Food Standards Agency welcomes slaughter house prosecution

The red meat slaughterhouse near Launceston, Cornwall, was ordered to pay nearly £9,000 in fines and costs for failing to remove specified risk material (SRM) from sheep carcasses destined for the food chain.

The FSA has ordered the removal of SRM from cattle, sheep and goats because these are the parts most likely to carry BSE. SRM must not enter the food chain and should be removed in the slaughterhouse or, in some circumstances, at cutting plant

Convicted on all counts​

H R Jasper & Son Ltd filed not guilty pleas on six charges and, following a two day hearing, was convicted on all counts at Truro Magistrates’ Court on April 29 2014.

Andrew Rhodes, the FSA’s chief operating officer, said: “The meat industry has worked hard over many years to restore confidence in the safety of UK meat. ​

“Unfortunately, some companies occasionally fail to meet the standards which underpin the strict and successful system of controls we have in place to tackle BSE. As the enforcer of those regulations, we will take action against any company that potentially puts consumers at risk.”​