UK food and drink industry bodies have hit out at claims that they are “useless” made in a new report.
The Milk Development Council, the British Potato Council and the Wine Standards Board were all described in the report on the UK’s 529 quangos as among “the nine most useless in the country”.
The report, The Essential Guide to British Quangos 2005, was published by the Efficiency in Government Unit, an organisation jointly sponsored by the thinktanks the Centre for Policy Studies and the Economic Research Council.
The report said: “The MDC is financed by a levy on British dairy farms. Why shouldn’t Britain’s struggling dairy farmers be given the option of
contributing, or not, to what is effectively a nationalised lobby?”
Of the BPC it said: “The BPC charges growers and consumers to fund research and promote overseas markets. Few British potato consumers would feel that their life was blighted if the BPC were to disappear.”
MDC chief executive Kevin Bellamy said he did not know what criteria had been used to judge the council. “Our last official review 18 months ago showed we had the resounding support of the industry.”
BPC marketing manager Kathryn Race said: “The report contains inaccuracies and misrepresentations and is factually incorrect.
“Saying that the BPC is funded by consumers, which we are not, shows it doesn’t truly understand what the BPC is.”
Chris Walkland
The Milk Development Council, the British Potato Council and the Wine Standards Board were all described in the report on the UK’s 529 quangos as among “the nine most useless in the country”.
The report, The Essential Guide to British Quangos 2005, was published by the Efficiency in Government Unit, an organisation jointly sponsored by the thinktanks the Centre for Policy Studies and the Economic Research Council.
The report said: “The MDC is financed by a levy on British dairy farms. Why shouldn’t Britain’s struggling dairy farmers be given the option of
contributing, or not, to what is effectively a nationalised lobby?”
Of the BPC it said: “The BPC charges growers and consumers to fund research and promote overseas markets. Few British potato consumers would feel that their life was blighted if the BPC were to disappear.”
MDC chief executive Kevin Bellamy said he did not know what criteria had been used to judge the council. “Our last official review 18 months ago showed we had the resounding support of the industry.”
BPC marketing manager Kathryn Race said: “The report contains inaccuracies and misrepresentations and is factually incorrect.
“Saying that the BPC is funded by consumers, which we are not, shows it doesn’t truly understand what the BPC is.”
Chris Walkland
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