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Explanatory Memorandum to the Red Meat Industry (Designation of Slaughterers and Exporters) (Wales) Order 2012

This Explanatory Memorandum has been prepared by the Department for Business, Enterprise, Technology and Science and is laid before the National Assembly for Wales in conjunction with the above subordinate legislation and in accordance with Standing Order 27.1.

Minister’s Declaration

In my view this Explanatory Memorandum gives a fair and reasonable view of the expected impact of the Red Meat Industry (Designation of Slaughterers and Exporters) (Wales) Order 2012.

Alun Davies

Deputy Minister for Agriculture, Food, Fisheries and European Programmes, under authority of the Minister for Business, Enterprise, Technology and Science, one of the Welsh Ministers.

1 February 2012

Description

1. The purpose of this Statutory Instrument is to designate slaughterers and exporters as liable to pay the levy from 1 April 2012.

Matters of special interest to the Constitutional and Legislative Affairs Committee

2. There are no issues of special interest in this Statutory Instrument.

Legislative Background

3. The Welsh Ministers may make this Statutory Instrument in exercise of powers conferred by sections 4(3) and 17 of the Red Meat Industry (Wales) Measure 2010 through the negative procedure.

Purpose and intended effect of the legislation

4. The fundamental purpose of this Statutory Instrument is to designate slaughterers and exporters as being liable to pay a levy.

Consultation

5. No specific consultation has been entered into for this Statutory Instrument because this is one step in a process that started in 2006 when detailed and extensive consultation with the industry and other interested parties was undertaken as part of the Radcliffe Report on the Review of the UK Levy Bodies.

6. The recommendations in the report on the Radcliffe Review of the levy bodies were subject to wide consultation.  Respondents from the meat sector were wholly supportive of the idea of having a Welsh red meat levy-raising body directly accountable to the then Welsh Assembly Government rather than directly accountable to the UK Levy Board - AHDB.  The idea was accepted by all the main players including NFU Cymru, HCC, Welsh Lamb & Beef Producers Ltd. and Farmers’ Union of Wales.

Regulatory Impact Assessment (RIA)

7. A Regulatory Impact Assessment is not required for this Statutory Instrument.

8. This Statutory Instrument simply designates slaughterers and exporters as liable to pay the levy from 1 April 2012.  No levy payers are directly specified in the Measure and therefore it is necessary to specify the categories of levy payers in this Order.

9. This Statutory Instrument does not give rise to any other administrative, compliance and/or other costs.