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BASC Scotland has won an eight month contract worth £24,500 to raise awareness of new European food hygiene regulations among the game and venison industries in Scotland.
The contract, awarded by the Food Standards Agency Scotland (FSAS), includes the requirement to raise awareness of the forthcoming regulations which come into force on January 1st 2006, flag up the need for training and produce information booklets and leaflets.
Celebrity chef Nick Nairn endorsed the importance of game and venison in Scottish cuisine. “Game, including rabbit and pigeon, and venison are well established on most menus throughout Scotland. What we have to do is to ensure that the supply of quality produce not only continues, but is also enhanced by the direct sale to local communities. It is great to see an organisation like BASC Scotland working with the FSAS.”
Food safety is everyone’s responsibility and all food producers, including hunters, need to take reasonable steps to ensure that it is not compromised. The sale of wild game and wild venison, important produce from Scotland’s countryside, will be affected. Anyone selling game to an approved wild game handling establishment may need to demonstrate additional knowledge of food safety. BASC has been involved with the development of these training standards which are currently being finalised.
Dr Colin Shedden, Director of BASC Scotland, was pleased to have been awarded this prestigious contract. “This supports much of the work that we have already started and strengthens initiatives planned for the rest of the year, including the provision of advice at all the major game and country fairs, feature articles in leading publications and a series of meetings throughout Scotland in the autumn. It is important for the game and venison industries that there is continuity of supply, and to comply with these regulations we will have to ensure that those who shoot, and there are about 100,000 of us in Scotland, know what is required as from 1st January next year.
"We have already started preparing material letting shooters know who will be affected, and we intend to have assessed training courses in place later in the summer.”
Jennifer Howie, Policy Advisor at FSA Scotland said: “Raising awareness of what the new regulations require is vital – this is an approach that will be adopted across the supply chain and, as such, this contract will play an extremely important role in the process. We look forward to working constructively to ensure the industry has as much information and guidance as possible on the new legislation.”
For more information or to register your interest in receiving training, please contact James Scott or email: game.scotland@basc.org.uk
Click here to download an information leaflet regarding the new legislation in Scotland.
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