A food business owner has been fined over £50,000 after falsifying Salmonella testing certificates.
Poultry farmer Stuart Perkins of SG Perkins Ltd in Radstock received a “substantial fine” at Bath Magistrates Court, according to an alert by the Food Standards Agency (FSA). On Wednesday 3rd July, the 38-year-old pled guilty to various offences under the Food Safety and Hygiene (England) Regulations 2013 and the Animal Health Act 1981.
In November 2023, the FSA worked with partners including Avon and Somerset Police and Environmental Health and Trading Standards to execute a search warrant at the poultry farm and abattoir. It found evidence of traceability concerns, including evidence that Perkins had falsified Salmonella testing certificates.
Perkins and SG Perkins Ltd was sentenced to a fine of £5,000 for each FSA offence, £3,500 for each local authority offence, costs amounting to £21,810.75, plus a victim surcharge of £2,000, which came to a total of £50,830.75.
Ensuring safety in the food chain
FSA found that birds had been slaughtered for the food chain “without proof they were free from disease”.
The Animal and Plant Health Agency supported the investigations, monitoring the welfare of the poultry on site and collecting official Salmonella samples. FSA acted to “manage the potential food safety risk” by removing products with traceability concerns from the market.
An alert was also issued to industry by the FSA’s NFCU to ask food businesses to check the traceability of their suppliers to help ensure legitimate businesses “maintain the integrity and safety of their food chains and protect their customers”.
Andrew Quinn, head of FSA’s National Food Crime Unity (NFCU), said: “We welcome this substantial fine as it shows the serious nature of faking documents and jeopardising food safety. This should act as a deterrent to anyone considering taking dangerous short cuts and breaching food safety and hygiene law. I want to thank Heart of the South West Trading Standards for their excellent work in securing this result, as well as Avon and Somerset Police for their assistance.
“Together, we are stronger in the fight against food crime, and we continue to work with partners to ensure food is safe and help ensure that consumers are protected.”
Fakir Mohamed Osman, head of the Heart of the South West Trading Standards Service, said: “We take breaches of this kind very seriously. The prevention of salmonella programme is there for a reason, to safeguard the public. Producers suspected of not carrying out the required testing will be investigated.
“The defendant’s actions presented a real risk to public health, and I am pleased that, thanks to our collaborative efforts with the Food Standards Agency, we were able to take action.”
