## Eu Exit

Report by Rod Ainsworth For further information contact Rod Ainsworth on 07768602495 
Email: Rod.Ainsworth@food.gov.uk 

## 1. Summary

1.1 The main purpose of this paper is to record to the Business Committee the 
substantial completion of the FSA's Programme of work to prepare for the UK's Exit from the EU.  The paper also explains the way in which the various Programme outcomes are being dealt with, in light of the continuing delay to 
the UK's EU Exit.  

## 2. Evidence And Discussion

2.1 As the annexed slide illustrates, each of the workstreams within the FSA's EU 
Exit Programme had reached a satisfactory conclusion before 29 March 2019 so that had the UK left the EU on that date, the FSA's overriding objective - ensuring that there would be an effective food safety regime in place for the protection of UK consumers (whatever the terms of the UK's departure) - had been achieved. 
2.2 The Programme Team worked with colleagues across the FSA to ensure that 
prior to 29 March all of the work preparing for Exit - the creation or enhancement of systems and processes and the recruitment of new FSA officials to increase our capacity in key areas - had been integrated into the ongoing day to day work of the organisation, so that by the time of Exit, our preparations could form part of "business as usual". 
2.3 Having reached that stage, and notwithstanding the continuing delay to the 
UK's Exit, the decision was taken that the work of the EU Exit Programme itself 
was finished.  A decision will be taken as to the appropriate way to approach future EU Exit-related work - whether to have a new Programme, or some 
other approach - in the light of future developments. 
2.4 In the meantime, all of the work carried out under the EU Exit Programme, and 
the Programme outcomes, have been reviewed.  They will be treated in one of 
three ways: 
•
"Banked": some outcomes, for example the organisational changes to create separate Science and Policy Directorates, and the development of a full-function Food Crime Unit, are measures the FSA would have wanted to take at some stage in any event and it would make no sense to contemplate "undoing" them.  These features of the FSA now form part of
the organisation for the future, regardless of the eventual relationship between the UK and the EU;
- 
"Put on the shelf": some measures - the programme of "no deal" Statutory Instruments (SIs) is an example - are not needed at the moment but 
might be in future, depending on events in the UK and the outcome of negotiations with the EU.  They will be held in readiness in case they are 
necessary; 
- 
"Keep warm": some preparations - the best example is the FSA's 
emergency response readiness - might need to be re-activated at short 
notice, again depending on how other matters progress.  The FSA must 
avoid allowing its state of readiness to grow too stale, or knowledge of its processes to dissipate.  Although the teams who were involved have been 
"stood down", there will be regular checks to ensure that we can escalate our readiness again very rapidly should we need to. 
2.5 In addition to the above, work is continuing, at the request of the Cabinet Office, 
further to develop the UK Framework for Food and Feed Safety, and to respond to requests from other Departments working on various parts of their own EU Exit Preparations.  Given ongoing uncertainties we have so far held off 
commencing any thorough "lessons learned" exercises, (although this will undoubtedly be undertaken in due course) but we have already, within the Executive team, committed to seek to build some of the successful features of the FSA's approach to EU Exit into our continuing work.  We have, over the last two years, learned new ways of working together across the FSA.  We are keen not to "unlearn" them. 

## Rod Ainsworth Director Of Strategy, Legal And Governance June 2019 A) A) A) C) C) A) C) Annex