'Son of Maff' to put consumers first

The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food is set to become the Department for Food and the Countryside, as part of an attempt to revitalise the disaster-prone department.

Incoming ministers have asked civil servants and the public to suggest a new name. The Department for Food and the Countryside is the current front-runner.

The Government believes the name change will symbolise the transformation of the department into one with the consumers' interests at heart, rather than those of the farmers and food producers.

Ministers are determined, however, not to spend a lot on the relaunch. It is expected to coincide with a summer "Mission Statement" by the Agriculture Minister, Jack Cunningham which will set out the department's objectives and priorities.

Ministers see agriculture, and the European ban on British beef, as one of the most troublesome legacies of the Conservative years. Under the former agriculture minister, Douglas Hogg, the department's popularity reached its lowest ebb during the BSE fiasco. Other issues, such as the E. coli outbreak in Scotland and the scare over phthalates in baby milk, have sapped public confidence in hygiene and food safety.

Jeff Rooker, Minister of State, will mastermind the creation of a new Food Standards Agency which will report to the Secretary of State for Health.

The loss of responsibility for food safety will push the department lower down the Whitehall pecking order. However, agriculture ministers believe it is an essential step if consumer confidence is to be restored.

Mr Rooker said: "We don't want to wait for the Food Standards Agency to be set up to start to change the level of confidence in food safety. One of the things that signals this will be the name change. Maff has always been a producer-led department and this is what we shall change. We will consider all suggestions for the name that are put forward."

After three weeks in office the Government believes that the extent and cost of the BSE disaster is even greater than it feared when in opposition.

Founded as the Board of Agriculture in 1889, Maff became closely identified with farmers during the post-war period when the maximisation of food production was its clear priority. The Maff title dates from 1955.

Its joint role as both supporter of the farming community and guardian of food safety came under increasing scrutiny throughout the 1980s and 1990s.