The role of consumer representatives in Defra committees related to animal health and welfare
Purpose of the paper
Consumer representatives on animal health and welfare related committees and on stakeholder groups have asked Defra Animal Health and Welfare DG, including the Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD), for extra guidance on their role. Defra is committed to consulting consumers, including by means of consumer representatives. The public needs to see that consumer views are taken into account.
This advice has been drawn up together with consumer representatives. The aim is to encourage a more consistent approach by both secretariats and consumer representatives in committees related to animal health and welfare.
Openness and accountability
Consumer representatives are committed to including the public as much as possible in the decisions that concern them. It is helpful that they report back to their organisation and the wider consumer movement, while being sensitive to confidential issues. It is useful to make it clear when they are giving an organisational view and when they are giving a personal perspective as an expert in consumer opinion and issues.
It is the responsibility of officials to be clear about confidential material. Defra can also help by providing a list of consumer representatives on animal health and welfare and veterinary topics and by encouraging meetings between consumer representatives. Appropriate background information can be published on the website.
Sounding board
Consumer representatives may indicate how sensitive or important a subject is likely to be at an early stage and can reflect the feelings people might have about specific issues. They can help Government explore ways of including people’s values and social issues into the evidence base and decision making generally, including by using public opinion data.
Defra recognises this and values this consumer input. According to the House of Lords Select Committee on Science and Technology, "Policy-makers will find it hard to win public support on any issue with a science component, unless the public's attitudes and values are recognised, respected and weighed along with the scientific and other factors."
Defra can help by sharing relevant public opinion data.
Communications
One of the resources that consumer organisations offer to Defra is the ability to communicate with their members on issues such as outbreaks of animal disease and monitoring programmes. Feeding back messages and information they have garnered from stakeholder meetings helps ensure that consumers receive balanced information.
Defra can help by providing email updates to animal health and welfare stakeholders and, occasionally, specific texts for consumer organisations’ newsletters.
Public representation on science
The public wants to have its say on scientific issues. Research by the National Consumer Council shows they are pleased to be represented by consumer representatives.
The role includes comment and challenge on technical issues. Experience shows that lay people can engage in complex science when it is relevant to them and they have time to understand the information. Defra can help by providing plain English background information.
Non-technical
Being a lay person brings a fresh perspective and useful challenge to established practice. It can take the debate back to first principles. Consumer/lay representatives can help ensure decisions and documents are comprehensible to a wide audience. Defra would welcome their help in encouraging plain English.
Practicality
Consumer representatives can help assess how practical ideas are and how policies would work in practice. Their strategic questions about first principles, why decisions are made or advocated and how they will affect consumers are welcome.
Independence
Consumer representatives do not have a commercial interest in the outcomes of decisions. Formal committees have an established process to declare and record conflicts of interest.
It is helpful for industry representatives to hear the views of the consumer organisations.
Process
Consumer and lay representatives can check that the process is fair. They are trusted by the public and in turn can build up public trust.
Defra can help by providing clear objectives/terms of reference.
Public confidence
The involvement of consumer representatives should improve public confidence in both the committee and its recommendations.
Ann Davison
November 2006
Note: See also the Office of Science and Technology code
of practice for scientific advisory committees 
(1.18 MB - warning: this is a large file).
Page last modified:
May 15, 2008
Page published: February 23, 2007