Three Halal butchers sentenced to prison for adulterating meat last week however this is far from a unique case nor peculiar to the Halal trade.
In the eighties there was the case of DBS Meats in Blackpool putting condemned meat into sausages and the owner was jailed. There was the case of Maslam Meats at Crawley in Sussex selling horse knacker meat into the human food chain, that case ended up at the Central Criminal Courts at the Old Bailey. Perhaps the worse case was Tom Tweed Meats Whiteland West Wales who was selling knacker meat to Shipphams and this was ending up in jars of meat paste.
At the sentencing hearing (Oct 26) before Leeds Crown Court, Yusuf was jailed for four-and-a-half years, Ibrahim for 30 months and Allibou, who had played only a minor role in the business, was given a 24 week suspended jail term.
Passing sentence Judge Paul Hoffman said: “This is a case of wicked, deliberate and highly culpable breaches of the food safety laws. You were hypocrites too, because while offering Halal meat, which many would have taken as a guarantee of quality, basic rules of food hygiene had been completely ignored, exposing large numbers of your own countrymen and others to the dangers of food poisoning.”
Evidence had been given at the original trial that meat had been soaked in bleach to make it appear fresher. An inspector from the FSA also said she had seen a chicken carcass being nibbled by a cat. The premises were described overall as being in a filthy state.
At the trial the two brothers had admitted the offences of putting animal products on the market without identification and failing to ensure premises and equipment were clean.
After the case in a statement to media Sarah Appleby, head of enforcement at the Food Standards Agency, said: “It is good news for the public that the work of the FSA, Kirklees Council and West Yorkshire Police has resulted in this successful prosecution.
“This criminal activity could have put many lives at risk. Food hygiene rules are there to protect all of us and we are committed to helping local authorities take action when they are breached.”
Source: newsroom - meattradenewsdaily.co.uk
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