Senior Appointments at EFSA and UKFSA

European Food Safety Authority (EFSA)

At the inaugural meeting of their new 3-year mandate, members of EFSA’s Scientific Committee have appointed Professor Anthony Hardy as Chair, and Professors Jan Alexander and Robert Luttik as Vice-Chairs.

Professor Hardy is a biologist and environmental chemist who has workedin the UK’s Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, the Department of Environment, Food and rural SAffairs and the Central Science laboratory for more than 30 years. He has worked on the impact of agricultural pesticides on wildlife and has been involved in national and international risk assessment and ecotoxicology for over 25 years. Prior to his appointment as Chair of EFSA’s Scientific Committee, Professor Hardy was Chair of EFSA’ Panel on Plant Protection products and their Residues since 2003.

Professor Hardy said

“It is a privilege to have been appointed Chair and to lead a Scientific Committee of such a high calibre of expertise. Over the years, EFSA’s Scientific Committee has addressed many challenging areas of increasingly complex science. With EFSA’s Science Strategy firmly in place this committee will play a vital role in the development of new risk assessment methodologies”.

EFSA’s Executive Director, Catherine Geslain-Lanéelle, commented “EFSA is delighted to have Professors Hardy, Alexander and Luttik supporting our work as well as the Chairs of each of EFSA’s Scientific panels and the external experts who together form EFSA’s Scientific Committee. In welcoming our new Scientific Committee, it is appropriate to mention and thank the members of the outgoing committee for their expertise and commitment. In particular I would like to extend my gratitude on behalf of the Authority to Professor Vittorio Silano, who so ably chaired EFSA’s Scientific Committee since 2003”.

The main task of EFSA’s Scientific Committee is the preparation of scientific advice in the area of new and harmonised approaches for risk assessment of food and feed. In doing so, the Scientific Committee produces scientific opinions and adsvice for risk managers in taking effective and science based decisions.

UKFSA

Jeff Rooker, Chair of the UK Food Standards Agency, has announced the appointment of Catherine Brown as the FSA’s Chief Executive. Catherine Brown was formerly the Chief Executive of ther Animal Health and Veterinary laboratories Agency (AHVLA), an executive agency of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, and took up the post in October. She will succeed Tim Smith, who has been Chief Executive since March 2008.

Catherine Brown has been the Chief Executive of the AHVLA since April 2011 when the two organisations were merged. She had been the Chief Executive of Animal Health since 2008. Before joining Animal health she was a Managing Director at BUPA and she has worked for the NHS and Unilever.

Jeff Rooker said ”Catherine’s wide-ranging experience and background, in both the private and public sectors, complemented core principles and will be valuable to the FSA as we move forward. Her experience in working and delivering in a devolved environment will be a benefit to the organisation.

“The Board and I want to thank Tim Smith for his valuable and successful work at the FSA. Tim has seen the effective transfer of the Meat Hygiene Service into the FSA ensuring that the important meat hygiene work is at the core of what we do and he has given greater attention to our role as an enforcer of food law. Tim has made us a kleaner and more efficient organisation, without compromising food safety and consumer confidence”.