During an investigation conducted by the FSA at SG Perkins’ poultry farm and abattoir, in collaboration with Avon and Somerset Police, Environmental Health, and Trading Standards, it was discovered that the company had been falsifying certificates and distributing birds into the food chain without proper certification of being disease-free.
In response to the potential food safety risk, the FSA took immediate action to remove products with traceability concerns from the market and issued an alert to the industry urging businesses to verify the traceability of their suppliers to uphold the integrity and safety of their food chains.
Head of the FSA’s National Food Crime Unit, Andrew Quinn, commended the sanction imposed and emphasized the severe consequences of forging documents and compromising food safety. He expressed his gratitude to Heart of the South West Trading Standards and Avon and Somerset Police for their collaboration, highlighting the collective effort in combating food crime and ensuring consumer protection.
Following a guilty plea from Stuart Perkins of SG Perkins Ltd, aged 38 from Radstock, at Bath Magistrates Court, the company was sentenced to a fine totaling £50,830.75 for multiple violations under The Food Safety and Hygiene (England) Regulations 2013 and the Animal Health Act 1981.
Heart of the South West Trading Standards head, Fakir Mohamed Osman, underscored the gravity of such breaches and affirmed the necessity of the salmonella prevention program to safeguard the public. He emphasized the significance of investigating producers suspected of neglecting mandated testing to uphold public health standards.
The European Commission’s recent €337.5m fine imposed on Mondelēz International for impeding cross-border trade of chocolate, biscuits, and coffee products within EU member states serves as a reminder of the stringent penalties for regulatory violations in the food industry.
