ACAF Code of Practice - Roles and Responsibilities

The role of the ACAF Chair 

The Chair is responsible for: 

• Providing effective leadership on the issues within the Committee’s terms of reference. 

• Ensuring that the Committee meets at appropriate intervals and that the minutes of meetings and any reports to the Board of the FSA accurately record the decisions taken and, where appropriate, the views of individual Members. 

• Representing the views of the Committee to the general public. 

• Ensuring that new Members are briefed and providing an assessment of their performance, on request, when Members are considered for re-appointment to the Committee or for appointment to the board of some other public body. 

• Ensure that every Member of the Committee is heard and that no view is ignored or overlooked. 

• Ensure unorthodox and contrary scientific views are given a fair hearing. 

• Ensure that any significant diversity of opinion among the Members of the Committee is accurately reflected in the report and in any other communications with the FSA. 

• Advise on matters relating to FSA science as required by the FSA on an ad hoc basis or in emergencies. 

• Engage with the wider networks of relevant experts including with the Chairs of Scientific Advisory Committees (SACs) relevant to the FSA’s work. 

Absence of the chair 

• The Committee has two nominated Deputy Chairs. 

• If the Chair can no longer attend a meeting due to mitigating circumstances, the Committee can nominate one of the Deputy Chairs to assume the role of Chair on a per meeting basis.  

The role of the Members

• Members are appointed as individuals to fulfil their role respective to the ACAF. 

• Members are not a representative of their profession, employer or interest group and have a duty to act in the public interest. 

• If a Member declares an organisation’s view rather than a personal view, they should make it clear at the time 

Members have collective responsibility for the operation of the Committee. They must: 

• Engage fully in collective consideration of the issues, taking account of the full range of relevant factors, including any guidance issued by the FSA or Health Ministers. 

• In accordance with Government policy on openness, ensure that they adhere to the Freedom of Information Code of Practice (including prompt responses to public requests for information).  

• Agree an Annual Report; and, where practicable and appropriate, provide suitable opportunities to open the work of the Committee to public scrutiny. 

• Not divulge any information which is provided to the Committee in confidence. 

• Ensure that an appropriate response is provided to complaints and other correspondence, if necessary, with reference to the sponsor department. 

• Ensure that the Committee does not exceed its powers or functions. 

• Members are free to question and comment on the information provided or the views expressed by any of the other Members. 

• Individual Members should inform the Chair (or the Secretariat on his or her behalf) if they are invited to speak in public in their capacity as a Committee Member. 

• A Member’s role on the Committee should not be limited by the expertise or viewpoint she or he was asked to bring to it. Any statement/report belongs to the whole Committee. Members should regard themselves free to question and comment on the information provided or the views expressed by any of the other Members, even if/when the views or information provided do not relate to their own area of expertise. 

• If Members believe the Committee’s method of working is not rigorous or thorough enough, they have the right to ask that any remaining concerns they have be put on the record. 

• Communications between the Committee and the Board of the FSA will generally be through the Chair; except where the Committee has agreed that an individual Member should act on its behalf. Nevertheless, any Member has the right of access to the Board of the FSA on any matter that he or she believes raises important issues relating to his or her duties as a Committee Member. In such cases the agreement of the rest of the Committee should normally be sought. 

• Individual Members can be removed from office by the Board of the FSA, if they fail to perform the duties required of them in line with the standards expected in public office. 

The Role of the Secretariat 

The role of the Secretariat is to: 

• Support the Committee in developing and delivering its work programme. 

• Advise the Committee on process and procedure. 

• Draw attention of the Members to emerging issues of concern. 

• Organise meeting logistics and arrangements. 

• To invite all relevant participants to meetings, including: 

1. The Chair 

2. Members 

3. Devolved administrations representatives 

4. FSA Feed and Feed Additives Policy 

5. FSA Observers. 

• Develop the meeting agenda on behalf of the Committee. 

• Develop, or assist in the development of committee briefing papers for meeting items. 

• Capture minutes of the Committee’s discussion, ensuring that the proceedings are properly documented so that there is a clear audit trail showing how the Committee reached its decisions. 

• Manage correspondence on behalf of the ACAF; manage the Committee’s email inbox. 

1. Manage Freedom Of Information requests. 

2. Manage Requests For Information (RFIs) from the Committee to applicants. 

3. Ensure that the Committee’s conclusions and advice are clearly reported to applicants and the FSA; where applicable the Board. 

• Provide administrative support to the Committee. 

1. To enrol Committee Members on the FSA systems. 

2. To process Committee expense claims. 

3. To maintain the Committee website. 

• Ensure that the Committee’s conclusions and recommendations are clearly recorded in the Committee’s Advice document.  

The role of the Feed Policy Assessor 

The role of the Feed Policy Assessor is to: 

• Advise the Committee on any legislation relevant to the application under assessment and provide clarification on legal terminology where required by the Committee. 

• Provide a policy update on their respective topic areas to update the Committee on the status of feed additives applications, and to inform the Committee of the number of submitted applications. 

• Understand the advice provided to their department by the Committee and to understand the reasoning used to derive that advice when the Committee risk assesses feed additives.