The survival of small domestic traditional food-producers is under threat from a number of sources, including the need to comply with regulations made to cover larger businesses, according to a survey of artisan and traditional food-producers by the Food Safety Authority of Ireland.
The survey found that compliance with food safety regulations was high on the list of barriers to the survival and growth of the companies.
These rated joint third after the difficulties of making a profit and distribution of product.
They were also considered more difficult for the companies than accessing investment funds or acquiring markets.
However, when food safety regulations helped them, 85.9 per cent of the respondents said the regulations protected their goodwill.
A total of 82.6 per cent said the regulations helped them achieve standards set by the multiples.
A key finding from the survey found that 63.2 per cent of respondents reported that they did not find any food regulations difficult to comply with.
However, according to a report in the FSAI Newsletter, 42.9 per cent considered that food safety regulations were not proportional to the risks associated with their products.
It said that many of the respondents stressed that operational hygiene and good practice should outweigh structural requirement.
They said that the latter could place severe cost burdens on the producers.
"Some sectors such as the confectionery sector producing non-fresh cream products, and the honey-producing sector considered their products as low-risk and felt that the requirements are excessive," said the report.
It said that assistance with food safety regulations alone might not be sufficient to ensure the survival of all artisan food-producers because other costs also encroached on them.
It added that because artisan producers were under threat across Europe, a degree of flexibility had been introduced in the redrafting of the hygiene of foodstuffs legislation.
Under new proposals operators right across the food chain would bear primary responsibility for food safety.
"The focus is on setting objectives while leaving business flexibility to accommodate the needs of food businesses that are situated in regions suffering from special geographical constraints and to take account of traditional methods of food production," it said.