First horse meat scandal sentences handed out
The first sentences have been handed out as a result of the investigation into the horse meat scandal two years ago.
Abattoir boss Peter Boddy was fined £8,000 at Southwark Crown Court after he admitted failing to comply with food traceability regulations.
Boddy, who runs a slaughterhouse in West Yorkshire, sold 55 carcasses without keeping records of where they were going, 37 of which he said went to Italian restaurants. A further 17 animals entered his business without documents showing where they had come from.
Manager David Moss was given a four-months suspended prison sentence for falsifying an invoice concerning the number of horses involved in a transaction.
They were each asked to pay costs of more than £10,000.
The Food Standard Agency's chief operating officer Jason Feeney said: “Criminal activity like this across Europe contributed to the horse meat incident. Consumers need to know that their food is what it says it is on the label.”
Investigations are ongoing into the scandal, which erupted two years ago. The FSA and other government departments are also implementing recommendations from the Elliot Review, into the integrity of UK food chains.
This includes the establishment of the Food Crime Unit, which focuses on food fraud by analysing intelligence, initiating investigations and liaising with other criminal and regulatory enforcement agencies.
Andy Morling was announced today as the head of the unit. He starts in his role this week.