About the audit scheme
The Agency's local authority audit scheme, launched April 2001, is the process by which the Agency conducts a qualitative assessment of local authority performance.
Authorities are audited against the Feed and Food Law Enforcement Standard in the Framework Agreement, which sets out the minimum standards of performance expected from local authorities across the full range of their feed and food law enforcement activities. The scheme is implemented on a UK basis, with the Agency in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland each co-ordinating their own audit programme.
Local authorities are selected to represent a cross-section of local authority types, geographical location and level of enforcement activity as indicated by quarterly monitoring returns.
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Audit documents
The documents that accompany the on-site visit are designed to make the audit process clear and straightforward for the local authority and the auditors.
Audit questions and answers
The information below explains in general how the Food Standards Agency audit the feed and food law enforcement work of local authorities in the UK. There may, however, be slight differences in the operation of the scheme in the devolved administrations.
Good practice for local authority audits
The Food Standards Agency aims to share good practice identified during local authority audits carried out as part of the Agency's audit programme.
Audit reports
Audit reports, including an action plan developed by the local authority to address the audit findings, are published following completion of the audit.
Inter-authority audit toolkit
The Agency is keen to support local authority initiatives in relation to inter-authority audits (IAA) and recognises that existing local mechanisms for peer review offer a potential means of meeting national and European requirements for local authority audit with a more self-regulating and sustainable model for qualitative performance monitoring.