The Charges for Residues Surveillance (Amendment) (England) Regulations 2026

Published: Wed 6th May 26

These Regulations increase the statutory fees charged to food producers and processors for the surveillance of veterinary medicine residues and other substances in animal products.

The rules apply to bovine, goat, sheep, soliped, and swine carcasses, as well as poultry, eggs, milk, fish, and game.

The charges are collected in England and are implemented in two stages: an initial change taking effect on 1 June 2026, followed by a second increase on 1 April 2027.

Arguments For

The Secretary of State indicates the fees are necessary to fund surveillance for residues of veterinary medicinal products and other substances in animals and animal products.
The document notes that the Secretary of State had regard to advice from the Food Standards Agency regarding the proposal.
The order reflects a phased approach to fee adjustments, with initial increases on 1 June 2026 followed by further increases on 1 April 2027.

Arguments Against

Food producers and processors may raise concerns regarding the 15% to 34% increase in per-unit costs for most animal types during a period of economic pressure.
Stakeholders might question the lack of a full Impact Assessment, as the document states one was not prepared due to the estimated cost impact being under £10 million per annum.
The disproportionate increase for bovine products (31%) compared to other categories (15%) may be viewed as placing a higher relative burden on the beef sector.

Citation, commencement, extent and application

—(1) These Regulations may be cited as the Charges for Residues Surveillance (Amendment) (England) Regulations 2026 and come into force on 1st June 2026.

—(2) These Regulations extend to England and Wales but apply in relation to England only.

This section establishes the official name of the regulations and sets the start date for the new fee structure as 1 June 2026.

While the legal reach of the document covers England and Wales, the actual application of these rules is limited to activities within England.

Amendments to the Charges for Residues Surveillance Regulations 2006

—(1) The Charges for Residues Surveillance Regulations 2006 are amended as follows.

—(2) In regulation 3 (liability for and recovery of charges for residues surveillance)—

(a) in paragraph (1)(a)—

(i) for '1st October 2024' substitute '1st June 2026', and

(ii) for '2025' substitute '2027'; and

(b) in paragraph (1)(b), for '2025' substitute '2027'.

—(3) For Schedule 1 substitute—

'SCHEDULE 1

Residues Surveillance Charges

| Type of creature product | animal Charge (£) from 1st June 2026 to 31st March 2027 | Charge (£) on or after 1st April 2027 | |----------------------------|-----------------------------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------| | Bovine | 0.9964 per carcase | 1.0216 per carcase | | Goat | 0.0864 per carcase | 0.0886 per carcase | | Sheep | 0.0864 per carcase | 0.0886 per carcase | | Soliped | 0.5359 per carcase | 0.5495 per carcase | | Swine | 0.0845 per carcase | 0.0867 per carcase | | Game and wild game | 1.0461 per tonne | 1.0461 per tonne | | Poultry | 0.7397 per tonne | 0.7584 per tonne | | Eggs | 0.0237 per case of 360 | 0.0243 per case of 360 | | Milk | 0.0466 per 1000 litres | 0.0478 per 1000 litres | | Fish other than trout | 2.7078 per tonne of marketed product | 2.7764 per tonne of marketed product | | Trout | 3.2455 per tonne of fish food | 3.3278 per tonne of fish food'

This section updates the 2006 Regulations by substituting the existing fee schedule with new rates.

It mandates specific charges for different categories of livestock and animal products, such as per-carcase fees for cattle and pigs, or per-tonne fees for fish and poultry.

The section outlines two distinct phases of fee adjustment, with the final set of increased charges taking effect on 1 April 2027.

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