Calls are mounting for the wave of environmenal legislation currently bombarding the UK from Europe to be simplified.
The calls come as The Grocer highlights some major problems with the raft of the rules now hitting the industry. Some, such as the Animal By-Products Regulations, are so vague that industry is struggling to comply.
David Arculus, chairman of The Better Regulation Task Force, told The Grocer that the sheer weight of legislation coming from the EU was leading to “over-complex and confusing” interpretation at UK level.
He said: “It has become apparent that about 50% of current legislation is coming out
of Europe, in the environmental sector, it is 80%.
“All of this has to be transposed by the individual states. There are a lot of allegations about goldplating. I find it difficult to find any examples of goldplating, but find lots of examples of regulatory creep, where the purpose of the original legislation is not clear.”
He added: “It is often drafted in a spirit of compromise. On the ground, those compromises sometimes don’t work, so more legislation gets piled on.”
The result, he said, was that it was very difficult to comply with, particularly for small businesses.
The Better Regulation Task Force, the independent adviser to the UK government on regulation, will next week call on EU member states to prioritise the need for improved and clearer legislation as it publishes a major new report on this issue.
Arculus said: “What we intend to challenge is over-complex and confusing legislation, which actually leads to less protection.”
>>p40 Welcome to regulatory hell
Liz Hamson
The calls come as The Grocer highlights some major problems with the raft of the rules now hitting the industry. Some, such as the Animal By-Products Regulations, are so vague that industry is struggling to comply.
David Arculus, chairman of The Better Regulation Task Force, told The Grocer that the sheer weight of legislation coming from the EU was leading to “over-complex and confusing” interpretation at UK level.
He said: “It has become apparent that about 50% of current legislation is coming out
of Europe, in the environmental sector, it is 80%.
“All of this has to be transposed by the individual states. There are a lot of allegations about goldplating. I find it difficult to find any examples of goldplating, but find lots of examples of regulatory creep, where the purpose of the original legislation is not clear.”
He added: “It is often drafted in a spirit of compromise. On the ground, those compromises sometimes don’t work, so more legislation gets piled on.”
The result, he said, was that it was very difficult to comply with, particularly for small businesses.
The Better Regulation Task Force, the independent adviser to the UK government on regulation, will next week call on EU member states to prioritise the need for improved and clearer legislation as it publishes a major new report on this issue.
Arculus said: “What we intend to challenge is over-complex and confusing legislation, which actually leads to less protection.”
>>p40 Welcome to regulatory hell
Liz Hamson
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