Horsham District Council’s Environmental Health team and the National Craft Butchers (NCB) trade association are this month celebrating the 10th anniversary of their Primary Authority Partnership.
To commemorate this milestone, the Partnership attended an event at the Knepp Castle Estate near Horsham to learn more about their sustainably sourced food operations and how they comply with food safety standards for the protection of customers.
The NCB is a trade association representing retail butchers, farm shops and small abattoirs, as well as key suppliers to the industry.
For the last 10 years the food safety experts at the Council have supported the NCB by providing its members with legally backed food safety and compliance advice, unique to the UK butchers’ industry.
The Primary Authority Partnership is a Government Scheme, allowing businesses, trade associations and similar organisations to form legally recognised partnerships with one or more local authorities to receive tailored legal and compliance support.
Attendees at the 10-year anniversary event took a tour of the Knepp Castle Estate to experience its trailblazing rewilding project which creates a sustainably sourced food supply from its own free-roaming herds and serves fresh produce in its new Wilding Kitchen & Shop. Knepp Castle are active members of the NCB and like many butchery businesses have benefited from the advice and guidance for food safety through a single point of contact at the Council’s Environmental Health team.
A new guide was launched at the event by the Partnership to advise producers and food businesses about the preparation and sales of game products, ensuring they comply with the Food Safety Act.
Chairman of Horsham District Council Cllr David Skipp presented the President of the National Craft Butchers David Gigli with a commemorative certificate to mark the occasion and recognise the Partnership’s decade-long achievements.
Cllr Skipp commented:
It’s important that we recognize this important milestone. We are very proud of our environmental health experts in building this key relationship and the combined work they have achieved in delivering outstanding regulatory support for the food industry, all grounded in the health and safety of consumers.
On receiving the certificate David Gigli said: ‘It has been a pleasure for NCB to work so closely with such a respected Council as Horsham, for the past ten years. During this time, we have seen our membership grow and thrive. We look forward to what we know is a promising future as this exciting partnership continues to flourish”.