Food Production and Processing
Our food industry team comprises a group of specialists who are experienced in all aspects of the law relating to the food industry sector. We act for clients across a number of areas in relation to matters including business start-ups, mergers and acquisitions, and more specifically, advise on food legislation and the laws and regulations that are specific to those involved in farming and production, processing, distribution, wholesale and retail, packaging and labelling of food and food related products.
Clients appreciate the quality of the advice and the high level of client care it provides. The team has been developing its profile in the food sector . . .
Chambers | UK 2011
Our team’s expertise covers the following areas:
- acquisitions and disposals
- food and drugs law
- trading standards
- transport and logistics
- licensing
- environmental regulation
- health and safety
- HR issues arising within the food environment
- trademark law
- food labelling and packaging
- competition law
- property law and landlord and tenant matters
- disputes
Our team acts for those in the food and related industries in relation to acquisitions and disposals, MBOs, MBIs, corporate lending, restructuring and refinancing and new ventures.
We advise on contentious and non-contentious employment law matters including representing clients at the Employment Tribunal, advising on matters including redundancy and re-organisation, as well as advising on TUPE transfers
After staff costs, property frequently represents the second largest cost of any business. At the production end of the chain, it is also capable of representing one of the major assets and is vital whether it represents the location or source of production, or provides the facility by which raw materials become finished product. We can help your business from the purchase of a new site or facility through to exiting a lease commitment or disposing of surplus land.
Our corporate criminal defence team specialises in all aspects of regulatory law and corporate crime, with particular expertise in food and drug law, health and safety, environmental regulation and trading standards. We have advised on Food Standard Agency prosecutions as well as advising food producers on issues such as waste management, health and safety, operator's licences and environmental matters.
We provide trade mark portfolio management and trade mark watching services for a number of clients across a range of industry sectors. Some of our clients have a considerable number of trade marks across a varied number of territories within the UK and internationally.
Legal Updates
Employment: References
16/05/2012
A do's and don'ts summary.
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Employment: Gambling with offers to settle? Greedy Claimants might think again…
09/05/2012
Employment Appeal Tribunal opened the door to a potentially novel way for an employer to avoid any financial liabilities further to employment disputes in the Employment Tribunal.
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Corporate: Hosepipe Bans 2012
04/05/2012
Tom Hodges looks at the affect the recent hosepipe ban may have on your business.
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Employment: Managing an ageing workforce remains a minefield
02/05/2012
Two recent Supreme Court decisions have addressed the vexed issue of mandatory retirement, but with the emphasis still very much on employers to provide justification there remain headaches to workforce succession planning.
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Corporate Immigration: Immigration law changes for skilled workers and employers
16/04/2012
Our Corporate Immigration Team provides a breakdown of the changes which have been announced to take effect as of April and June 2012.
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Corporate Immigration: Premium Service for Sponsor Licence holders
13/04/2012
As of 6 April 2012 the UK Border Agency will be introducing a “Premium Service" for existing Tier 2 and 5 sponsors. For an annual fee, companies with a Sponsor Licence can obtain a number of benefits.
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Road Traffic: Do you know the Highway Code?!
05/04/2012
It has been reported today that millions of drivers could be putting themselves, fellow motorists and pedestrians at risk because they do not know The Highway Code.
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Inheritance Tax: Reduced IHT rate for estates leaving 10% or more to charity
04/04/2012
We take you through the changes to Inheritance Tax in relation to charitable gifts in Wills.
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Stamp Duty Land Tax: A chill wind blows from the UK to offshore companies
03/04/2012
The 2012 budget will create a storm of activity for those who hold property in corporate structures. It is also likely to put some professional advisers on alert for claims by clients that they were mis-sold some products and options, as they may be forced to unravel existing legal ownership structures, whether they were put in place for tax avoidance/planning or otherwise.
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Corporate: Earn-Out Clauses
30/03/2012
The recent case of Porton Capital Technology Funds & Others v. 3M UK Holdings Limited and another has resulted in a number of articles being written about some of the practical considerations to be taken into account when drafting earn-out clauses.
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Planning: NPPF - Resumption of Presumption
29/03/2012
The Government has now published its long awaited National Planning Policy Framework ("NPPF") with some fanfare. Tom Newcombe takes you through the key aspects you need to know.
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Employment: Sunday trading laws to be relaxed during the Olympics
23/03/2012
In the Budget announcements earlier this week it was confirmed that the Sunday trading laws will be relaxed during the Olympics for a period of eight Sundays from 22 July.
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Budget 2012: Significant changes to planning regulations
22/03/2012
“The biggest reduction of business red tape ever undertaken” *
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Employer wins springboard injunction after ex-employees are found to have committed "numerous abuses and breaches" of their employment contracts
27/02/2012
QBE Management Services (UK) Limited has obtained a springboard injunction from the High Court restraining the activities of several ex-employees.
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Planning: Community Infrastructure Levy ("CIL")
17/02/2012
Norwich and two neighbouring authorities (Broadland and South Norfolk), working together and with Norfolk County Council, are planning to bring it CIL into force on 1 September 2012.
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Construction: Beware the Implied Term
16/02/2012
The recent case of Lowe and Another v W Machell Joinery Ltd [2011] EWCA Civ 794 has shaken up the law with regard to terms implied into contracts, which could leave you out of pocket and stuck wondering what to do with a rather large staircase.
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Shipping: Fuel efficiency measures and charterparty terms - less speed, more disputes?
16/02/2012
Fuel efficiency agreements should provide a benefit for both owners and charterers. Whether they do or not may depend on how the charterparty clauses are drafted. This article looks at the issues which the parties need to consider and explores some of the potential pitfalls, with particular reference to the new standard charterparty clauses recently published by BIMCO and Intertanko.
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Employment: Bad Weather
07/02/2012
Disruption and cost caused by bad weather raises the question "when is an employer entitled to withhold pay?" The answer, predictably, will depend on the nature of the disruption and whether the employer has effectively communicated its policy and procedure to employees in advance.
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Employment: Top 10 Tips - Your social media policy
01/02/2012
With social networking sites being relatively new conduits for communication, it is all too easy to forget the amount of power that employees have, literally, at their fingertips. An employee with little regard to their online privacy settings can potentially post confidential company information or derogatory comments about the company at high speed into the World Wide Web for everyone to see. A well drafted social media policy can make it clear to employees what standards are expected of them, and potential repercussions if they misuse the internet.
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Planning: Localism Act 2011
23/01/2012
The Localism Act received the Royal Assent on 15th November 2011. These are very brief notes on some of the provisions in its 483 pages that affect planning law...
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Food: The New EU Food Labelling Regulations
18/01/2012
In December 2011 the new Food Information for Consumers Regulations ("FICR"), designed to make food labelling easier to understand for consumers, came into force.
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