Food Standards Agency welcomes conviction of illegal meat fraudsters

Friday 29 August 2003

Statement following verdict of Denby illegal meat trial

Ref: 2003/0400

The Food Standards Agency today welcomed the convictions in the Denby illegal meat trial. The Agency worked closely with Derbyshire Police and Amber Valley Borough Council as part of this multi-agency operation into the diversion of unfit meat into the human food chain.

The Agency has played a role both in supporting the investigations and taking action to crack down more widely on this illegal activity:

• The Agency has introduced tough new rules on the staining of all high-risk unfit meat to prevent such meat being recycled back into the human food chain.
• The Agency has established an Illegal Meat Taskforce, a UK/Ireland-wide network of 30 food detectives specially trained to be able to assist with the detection and investigation of meat scams.
• The Taskforce is assisted by a team of five investigators – mostly former senior police officers – based at the Agency, with two extra investigators currently being recruited. They investigate meat scams, as well as any irregularities at MHS-supervised plants.
• The Agency has worked with industry to produce a new code of practice to ensure that they take seriously their responsibility for ensuring that unfit meat does not enter the human food chain. This means adopting best practice beyond the basic legal requirements.
• The Agency paid for a dedicated investigator who worked at putting the Denby case together.
• The Agency worked with local authorities to track down and take the unfit meat uncovered by the Denby investigations out of the food chain.

Following the conclusion of the trial the Agency will carefully consider if any of the evidence presented requires further investigation or action to help prevent such frauds in the future. In addition, the Board of the Agency will be considering at its public meeting in September recommendations from the independent Waste Food Taskforce on further measures to prevent unfit meat entering the food chain.

David Statham, the FSA's Director of Enforcement and Food Standards said:

'Today's convictions send a clear message to anyone diverting unfit meat into the food chain. The Food Standards Agency has been working to tighten up the system so that it is harder for criminals to try to get away with these scams. We now have a 30-strong trained and experienced team to assist with investigations all around the country.

'It is also important to remember that the food industry has a big responsibility. There must be a traceable chain and the new code of practice is about industry raising their game and working to standards above the basic legal requirements. Companies need to know what they are selling and buying. Consumers have a right to expect that shops and restaurants only buy their food from reputable sources.'

Background information

1. The case
This trial followed an extensive investigation that included a co-ordinated operation of raids and arrests at Denby and at a number of locations across the country in March 2001. The case was based on allegations of poultry meat unfit for human consumption coming back onto the market as food fit for people to eat.

The operation was led by Derbyshire Constabulary, working with Amber Valley Borough Council and the Food Standards Agency, supported by other local authorities and the Meat Hygiene Service. It involved more than 100 police officers as well as around 50 local authority environmental health officers and Meat Hygiene Service staff around the country. The FSA funded a dedicated investigator to work on the case.

A pet food processing plant, Denby Poultry Products, near Ripley, Derbyshire, was one of the premises where a warrant was executed and arrests made. It was registered by the former Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (MAFF) under the Animal By-Products Order 1999 to receive low risk waste from poultry slaughterhouses for use in pet food. Following the raid, this registration was revoked.

Warrants were also executed on other premises allegedly involved in the chain of production, distribution and sale of these products, including outlets that allegedly distributed and sold the products back onto the market as food fit for human consumption. Amongst those premises was MK Poultry of Northampton, and a number of the defendants in this trial were from MK. Following the raid, MK had its licence revoked.

The Agency worked with the police and local authorities to identify the supply chain of meat originating from Denby before it was shut down. When specific products and outlets were identified, the FSA worked with manufacturers, suppliers and retailers to ensure that action was taken to withdraw these products on a precautionary basis in the best interests of the consumer.

There was an extensive supply chain from Denby. Products such as Shippams pastes, and other products sold at retailers including Sainsbury's, Tesco and Kwiksave, were affected. Products supplied to market stalls and institutional caterers were also implicated.

2. What's happened since the case?
The Agency has introduced a raft of measures in the wake of the Denby case to help prevent unfit meat from being recycled back into the food chain. One of the most important measures was the introduction of new rules on the staining of high risk unfit meat. The Agency consulted on this immediately after the Denby raids and it came into force in September 2001. This means that high risk meat is dyed black and cannot be easily re-used by fraudsters.

The Agency has also established an Illegal Meat Taskforce, a UK/Ireland-wide network of 30 food detectives to assist in the detection and investigation of meat scams. They have been trained by police, lawyers and food law enforcers who are expert in this field. They will be able to share their expertise and know-how with local authority enforcers faced with tackling meat scams across the country. A Fighting Fund has been set up to help local authorities with extra costs such as investigating surveillance operations.

The Illegal Meat Taskforce is now being assisted by a team of five investigators based at the Agency. Two extra investigators are being recruited to this team. These investigators, mostly former senior police officers, are now helping to investigate meat scams, as well as carrying out their role in investigating any irregularities at MHS supervised plants.

The Waste Food Task Force, an independent advisory group of experts, was set up after the Denby case. It has made 24 recommendations on steps to prevent this trade in illegal meat, most of which are already being acted upon.

The Agency has worked with industry to produce a new code of practice to ensure that they take seriously their responsibility for ensuring that unfit meat does not enter the human food chain. This means adopting best practice beyond the basic legal requirements.

The system is also now strengthened by the new EU Animal By-Products legislation, which came into force in May this year. It has tightened the regulations on the safe handling and disposal of animal by-products. It makes it more difficult for waste meat to be illegally diverted.