Fine for companies that falsified Salmonella certificates

A food business owner in England has been fined for falsifying Salmonella test certificates.

Poultry farmer Stuart Perkins of SG Perkins, from Radstock, was fined almost £51,000 ($65,300) at Bath Magistrates Court earlier this month after pleading guilty to offenses under the Food Safety and Hygiene (England) Regulations 2013 and the Animal Health Act 1981.

The Food Standards Agency (FSA), Avon and Somerset Police, Environmental Health and Trading Standards executed a search warrant at the poultry farm and abattoir in November 2023. This revealed traceability issues and evidence that Perkins had falsified Salmonella test certificates. This meant that birds were slaughtered for the food chain without proof that they were disease-free.

The FSA ensured that products with traceability problems were removed from the market. The FSA’s National Food Crime Unit (NFCU) also warned the sector and asked companies to check their suppliers.

Judgment response

Perkins and SG Perkins were fined £5,000 ($6,400) for each FSA breach, £3,500 ($4,500) for each local offence, almost £22,000 ($28,200) in costs, plus a £2,000 ($2,500) victim surcharge, for a total amount of £2,000 ($2,500). of more than £50,800 ($65,100).

Perkins pleaded guilty to failing to carry out required testing between 2021 and 2023 and to presenting chickens for slaughter with falsified documentation or with documents not relating to the birds slaughtered, between July and October 2023.

Egg producing farms are required to conduct routine Salmonella testing in their poultry houses every 15 weeks during the laying period. All birds must arrive at the slaughterhouse with the test result and the date the sample was taken. However, when the Egg Marketing Inspector visited the farm and requested Salmonella reports, Perkins produced 16 reports from August 2021, 13 of which were falsified.

Investigators discovered that 43 documents showing that tests had been performed on the chickens had actually been completed by Perkins.

Andrew Quinn, head of the NFCU, said the fine showed the serious nature of falsifying documents and compromising food safety.

“This should deter anyone considering taking dangerous shortcuts and breaching food safety and hygiene laws.”

Fakir Mohamed Osman, head of Heart of the South West Trading Standards Service, said Perkins’ actions posed a risk to public health.

“We take these types of violations very seriously. The Salmonella Prevention Program exists for a reason: to protect the public. Manufacturers suspected of not conducting required testing will be investigated.”

Other cases
In September 2023, the Welsh Government brought another case against an unnamed egg company for failure to comply with legislation on Salmonella testing in laying hens.

An inspection of the company found that it had failed to test its flock for Salmonella within the required time limits and had marketed eggs as Class A table eggs for human consumption. The company was fined £1,000 ($1,280) and ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £100 ($128). It was also told to pay £2,121 ($2,700) in prosecution costs.

In other news, the FSA reported that there was a criminal prosecution over the sale of raw cow’s milk. Two joint venture companies pleaded guilty to marketing unsafe food. They were jointly fined £1,360 ($1,700) and ordered to pay the FSA’s legal costs of £8,000 ($10,200).

As part of Operation Hawk, a fraud investigation surrounding the misrepresentation of the origin of cooked meat, initial evidence has been submitted to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) for assessment.

Operation Mantis investigated the production, supply and distribution of smokeies in the United Kingdom. The CPS has approved charges against four suspects. Offenses include conspiracy to market unsafe meat, causing unnecessary suffering to animals, and money laundering.

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