A WEST Devon based pet food manufacturer has written to the Prime Minister to warn that red tape could lead to the firm?s closure and the loss of 35 jobs. Forthglade from Winkleigh is a significant employer in the local economy and has a turnover of £2-million ? but says new regulations on raw pet food manufacturing are not being interpreted evenly across the country. Forthglade and other manufacturers are regulated by DEFRA and are required to comply with regulations set out by the European Parliament in the Animal By-products Regulations 2003. Forthglade managing director Martin Heal said: ?When these regulations were initially issued our local vet visited our premises and openly informed us that we would not meet the new requirements and that we would be shut down.? Mr Heal said Forthglade ? which has been based at Winkleigh for 30 years ? had since worked with the vet and Trading Standards, and had ?invested in new procedures, packaging and machinery to ensure that we comply with the regulations.? However, Mr Heal said he was concerned that not all DEFRA vets and Trading Standards officers were interpreting the regulations as strongly in other areas. ?We are quite happy with how the rules are enforced locally,? Mr Heal said. ?We just want a fair playing field and if we don?t get it, I fear we will have to shut down the operation.? In his letter to the PM, Mr Heal states: ?My concerns are two-fold, firstly, we are being commercially disadvantaged by complying with the requirements and secondly all the bona fide raw meat manufacturers will disappear and the void will be met by the smaller unregulated businesses. ?It is not seeking too much for regulations to be interpreted evenly across the country. Commercially, we are aware of and respond to competitive market issues but, where regional bias occurs, we are trying to compete against legislative bureaucracy.? Mr Heal said a meeting had been arranged between DEFRA, Trading Standards, the Food Standards Agency, the Pet Food Manufacturers Association, Forthglade and another pet food company Anglian Meat Producers next month to discuss the issue of interpretation.
