Tim Rowcliffe, incoming chairman of the Specialist Cheesemakers' Association, has launched a broadside at supermarkets for concentrating on price at the expense of quality. "For too long the British have been subjected to bland, mass produced cheap cheese on the basis that price is everything." But he does agree that "a lot of mid-range players need to go up a rung and become more business minded". Rowcliffe is, however, constructive on food safety legislation. "For too long we have seen a negative attitude to legislation and regulation. I believe it is time small producers embrace these rules and apply them in a positive way to develop their business." As to often voiced reservations about the attitudes some cheesemakers have about environmental healt officers, Rowcliffe regards them as the first people to call. "You can't view them as an enemy. Legislation is essential to protect the public." But the way it sometimes applied can be daunting. Rowcliffe gives the 25 page forms that land on would be cheesemakers' desks as an example. l EDLP: see p36 {{PROVISIONS }}

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