HallMark Officially Launches Delivery of Official Controls and Meat Inspection Services

On Monday 31st March, HallMark Veterinary & Compliance Services, successfully commenced delivery of Official Controls and Meat Inspection services under the Food Standards Agency’s (FSA) contract in two regions, E1 and WW3— marking the beginning of an exciting new chapter for our organisation and the wider meat industry.

TUPE Success – A Warm Welcome to 101 New Colleagues

We’re proud to confirm the seamless transfer of 101 dedicated professionals from the incumbent supplier. We are delighted to welcome these colleagues to HallMark. Their skills, experience, and commitment will be instrumental to the success of our official controls delivery.

Our sincere thanks to E&J for their support and professionalism throughout the transition. The multiple consultation events and a collaborative handover made a real difference. We also want to thank the individuals who supported colleagues throughout the TUPE process — offering guidance, answering questions, and helping to ensure a smooth and respectful transition for all.

New Starters – Building Resilience, Flexibility and Career Opportunity

Alongside the TUPE transfer, we welcomed 29 new team members to strengthen resilience, provide additional capacity, and promote work-life balance across both regions. This includes Official Veterinarians (OVs), Meat Hygiene Inspectors (MHIs) and a number of people in key support and operational roles.

These colleagues completed a comprehensive onboarding programme, and we’re delighted to have them join us and are committed to supporting their success at HallMark. A big thank you to the colleagues who led on induction, training, and mentoring — your efforts set the tone for a positive start.

Strengthening Leadership – Career Progression and Capacity

To ensure strong and consistent leadership, we’ve introduced a refreshed management structure across both regions with 100% management focus.

• Two Senior Veterinary Managers (SVMs)

• Four Area Veterinary Managers (AVMs) promoted from transferring staff, selected through a highly competitive process.

• Two Operations Managers and a Resource Coordinator, providing critical operational oversight and staff allocation.

• Two Senior Meat Hygiene Inspectors (SMHIs) to provide dedicated leadership to the MHI Team Leaders.

We strongly believe in a robust management structure as a foundation for quality service delivery, staff wellbeing, staff retention and career development.

Strengthening the Frontline – MHI Team Leaders

We’re proud to retain four experienced MHI Team Leaders from the incumbent team.

To further enhance frontline support, we’re actively recruiting three additional MHI Team Leaders, aiming for a total of seven across both regions.

Operations and Readiness – Day-One Delivery

Our teams hit the ground running, thanks to thorough planning and rapid mobilisation. Key deliverables included:

• Deployment of over 90 brand-new automatic company vehicles

• Issuance of mobile phones and laptops to operational staff

• FSA authorisations secured for all colleagues involved in official controls

• Full access to FSA systems established

• Ongoing transfer of existing visas, due to complete in the next two weeks

A Warm Welcome from Our Managing Director

As Managing Director, Patrick Steel shared in his welcome message:

“On behalf of the entire HallMark team, I want to extend a very warm welcome to you as you officially join HallMark Veterinary & Compliance Services. We are delighted to have you on board and look forward to working together.

Returning to the delivery of Official Controls in abattoirs for the first time since 2019, this moment is a proud milestone for HallMark. Your role is vital in upholding public health, food safety, and animal welfare at the highest level.

If you have any questions or need support, please do not hesitate to reach out — we’re here to help you succeed.”

Thank You to Our Transition Support Teams

A huge thank you to the HallMark staff who stepped away from their regular duties to provide essential on-the-ground support during mobilisation. Your adaptability and teamwork were invaluable.

We also extend our gratitude to the HR, recruitment, IT (thank you to Listers), finance, and admin teams at Head Office. It's been an incredibly busy and fast-moving period — your hard work, professionalism, and commitment made it possible.

Our thanks also go to the FSA IT and systems support teams for working behind the scenes to enable systems access, authorisations, and tech roll-out on time.

To the establishments and teams on the ground — thank you for the warm welcome extended to HallMark staff and for your cooperation in ensuring a smooth operational handover.

Looking Ahead

We are incredibly grateful to the FSA for their trust and guidance throughout this transition. The meet-and-greet sessions, along with the ongoing engagement from operational and technical leads, helped our teams re-familiarise with delivery expectations and updates since 2019.

A special thank you to the FSA Contracts Management team, field teams and local leads who supported us during site visits and onboarding — your partnership helped ensure a smooth start from day one.

To all our new and returning colleagues: thank you for choosing HallMark. We’re excited to work alongside you in delivering official controls to the highest standards, day in and day out.

In Support of “Food You Can Trust”

At HallMark, we are proud to support the FSA’s mission to deliver, “Food You Can Trust.” Everything we do — from inspection and certification to training and staff development — is grounded in the shared commitment to ensuring that:

• Food is safe

• Food is what it says it is

• Food contributes to a healthier and more sustainable future

Together, with our new and established teams, we will continue working to uphold these principles — with care, integrity and excellence.