Denby illegal meat trial: lessons learned from 'Operation Aberdeen'

Tuesday 6 January 2004

Note to the Board on the outcome of a meeting with stakeholders on 26 November 2003.

1. 'Operation Aberdeen' was an investigation into a large-scale fraud involving the diversion of unfit poultry meat into the food chain from a pet food plant at Denby. This led to the conviction at Nottingham Crown Court in August 2003 of six out of ten defendants, following which custodial sentences of up to six years were imposed. The investigation raised a number of questions about the effectiveness of both policy and enforcement in combating meat fraud.

2. The action plan to implement the recommendations of the Waste Food Task Force, adopted by the Board in September this year, sought to address such questions. In addition to this, the Board also agreed that the Agency should host a meeting with key stakeholders involved in the Operation Aberdeen case and similar cases in order to look at the lessons to be learned. This took place on 26 November 2003.

3. The meeting was useful and generated much open and honest debate among stakeholders with real expertise in meat fraud issues. The key issues arising from the Operation Aberdeen investigations were explored in detail. These issues included resources for the MHS and local authorities, liaison between enforcers, staining, offences and penalties for meat fraud, and transfer of enforcement functions for animal by-products. These are issues which the Agency had sought to address in its initial seven-point action plan on unfit meat, and in the subsequent action plan to implement the recommendations of the Waste Food Task Force.

4. As a result of these discussions, some positive conclusions were reached. These were in particular that (a) policy and enforcement were now much better, but (b) more could still be done. As a result a number of actions were agreed alongside those already planned under the action plan to implement the recommendations of the Waste Food Task Force, in particular on staining, liaison and resources.

5. The Board will receive a full update on progress to implement the Waste Food Task Force action plan at its meeting in May. This update will also include progress on further additional actions that have since been identified to complement the action plan.