THE Food Standards Agency (FSA) is set to take over dairy hygiene inspections in England and Wales from April.

The work was previously carried out by the Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratories Agency (AHVLA) on the FSA’s behalf.

FSA inspectors will shadow AHVLA inspectors during a four week intensive training programme.

The change follows the FSA’s announcement in July 2011 that it was reducing the frequency of official hygiene inspections on dairy farms.

FSA director of operations Andrew Rhodes said: “This was deemed the most cost-effective option for delivering consistent, risk based controls and the best level of consumer protection.”