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Food Standards Scotland work in partnership with local authorities, other law enforcement agencies, industry and stakeholders at various strategic and tactical fora, including:

• Food Crime Strategic Assessment
• Tactical Tasking Coordinating Group (TTCG)
• Operational Tactical Assessment
• Horizon Scanning
• Engagement with Industry, local authorities and law enforcement partners
• Investigations
• Disruption activity
• Intelligence development and sharing
• Media awareness
• Food Crime Hotline
• Food Crime Risk Profiling Tool
• Inspections and regulatory controls
• Multi Agency Tasking and Delivery Board
• Scottish Multi Agency Strategic Threat Assessment
• Partners Intelligence Forum
• Food Crime Global Alliance
• European Food Fraud Network

In developing policy and introducing new regulations and guidance, Food Standards Scotland (FSS) places an emphasis on engaging with stakeholders, in particular small businesses. In gathering evidence for policy changes, FSS follows the Scottish Government Business and Regulatory Impact Assessment (BRIA) process which requires proposals to be discussed with a selection of businesses. FSS also provides a variety of resources free of charge on its website including guidance and online training from advice to new business start-ups to technical matters such as providing allergen information to consumers and how to apply for a regulated product authorisation.

As part of its competent authority role Food Standards Scotland monitors and enforces regulations in marine waters, slaughterhouses, standalone cutting plants, game handling establishments, feed, and wine business, throughout the length and breadth of Scotland, this includes on the Islands and all rural areas where a business is located.

Food Standards Scotland (FSS) ensures consumers have access to accurate, science-based information on food safety. FSS focusses on digital engagement, stakeholder partnerships, and incident response to maintain public awareness. FSS continues to fulfil its statutory duty to protect public health by prioritising incident response, stakeholder collaboration and targeted digital engagement.

Food Standards Scotland (FSS) is a Competent Authority (CA) as defined in food law for the delivery of Official Controls (OCs) for all approved meat and poultry plants. FSS have a daily presence of Official Veterinarians (OVs) and Meat Hygiene Inspectors (MHIs) who operate in these plants to oversee animal health and welfare and protection of public health. They also undertake a series of audits, unannounced inspections, and where required enforcement actions to ensure compliance with food law.

Food Standards Scotland routinely engages with all sectors of the food industry, providing advice and support to businesses to protect supply chains, including:

• Food Crime Risk Profiling Tool
• Food Crime Prevention Strategy
• in partnership with the Food Industry Intelligence Network and SALSA
• hosting food crime seminars for industry

Food Standards Scotland has a range of enforcement actions detailed in food law it can use to address noncompliance. They also have enforcement polices for each sector they regulate promoting advice and best practice with a view to a graduated approach.

The Scottish Government expects all NHS Boards to provide maternity services that are delivered as close to home as practicable and to offer a full range of birth place options within their region. Service planning and delivery is the responsibility of NHS Boards and it is important that these services are safe, sustainable and meet the needs of local populations.

Women in Caithness can choose to give birth with the support of a midwife, whether at home or in the midwife-led unit at Caithness General Hospital. If the mother or baby are assessed to be at higher risk, then they are advised to give birth at the consultant unit at Raigmore Hospital. To minimise the need for women to travel, NHS Highland provides weekly obstetric-run antenatal clinics and scanning services in Caithness, and helps with travel and accommodation costs for women who need to travel for care. This is the same model of care which operates across all rural areas in the NHS Highland region. We particularly recognise the importance of patient transport and work is commencing to develop guidance on Pre-hospital Maternity and Neonatal Care and Remote & Rural Intrapartum Transfers.

Any company which wants to move freight by rail or water rather than by road and which is proposing to invest in new freight handling facilities in Scotland or re-invest in existing facilities in Scotland may apply for Freight Facilities Grant (FFG).

The amount of FFG that will be offered depends on the value of the environmental benefits of the project and the additional costs of moving freight by rail or water, determined by a financial appraisal of the project comparing the cost of the rail or water operation with the road alternative. Grants are limited to a maximum of 50% of the capital expenditure.

The key requirement for payment of grant is that Scottish Ministers must be satisfied that if the proposed facility is not provided, the freight, which would have used it, will in fact be carried by road. This means that there must be soundly based projections of the type and quantity of goods that would use the proposed facility and evidence that these goods are currently transported by road.

FFG is paid in the clear expectation that the freight facility will secure the removal of lorries from specific routes for a specific number of years. In return for FFG support, grant recipients must give a commitment to use the facility for a certain period and move a specified amount of freight through the facility.

Most facilities needed to handle or carry freight on rail or water are eligible under the criteria for FFG for example piers, rail sidings and handling equipment. Funding is limited to capital expenditure. Design and project management costs associated exclusively with the freight facility are also likely to be eligible.

Since the GB wide scheme was introduced in 1997, it has been reviewed on several occasions. These exercises were led by the Department for Transport on behalf of the UK Government with input from both the Scottish and Welsh Governments as well as stakeholders across the logistics sector. The last review was undertaken in 2018. The application criteria for the scheme remains unchanged since the scheme began.

In line with the Food Standards Scotland (FSS) Food Crime Prevention Strategic Plan 2024-27, FSS works in partnership with local authorities, other law enforcement agencies (LEA), industry and stakeholders at various strategic and tactical fora, including:

• the National Multi Agency Counterfeit Alcohol Working Group
• regular engagement with the drinks industry
• share intelligence with relevant LEA and local authority partners
• engagement with international LEA partners - Europol, OLAF and participate in Operation OPSON
• Food Crime Global Alliance
• access to Trading Standards intelligence system
• media awareness - including risk communication to consumers
• horizon scanning
• proactive sampling projects
• multi-agency inspections
• through joint working/liaison with Police Scotland, HMRC and local authorities
• intelligence requirements from/to various partners
• Food Alerts for Action (FAFA) via local authorities
• liaison with Public Health teams and National Poisons