A WEST Devon pet food manufacturer which says it is being disadvantaged because its is adhering to EU regulations, has had its case taken up by MP Geoffrey Cox. Forthglade Ltd, a pet food manufacturer in Winkleigh, is calling for EU regulations on animal by-products to be interpreted in an even manner across the country by Defra and Trading Standards officers. Mr Cox said: ?Pet food shops have always been allowed to sell offal and off-cuts from their freezers without expensive labelling and packaging, consistent with the nature of the product. ?Now, thanks to this European Union law, it must be wrapped in leak-proof containers and display costly labels detailing its protein, fat, ash and moisture content, placing huge costs on the product.? Forthglade invited Mr Cox to visit recently to meet managers, tour the facility and talk to staff who fear for their jobs. Since the directive came into force two years ago, Forthglade says it has seen a dramatic slump in profitability as companies which are not subject to the regulations are given a considerable commercial boost. Forthglade managing director Martin Heal said: ?There is great scope for interpretation. By doing our best to comply with the new regulations, we are disadvantaging ourselves in the commercial market.? He said the company had invested a quarter of a million pounds over the last two and a half years to meet the new requirements. Mr Heal wrote to Prime Minister Tony Blair six months ago calling for a uniform interpretation of the regulations across the country, and said he was pleased Mr Cox had now picked up their case. Mr Cox has called upon the Minister for Animal Welfare, Ben Bradshaw, to resolve this ?chaotic situation urgently? and save a local company that may otherwise have to close. In a letter to Mr Bradshaw, Mr Cox said: ?Forthglade currently employs around forty local people and provides a valuable market for the offal from local slaughterhouses, which in turn allows the abattoirs to achieve a sustainable margin on their activities and to retain a larger workforce. ?It is no exaggeration to say that the current chaotic state of interpretation and enforcement of its regulatory framework is jeopardising its continued survival.?
