Update on NI coldstore investigation

Thursday 8 December 2005

FSA Chief Executive Jon Bell gave an update today to the Agency Board meeting on the continuing Euro Freeze (Ireland) Ltd investigation.

Dr Bell told the meeting in York: 'The Board will be aware of the recent news concerning the joint FSA/DARD (Food Standards Agency/Department of Agriculture and Rural Development) investigation surrounding Euro Freeze (Ireland) Ltd meat and poultry coldstore. I should like to provide some of the background to this incident, and outline the actions taken by the Agency, as events have unfolded.

'But before I do, I must caution that there are ongoing investigations and I will not therefore be able to go into detail in areas that could prejudice possible actions.

'In August, the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development informed the Food Standards Agency Northern Ireland (FSANI) that they had seized a consignment of chicken, under the products of animal origin legislation, at Belfast port that is believed to have originated from China and which was allegedly destined for the Euro Freeze (Ireland) Ltd coldstore. DARD officials subsequently destroyed all of this meat on animal health grounds and none of it entered the food chain.

'DARD entered Euro Freeze (Ireland) Ltd on 9 November, where they found evidence regarding the possible use of illicit health marks, in addition to apparently legitimately marked products. A large quantity of meat was detained. DARD also removed documents and computers from the premises. FSANI were informed of the raid on 9 November.

'The FSA formed an incident team on 11 November. FSANI took over the lead of the investigation, working in conjunction with officials from DARD and the illegal meat task force.

'The focus of this complex investigation has been on the re-packaging, re-labelling and distribution of meat and on identifying the source of product. FSANI is working closely with the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) and sharing information in relation to potential cross-border issues. The FSA were informed that FSAI executed a warrant to search possibly related premises in the Republic of Ireland on 24 November.

'The FSA notified the European Commission on 11 November of the emerging incident.

'As the investigations have progressed, the Agency has kept the Commission fully informed. I have written to the Commission on five occasions and spoken to DG Sanco by telephone on several occasions. Detailed information is also being exchanged through the Rapid Alert System. To 8 December, 17 notifications have been sent to the Commission by this means. Documentary checks, back to October 2004, on the destination of meat from the coldstore have been completed and all relevant extracted information on the distribution of meat outside the UK has been disseminated. At present, a further documentary check is under way to try to identify the sources of the products handled by this company. This is almost complete and so far no identifiable food safety issues have been found.

'The FSA served a suspension of licence notice on Euro Freeze (Ireland) Ltd on 18 November. DARD removed the temporary animal by-products licence on 24 November.

'The Agency has issued press releases on 18 and 24 November.

'The first in a series of four Food Alerts for Action (FAFA) was also issued on 18 November alerting local authorities to the incident. Local authorities were asked to contact UK companies receiving beef, poultry and pork from Euro Freeze (Ireland) Ltd.

'I would like to take this opportunity to thank the authorities for their assistance in checking the authenticity of product that had already been distributed to other companies in the UK. No illicitly health-marked meat has so far been discovered in the UK as a result of the local authority checks.

'Suspected products at the coldstore have been seized and transferred to other premises, under official control, where they will be examined in more detail.

'Verification of products has been completed. Those that have been shown to be authentic, based on extensive checks by the investigation team, are being released.

'Dispatch from the coldstore is officially supervised and all details are recorded, including its point of destination. On receipt at the point of destination, there will be further examination of the material by the owners and the supervising official, before release onto the market. Authentic product cannot and should not be withheld from the market and this is the most rigorous process possible to ensure that only such product is released.

'Officials from the Commission�s Food and Veterinary Office (FVO) visited FSANI on 28 November, where they were given presentations on the investigation to date. The FVO yesterday completed a more detailed mission involving both FSANI and DARD. The mission also included the Republic of Ireland to cover cross-border issues. The outcome of this is being discussed at a meeting of the Commission and Member States in Brussels today.

'Investigations are still ongoing and our priority is to continue with that work.

'However, we can already draw some initial conclusions from this incident and are not waiting for the investigations to be completed before taking any action that may be necessary. It is certainly the case that possible issues have been identified in relation to the operation and supervision of coldstores in Northern Ireland. Supervision is undertaken by DARD veterinary inspectors acting on behalf of the FSA.

'I have concluded that under the circumstances it is important for there to be some external scrutiny of how the system works in Northern Ireland. I have therefore asked the Chief Executive of the Meat Hygiene Service, whose staff undertake this work in Great Britain, to second staff to Northern Ireland to help FSA Northern Ireland assess the operation and supervision of coldstores there. The objective will be to identify any areas for improvement or action.

'I must stress that the Agency has acted swiftly once the outcome of the visit to the coldstore was brought to our attention by DARD on 9 November. Although we were not involved in the planning that led up to the visit to Euro Freeze (Ireland) Ltd on 9 November, once it became clear that the nature of the incident was such that the FSA should lead it, we have made every effort to lead a thorough, systematic and effective investigation. I hope that this report has given a clear indication of the work being undertaken by the FSA, DARD and local authorities.

'As I said, this is very much an ongoing investigation, as well as being an incident on which we are acting swiftly to learn lessons, identifying areas for improvement and taking remedial action as necessary.'