==In poor spirits==
A raid on an illicit distillery in the north of England netted a haul of counterfeit branded vodka, including Tamova, Royal Czar Imperial, Kommissar and Hanacka.
The seizure came as the Gin and Vodka Association and the Scotch Whisky Association signed agreements with HM Revenue and Customs to tackle alcohol fraud and smuggling.
Beef bonus
More than £5m has been pledged to help the English Beef and Lamb Executive (EBLEX) develop and restore beef markets.
The £5.5m grant, from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, came as the over-30 months rule ended, allowing older cattle back into the food chain.
EBLEX welcomed the move as a chance to get more beef into the domestic and export markets and to displace some imports.
Jermey fills post
Bill Jermey, the ex-president of the British Meat Manufacturers' Association and former council member of the Food and Drink Federation, has been appointed chairman of the Meat Training Council.
He takes over from Alan Stevenson, who has been in the chair for two terms and who will now become president. Doug Brydges stepped down as president after six years.
Pest controller
Professor Jon Ayres, a clinician trained in respiratory and general medicine, will take over from Professor David Coggon on January 1 as chairman of the government's Advisory Committee on Pesticides. The committee provides scientific advice to ministers on the control of pests, diseases and weeds in crops.
As current chairman of the Committee on Medical Effects of Air Pollution, Ayres is researching environmental exposures and their effects on health, particularly through inhalation.
Correction
NSF in the company name NSF International (Food Manufacture Processing Equipment Supplement July 2005, p9) stands for National Sanitation Foundation, and not as stated. See http://www.nsf.org.