Our Services

Food Law

Food law is relevant to the whole spectrum of the food chain, from primary production to food on the plate, and to all food businesses from small individually owned businesses to large multiple retailers.

There have been a significant number of changes in food legislation over the past few years, such as traceability requirements, new hygiene legislation, allergen labelling requirements and animal by-products regulations, and there are more in the pipeline. This increasing volume of new legislation means that many food companies find it difficult to keep abreast of and understand the implications of these new and proposed regulations.

Magna Law provides services in all areas of food law, including:

• food hygiene & safety
• food composition
• food labelling (including procedures and audit)
• chemical safety
• food contact materials
• weights and measures
• trade descriptions.

We provide compliance advice, updates on forthcoming legislation and assistance and advice in investigations by enforcing authorities including liaison with the relevant authorities, attendance at interview under caution and defending prosecutions.

As well as her legal qualifications and experience, Jane Hanney (Director of Magna Law) also has a strong scientific background having previously worked as a Research Biochemist at St Thomas’s Hospital and as a Senior Information Scientist at the Department of Health dealing with the health effects of chemicals in food, consumer products and the environment. This combination of scientific and legal qualifications and experience means that Magna Law is well placed to advise in this technical and increasingly complex area of law.

Jane contributed a chapter on food law to the Law Society Conveyancers Handbook published in 2005 and updated in 2006 and 2007 and wrote a module entitled ‘Future Developments in Food Law’ for inclusion in ‘Understanding EU and UK Food Law and Regulation – A guide for managers in the food industry’ published by Informa Professional Academy.

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Licensing

Licensing law is fundamental to the hospitality and leisure industry. With the licensing legislation having recently undergone comprehensive changes and the Gambling Law in the process of change, it is more important than ever that your business keeps up with the latest developments.

Magna Law provides a full range of licensing services to pubs, restaurants, hotels and clubs, These services include:

• applications for premises and personal licences
• applications to vary premises licences
• applications to transfer
• advice and advocacy relating to contested applications, appeals and reviews
• applications under the Gambling Act 2005
• updates on new and proposed legislation.

Jane Hanney co-authored the Law Society Handbook ‘Licensing for Conveyancers’ published in 2005 and contributed a chapter on licensing to the Law Society ‘Conveyancers Handbook’ published in 2005 and updated in 2006 and 2007.

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Health & Safety

No company can afford to ignore health and safety issues. Although the number of reported injuries and the number of fatal injuries has decreased substantially in the food and drink sector over the last decade, a quarter of all manufacturing injuries still occur in the food industry. This injury rate is almost twice the average for manufacturing industries generally and is twice that of the construction industry.

There have been a number of new pieces of health and safety legislation introduced over the past year which are of particular relevance to the food and drink industry, including the new Noise at Work Regulations which came into force in April 2006. Corporate accountability in this area is also set to increase with the introduction of new legislation on corporate manslaughter expected later in 2007.

Magna Law can advise on all aspects of health and safety legislation including:

• advising on directors’ responsibilities and liabilities
• health and safety policies
• proactive compliance advice on current legislation
• updates on forthcoming legislation
• advice regarding accidents at work
• issues arising from the service of enforcement notices
• representation in proceedings brought by enforcement authorities, including attendance at interviews under caution.

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Environmental

It is not surprising that a sector as large and as diverse as the food and drink industry has the potential for significant impact on the environment. Magna Law can advise on all aspects of environmental legislation including:

• compliance with current legislation
• the impact of forthcoming legislation
• water pollution and water abstraction offences
• waste offences including packaging waste and animal by-products
• agricultural waste
• statutory nuisance procedures.

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Public Rights of Way

Magna Law has particular expertise in the complex and often controversial field of law of public rights of way and Countryside and Rights of Way (CROW) issues.

Experience includes:

• advice on the law relating to public rights of way, common land, and village greens
• objections to Definitive Map Modification Orders
• claims to upgrade rights of way
• advocacy at Public Inquiries
• successful appeals to the High Court against confirmation of Definitive Map Modification Orders
• applications to divert public rights of way
• disputes relating to obstruction of public rights of way
• advice on Excepted land under CROW
• advice on exclusions and restrictions under CROW.

We can advise farmers, landowners and others on this complex area of law, providing competitive pricing and/or capped rates where appropriate.

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Consultancy

Magna Law provides consultancy services to firms of solicitors (including a top 50 firm) and other organisations who require professional support and/or technical advice in the increasingly specialised areas of food law, licensing, health and safety, environmental and public rights of way law.

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