Communications data

The FSA wants access to communications data to help investigate where it has suspicions of meat being supplied in contravention of food safety rules.

All fresh meat intended for human consumption must be produced in line with harmonised EU legislation governing the production, handling, distribution and storage of fresh meat in the UK.

These food safety rules are designed to minimise as far as possible the risk to public health of food-borne disease, such as e. coli, salmonella, brucellosis, tuberculosis, a number of parasites, and of course BSE. Meat which has not been produced under appropriate official controls, and not been subject to official meat inspection, can cause serious human illness. Therefore inspection of the meat industry is essential to protect public health and promote consumer confidence.

Communications data such as subscriber details and or itemised billing information, can help to identify suppliers of illegally produced meat or the intermediaries to whom the unfit meat is supplied.

The Food Standards Agency (acting through its executive agency the Meat Hygiene Service in England, Scotland and Wales, and through the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development Veterinary Service in Northern Ireland) is the enforcement authority in respect of around 1700 licensed premises in the UK producing meat for sale for human consumption. Such premises include Slaughterhouses, Cutting Plants and Cold Stores.

Communications data falls into three types:

• Traffic data which is information about a communication. An easily understood example is that it includes the location of a person when using their mobile phone.
• Service use data which is information about the use of a communications service. A good example would be itemised telephone call records showing the numbers called.
• Subscriber information which is information about the user of a communications service. A good example would be the identity of the subscriber to a particular telephone number.

NB Communications data does NOT include the CONTENTS of e-mails or phonecalls.

A person who establishes or maintains a personal or other relationship with another person for the covert purpose of:

• obtaining information, or
• providing access to any information to another person, or
• who covertly discloses information obtained by use of such a relationship, or as a consequence of such a relationship.