Rogue farmers flout health regulations

Infected beef could be being sold over the counter

Meat that might be contaminated with BSE could be on sale over the counter as unscrupulous meat producers flout the rules, a BBC investigation reveals.

The UK has the toughest meat regulations in Europe following the BSE crises and the foot-and-mouth scare.

All cows should have a passport and numbered tags detailing their family history and movements to help control BSE.

Freeman said he could obtain false paperwork

Crooked Britain tracked down farmer and butcher Roy Freeman in Henley-in-Arden, Warwickshire, who boasts a number of meat outlets in the West Midlands.

Undercover reporters saw Freeman haggling for cows that did not have the required tags and which he said were later slaughtered and sold.

Serious risks

"They went without tags, they was killed on a Sunday and on a Sunday afternoon they was boned out," Freeman told undercover BBC researchers.

"They come up good meat. They went into Birmingham bullring."

This is potentially putting human health at risk

Trading Standards Officer Sam Diamond

And he claimed that he was able to obtain passports belonging to dead animals to pass off as belonging to other animals for the price of "a bag of spuds".

Such blatant flouting of regulations would pose a serious risk for public health, according to Northamptonshire trading standards officer Sam Diamond.

"This is potentially putting human health at risk by putting animals that are either over 30 months or have BSE in their family history into the human food chain," she said.

"After a prosecution you can either be fined or receive a prison sentence because it is seen as a really serious matter."

'Appalling conditions'

Skerry 'turned a blind eye'

The investigation also uncovered an illegal slaughterhouse in Bovingdon, Herts, run by Robert Skerry, that was so bad that it has since been closed down.

The operation specialised in slaughtering chickens in a blood-spattered garage, with the remains dumped in wheelbarrows for the flies to pick over.

Skerry hinted that he got around the health problems by turning a blind eye if the chickens were later sold to restaurants.

"I'm one of the wise monkeys, know nothing see nothing," he said.

Food safety consultant John Barrow said there was no way of telling if any of the birds being slaughtered were diseased.

"I qualified as an environmental health officer over thirty years ago and I can honestly say I've never seen anything in such appalling conditions as this," he said.

"The poor unsuspecting public are just playing Russian roulette with their lives."

Supermarket checks

Conditions were the worst Barrow had seen in 30 years

The programme also goes on to examine the top end of the meat production chain - supermarket suppliers.

They are committed to maintaining the very highest meat hygiene standards but can we be sure that these standards are always being met?

Poultry company Two Sisters Meat is owned by Ranjit and Baljinder Boparan Singh, who are worth more than £70m, according to the 2002 Sunday Times rich list.

The company controls the whole production process and some of their chickens end up on Tesco, among others, shelves.

A programme researcher, who got a job at the factory in Smethwick, near Birmingham, found that the firm took hygiene very seriously during a two-day induction course.

He was told that any chickens that fell onto the floor must be thrown into bins marked "unfit for human consumption".

Factories are checked regularly and frequently by us to ensure continuous high standards of hygiene.

Tesco statement

But some workers did not always follow instructions and one even used a broom to sweep the chicken up from the floor before putting them back on the belt.

"Two Sisters regret any lapses in standards identified by the BBC," the company said in a statement.

"These isolated incidents go directly against clearly stated company procedures. We are very disappointed to see that our procedures were not applied throughout.

"These incidents are exceptional and not typical of our business. Two Sisters will be working very hard to make sure that nothing like this ever happens again.

We have already reviewed every aspect of our staff training procedures. We are committed to maintaining the highest standards."

Tesco issued the following statement: "Two Sisters is a government licensed food processor that is subject to daily supervision and inspection by the Food Standards Agency.

"None of the FSA's thorough inspections have uncovered any problems. In addition the factories are checked regularly and frequently by us to ensure continuous high standards of hygiene.

"Two Sisters clearly instruct all staff that meat coming into contact with the floor must be placed in waste bins."

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Crooked Britain: Unfit Meat was broadcast on BBC Two on Tuesday, 28 January, 2003. The programme was repeated on BBC One on Wednesday, 16 April, 2003 at 1930 BST.

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