About ACAF
Who we are and what we do
The FSA Advisory Committee on Animal Feedingstuffs (ACAF) is an independent expert committee comprising of scientists and specialist experts from a wide range of scientific disciplines, who actively advise the Food Standards Agency on matters pertaining to feed additives, PARNUTs and feed detoxification processes.
Useful links:
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Biographies and interests of ACAF Members
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Contact details for the ACAF Secretariat
What we spend and how we spend it
The Committee has no independent budget or expenditure. The Food Standards Agency (FSA) covers the costs for the operation of the Committee (including secretariat support, member’s fees and expenses, and administrative costs for meetings and events). These are recorded formally in the accounts of the FSA.
How we make decisions
Our policies and procedures
Complaints procedure
Most concerns or complaints are best and most quickly resolved by talking to the person or team directly concerned – in this case, the ACAF Secretariat. Queries about the feed additives authorisation process should be directed to RegulatedProducts@food.gov.uk. If your concerns cannot be resolved informally with the person or team concerned, you can make a formal complaint, contacting the Food Standards Agency Complaints Coordinator.
Policies and procedures for recruitment of ACAF members
ACAF Members are not employed by the Food Standards Agency and they do not receive a salary for their work on the ACAF. (They are however entitled to claim expenses and fees for attending meetings and, in some circumstances, for work between meetings. These are set out in the ACAF Code of Practice).
The process for recruitment to the ACAF is in accordance the Code of Practice issued by the Commissioner for Public Appointments. Appointments to the ACAF are not formally subject to all elements of this guidance, but we follow best practice. An Independent Assessor serves on the selection panel and scrutinises the entire process. Members are appointed by the Chair of the Food Standards Agency (FSA).
Appointments are initially for a term of three to five years. Subject to the needs of the Committee, members may be asked to serve a second term but longer service than this is the exception rather than the rule. All appointments are subject to a 10-year maximum. Appointments to the Committee are made in accordance with the principles set out in the Nolan Report on Standards in Public Life, also known as the 7 Principles of Public Life.
The Government has a policy of equality of opportunity for those wishing to serve in public appointments. That means that applications are welcome from all suitable individuals irrespective of, for example, race, gender or disability. We welcome applications from all sections of the community and are particularly anxious to address under-representation on advisory committees of women, people from ethnic minorities and people with disabilities.
The overriding principle is appointment on merit. Members are appointed for their individual qualifications and the expertise they can bring to the ACAF and not to represent any particular sectoral interests. The balance of the Committee is intended to ensure that it has a wide range of expertise to draw on to enable it to advise the FSA Chief Scientific Adviser and the FSA Board effectively.
How to make a Freedom of Information request
Lists and registers
The services we offer
Administration costs
There is usually no charge for the information we publish unless the request is for a priced publication or dataset. We may, however, be required to charge if, for example, a large amount of photocopying is necessary or to cover the cost of postage for a large quantity of paperwork.