Fera has launched a consultation on proposed increases to fees for the statutory plant health services it provides.
The services covered by this consultation include import inspections for plants and plant material from non-EU countries, plant health licensing and passporting services and its seed potato certification service.
The consultation outlines Fera proposals to move to a “full cost recovery” position on these services by 2014-15.
Fera said it needs to meet new budgetary constraints and policy to recover costs. It said it has not revised some of its schemes’ charges for more than 10 years.
Fees on imports could go up 463 per cent for plant health checks and 11 per cent each for identity checks and documentary checks.
The NFU has been heavily involved in informal consultation with key trade organisations and industry representatives to inform the formal consultation.
“The NFU and key industry stakeholders are concerned that Fera has so far failed to provide detailed and transparent cost breakdowns, revealing its true operational and individual scheme costs,” the union said.
“Industry is not willing to pay a full cost recovery price if it is not being delivered efficiently and/or is not competitively priced. It has also been put forward that Scotland operates a far cheaper system on like-for-like services...Why is Fera operating a much higher cost structure?”
The FPC branded the charges “exorbitant and unnecessary”.
The consultation runs until 5 December 2011.
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