Yorkshire Abattoir Services Limited, which is based near Wakefield in West Yorkshire, entered guilty pleas to three charges of intentionally obstructing Food Standards Agency (FSA) officers from carrying out regulatory hygiene inspection duties.
The inspections were attempted by officers in March and June of last year.
The FSA is responsible for monitoring compliance at approved premises so as to ensure that the requirements of food hygiene legislation are being met. Preventing hygiene inspections from taking place is against the law.
Sentencing took place on 28 April at Kirklees Magistrates’ Court, three months after Yorkshire Abattoir Services Limited entered the guilty pleas. The firm was subsequently fined £46,800 and was also ordered to pay a further £14,000 in prosecution costs and a £2,000 statutory surcharge.
The fines and costs total £62,800 and have to be paid within three months.
“The Food Standards Agency protects public health by helping to ensure businesses meet their responsibility to sell safe and authentic food,” commented Robert Locker, head of field operations at the FSA.
“It is vital that we can gain access to abattoirs and other food business premises to fulfil our inspection responsibilities. This successful prosecution shows that people who stand in the way of our work can expect to face significant financial consequences.
“Deterring businesses that don’t play by the rules helps to support legitimate responsible businesses, and we continue to work together with the wider industry to protect consumers.”
This is not the first time that Yorkshire Abattoir Services Limited has found itself facing legal issues, with the firm ordered to pay more than £34,400 in 2018 after it was found guilty of 12 criminal offences related to food hygiene.
In related news, a farmer was fined £1,000 last month after a young worker on his farm was killed in a quad bike crash.
Laura Simmons was spraying weed killer along fence lines while riding a quad bike when the incident occurred in June 2023.
