In this exclusive video interview, Nils Bings, head of food law and regulatory compliance at law firm DWF’s German branch, said it would be quicker and simpler to transpose existing EU legislation into UK law.
“If you sped up, you could do it very fast,” said Bings. “If you checked all the regulations that are currently in force, put them into one bill and said they were governing within the next phase of two or three years, you could take your time to review them properly and how the UK could do it better.”
‘Legal paradise’
“You could take a liberal standpoint or a harsher standpoint on it so you get a legal paradise in the end.”
However, it would be impossible for the UK to cherry-pick the EU rules it passed into law before the end of the transitional period – provisionally set for 31 December 2020 – warned Bings.
And he urged policy-makers to leave politics at the door when deciding which regulations should be transposed from EU law.
‘Deal with this technically’
“We need a legal framework, so just deal with this technically and sort out [the details] afterwards,” he added. “If too many views are coming up right now, you will not end up in a good conversation or a consensus and you’ll end up in a legal vacuum.
“Leave out your own opinion on these issues, just build the framework for it first, then leave your political position for after.”
Entitled ‘A focus on future law and threats’, Food Manufacture’s Food Safety Conference 2018 was held at etc.venues Maple House, Birmingham. It was sponsored by AIB International, Pal International, and Westgate Factory Dividers.
Please click this link to register your interest for next year’s conference.
Meanwhile, Brexit offers unparalleled innovation opportunities for the UK food and drink industry, so long as firms are prepared for regulatory changes, according to a leading food science expert.
