomato industry” in this compelling account. I picked up Tomatoland thinking it to be simply a book about the industrialisation of a favourite food, but it is much, much more and provides a graphic account of the politics of production and the exploitation, oppression and, yes, slavery of ordinary workers involved in putting Florida tomatoes on supermarket shelves.
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Talks by Gerry A Danby
What makes raw milk different? The production standards of raw milk and latest on risks associate... more What makes raw milk different? The production standards of raw milk and latest on risks associated with consumption. Restrictions on the sale of raw milk in England. Routes to market and dispelling myths.
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Papers by Gerry A Danby
The net result is a belief that EU rules constrain artisan producers in terms of both the quality of what they are able to produce and their ability to make and sell products in a way that provides a living wage.
The question is does hygiene policy help or hinder artisan and small scale cheese production?
What was the regulatory framework and enforcement regime in 2001? What were the facts of what happened? Was swill feeding the cause? Was it a failure of the regulations or of enforcement, or a combination of the two? How effective was the management of the outbreak by the responsible authorities? How did the UK and then the EU respond to the disaster? What is the current state of the law concerning the feeding of food waste to pigs? Do we have a proportional and rational legal framework governing the treatment of catering waste?
These are some of the questions explored in considering the ban on swill feeding to pigs which took effect on 24 May 2001. The real question being was it a sledgehammer to crack a nut? The answer is in the affirmative. The current legal framework is neither proportionate to the risks it seeks to address, nor is it entirely rational.
Articles by Gerry A Danby
Attempts to define in any legal sense the meaning of words can be fraught with difficulty, but given there is so much evidence of the abuse of words like ‘artisan’ maybe it’s worth a try.
The British Poultry Council estimates that in 2013 about 870 million chickens were bred, hatched, reared, and slaughtered in the UK and the equivalent of another 400 million birds were imported, mainly from Europe. A total of 1,270 million. There are no official figures for raw milk sales, but best estimates suggest that around 1.2 million litres or just over 2.1 million pints of raw drinking milk are presently consumed in the UK every year.
In July last year Davy’s won the right to serve rare burgers and in a second case, heard on 17 December last month, Westminster offered no evidence and the prosecution was dropped. It is the reasoning of the court set out in the judgement handed down last July which provides interesting reading.
Book Reviews by Gerry A Danby
Talks by Gerry A Danby
The net result is a belief that EU rules constrain artisan producers in terms of both the quality of what they are able to produce and their ability to make and sell products in a way that provides a living wage.
The question is does hygiene policy help or hinder artisan and small scale cheese production?
What was the regulatory framework and enforcement regime in 2001? What were the facts of what happened? Was swill feeding the cause? Was it a failure of the regulations or of enforcement, or a combination of the two? How effective was the management of the outbreak by the responsible authorities? How did the UK and then the EU respond to the disaster? What is the current state of the law concerning the feeding of food waste to pigs? Do we have a proportional and rational legal framework governing the treatment of catering waste?
These are some of the questions explored in considering the ban on swill feeding to pigs which took effect on 24 May 2001. The real question being was it a sledgehammer to crack a nut? The answer is in the affirmative. The current legal framework is neither proportionate to the risks it seeks to address, nor is it entirely rational.
Attempts to define in any legal sense the meaning of words can be fraught with difficulty, but given there is so much evidence of the abuse of words like ‘artisan’ maybe it’s worth a try.
The British Poultry Council estimates that in 2013 about 870 million chickens were bred, hatched, reared, and slaughtered in the UK and the equivalent of another 400 million birds were imported, mainly from Europe. A total of 1,270 million. There are no official figures for raw milk sales, but best estimates suggest that around 1.2 million litres or just over 2.1 million pints of raw drinking milk are presently consumed in the UK every year.
In July last year Davy’s won the right to serve rare burgers and in a second case, heard on 17 December last month, Westminster offered no evidence and the prosecution was dropped. It is the reasoning of the court set out in the judgement handed down last July which provides interesting reading.