A food business owner in England has been fined for falsifying Salmonella testing certificates. Poultry farmer Stuart Perkins of SG Perkins, from Radstock, was fined almost £51,000 ($65,300) at Bath Magistrates Court earlier this month after pleading guilty to offenses under The Food Safety and Hygiene (England) Regulations 2013 and the Animal Health Act 1981. The Food Standards Agency (FSA), Avon and Somerset police, environmental health, and Trading Standards executed a search warrant at the poultry farm and abattoir in November 2023.
This revealed traceability issues and evidence that Perkins had falsified Salmonella testing certificates. This meant that birds had been slaughtered for the food chain without proof they were free from disease. The FSA ensured products with traceability concerns were removed from the market.
The FSA’s National Food Crime Unit (NFCU) also alerted the industry, asking businesses to check their suppliers. Andrew Quinn, head of the NFCU, said the fine shows the serious nature of faking documents and jeopardizing food safety. “This should deter anyone considering taking dangerous shortcuts and breaching food safety and hygiene laws.
” Fakir Mohamed Osman, head of Heart of the South West Trading Standards Service, said Perkins’ actions presented a risk to public health. “We take breaches of this kind very seriously. The Salmonella Prevention Program is there for a reason: to safeguard the public.
Producers suspected of not carrying out th.