Weights & Measures

ACS outlines concerns with proposed changes

Trade body is concerned proposed restrictions would place operational burdens on retailers and confuse consumers.

The ACS has responded to a consultation reviewing the current law on selling in imperial and metric units, highlighting several issues that a move to dual pricing would have on businesses, consumers, and the wider community.

The consultation was launched to review how measurements are used in trade and consumer transactions. The consultation wants to explore the views of businesses on the introduction of regulatory change that will enable businesses to voluntarily buy and sell in imperial units or imperial units alongside a less or equally prominent metric equivalent.

In the submission, ACS outlined a number of concerns, including:

● The introduction of a voluntarymeasure could dilute the commonmetric system which will leadbusinesses to de facto use of bothmeasurements.

● Inconsistent pricing and measurementdisplay of products acrossbusinesses in local communitieswill cause confusion.

● Enforcement on the policy willcreate additional regulatory burdenon Trading Standards.

ACS chief executive, James Lowman, said: “The existing system for weights and measures operates under a clear and understandable regulatory framework which gives retailers the choice to display both units of measurement, and we are concerned that the proposed restrictions would place operational burdens on retailers and cause confusion for consumers.

“They would also create an additional regulatory burden on Trading Standards departments who are already stretched across a wide range of enforcement priority areas that otherwise be better placed for tackling important issues such illicit vaping, tobacco and alcohol.”

The government’s plans to review weights and measures have already been branded a “waste of time and money” by the NFRN.