NEW APPOINTMENTS AT WINE STANDARDS BOARD

Published: 23 July, 2008

Food and Farming Minister Lord Whitty has announced four appointees to the Wine Standards Board (WSB), the body responsible for enforcing EU wine regulations governing the production, transport and labelling of wine in the wholesale trade sector. Elizabeth Hodder and Dr Arabella Woodrow MW were both appointed for two years, as consumer member and trade member respectively. Chairman Christopher Roberts and trade member Philip Goodband MW were both re-appointed for three years. The WSB is jointly funded by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) and the Vintners' Company. It consists of six members: four publicly appointed (the Chairman, two trade members and a consumer member) and two ex-officio members, one of whom is the clerk to the Vintners' Company, and the other the head of the Food and Drink Industry division within Defra. None of the appointees has declared any political activity, nor held any other ministerial appointments. Hodder is an adviser, mediator and independent complaints adjudicator for a number of public bodies, including the Occupational Pensions Regulatory Authority and the Vehicle Inspectorate. Dr Woodrow became a Master of Wine in 1986 and prior to recent consultancy work with wine projects for Halewood International she was wine buying director at Forth Wines, and wine development manager for the Co-operative Wholesale Society. Dr Woodrow has also served on the EC Consultative committee on wine, which advises the European Commission on introducing or amending wine laws.

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