A livestock and meat trading company in Monmouthshire has been fined £3,800 and ordered to pay £3,500 in costs at a hearing on Friday (7th February) in Newport Magistrates court.
Mayfield Livestock Ltd of Coed Morgan, Abergavenny pleaded guilty to failing to register a food business handling raw meat at their premises. A second guilty plea was tendered for being in possession of unsafe meat.
Environmental health officers from Monmouthshire County Council with Food Standards Agency vets searched the premises in June 2013 and discovered over two and a half tonnes of meat, valued at over £8,000 in storage at the Coed Morgan address. The meat was seized by the officers and at a later hearing at Abergavenny Magistrates Court, magistrates deemed the meat to be unsafe for human consumption and ordered it to be destroyed.
Any business handling food must inform the local authority about their operation and environmental health officers will give advice on how to comply with the relevant legislation. Failure to notify the local authority is an offence. Every step of the food chain is important and must be appropriately monitored to ensure food safety and consumer confidence.
County Councillor Giles Howard, Monmouthshire’s cabinet member for public protection commented:
“It is our duty to ensure that the food on residents’ plates, whether at home or dining out, has been prepared safely and is within regulations at each stage of production. Everyone will recall the media coverage last year about food provenance and safety, and food businesses must inform the local authority’s environmental section about their activities. Our officers are always willing to provide practical advice on safety and compliance issues to enable this.”
