Cumbria Trading Standards has alerted the Meat Hygiene Service to a suspected breach of food safety regulations involving the sale of sheep not intended for the food chain.
The events surrounding the suspected breach are as follows:
Kirkby Stephen auction mart was granted a licence by Defra for the sale of store animals from 8:00am on Friday 12 October to 6:00pm on Saturday 13 October. Store animals are not intended for slaughter as meat from these animals can contain residues from veterinary drugs and sheep-dip. Farmers were given until 8:00am on Sunday 14 October to collect stock from the store sale.
After 8:00am on Sunday 14 October, Kirkby Stephen auction mart was licensed as a collection centre for livestock which farmers wanted to send straight to slaughter.
A routine inspection of the collection centre by a Cumbria Trading Standards officer found that sheep left over from the previous store animal sale were still present.
Further enquiries revealed that the sheep had been sold to a buyer for an abattoir. The officer immediately notified the Meat Hygiene Service.
More detailed investigations by Cumbria Trading Standards confirmed that the sheep were destined for the human food chain.
A check of sales records showed that the sheep came from several farms in Cumbria. Trading Standards are currently in the process of conducting checks on these farms.
Phil Ashcroft, head of Cumbria Trading Standards, said: "Making sure livestock has been raised and kept to recognised standards is a key role of Cumbria Trading Standards. We have acted speedily and decisively to investigate and alert other statutory agencies to this suspected breach of food safety rules."
ENDS
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