Our Teams
We have four teams within the Trading Standards Service, each specialising in its own area.
To help you understand what we do, we have provided you with a short description of the purpose of the team, and the key principle duties. This covers information on the type of work they undertake and the areas that they research into.
The four teams within our service are: -
- Agricultural Standards Team
- Business Services Team
- Business Support and Consumer Education Team
- Unfair and Rogue Trading Team
Responsible for compliance with Trading Standards legislation for businesses on farms, livestock in transit, livestock markets, slaughter houses. The Team also monitors compliance by feed and fertiliser bulk wholesalers supplying to the farming industry.
The responsibility of the team is to ensure that:
- The health and welfare of farmed animals is protected in transit, at livestock markets and through legal standards for animal feed used on farm.
- Disease control plans are complied with and contingency plans are in place in the event of a disease outbreak.
- Zoonotic diseases are prevented from transmission to humans and that animal by-products are properly disposed of.
- Livestock keepers and on farm animal feed producers are assisted and educated to comply with legal requirements relating to such activities.
- All on farm businesses such as farm shops, tourist services, craft shops etc are inspected (including through the Internet). Inspections assess compliance with all relevant trading standards legislation in respect to the safety, labelling and quality of products and services, as well as the accuracy of weighing and measuring equipment and checking that prices and descriptions are not misleading.
- On-farm petroleum and explosive products are stored safely.
- All supply businesses primarily supplying direct to farms such as feed and fertiliser suppliers are inspected (including through the Internet) to assess compliance with all relevant trading standards legislation, in respect to the safety, labelling and quality of products and services, the accuracy of weighing and measuring equipment and that prices and descriptions are not misleading.
- They are the first point of contact for livestock movement licence enquiries and any subsequent administration.
- They provide enforcement at livestock slaughter houses.
Responsible for compliance with Trading Standards legislation for businesses.
The responsibility of the team is to ensure that:
- Inspection of businesses through the whole supply chain to the final consumer (including through the Internet) to assess compliance with all relevant trading standards legislation, including the safety and storage of petroleum and explosives as well as metrological verification.
- The care and maintenance of standard weights & measures used to check the accuracy of weighing and measuring equipment in use for trade. The Team will maintain contractual arrangements for their testing against reference standards.
- The testing and verification of weighing and measuring equipment for use in trade, or under EC rules.
Responsible for the receipt and handling of complaints, providing advice and publicity to bring businesses into compliance and to inform consumers. They are also responsible for dealing with all Home Authority and Primary Authority businesses, No Cold Calling Zones and Age Restricted Sales.
The responsibility of the team will be to ensure:
- An efficient and effective first point of contact for all the Service’s customers.
- The management of the arrangements with Consumer Direct, including provision of advice and information to consumers and businesses when cases are referred to us by Consumer Direct.
- The subsequent assessment and direction of complaints and enquiries as appropriate to the three other teams as required.
- Assessment of the impact of complaints held or referred by Consumer Direct. In the first instance they will supply support and advice to non compliant businesses.
- Enforcement action against those businesses that continue to impact consumers adversely after they have received advice and/or support.
- Home Authority or Primary Authority arrangements with appropriate businesses.
- The co-ordination of the introduction of new No Cold Calling Zones in the County and sub-region of Leicestershire and assessing the need to continue with existing zones.
- That the level of compliance in No Cold Calling Zones is effectively monitored and non compliant businesses and complaints about them are referred for action to the Business and Consumer Protection Team.
- Enforcement of age restricted sales.
- Co-ordination of Consumer Credit Licensing arrangements with the Office of Fair Trading.
Responsible for the analysis of intelligence, the detection and investigation of trading practices detrimental to the interests of consumers and legitimate businesses.
The responsibility of the team will be to ensure:
- The analysis of intelligence to identify detrimental trading practices and/or business fraud and to respond to this with enforcement action to bring businesses into compliance.
- The detection and investigation of unfair trading practices and/or business fraud (including businesses trading through the Internet).
- The detection and investigation of Intellectual Property (product counterfeiting) crime at all levels of trade (including businesses trading through the Internet).
- Take enforcement action to tackle any complaints and intelligence relating to unfair and rogue trading activities in No Cold Calling Zones.
Page Last Updated: 21 June 2010
