MAFF and Food Standards Agency relations will be governed by their respective statutory functions and by a Concordat. The Concordat sets out the general principles governing the MAFF/FSA relationship and how issues should be handled to ensure effective working relationships with good communications in both directions.

To read the Concordat you will need a copy of Adobe Acrobat Reader which is available free of charge. Click here to download Acrobat Reader Software.

The Concordat sets out the division of responsibilities between the two departments with specific sections on: the role of the Chief Veterinary Officer; animal welfare at slaughter; pesticides safety; veterinary medicines; foodborne zoonoses and TSEs; food standards and labelling; genetically modified organisms; animal feedingstuffs; establishing and operating public bodies; European Union and international arrangements; arrangements for handling emergencies; and charging for some services delivered by one department on behalf of the other.