The owner of a food business which falsified Salmonella testing certificates has been fined more than £50,000 following an investigation by the Food Standards Agency (FSA) and Heart of the South West Trading Standards.
Stuart Perkins (38), owner of SG Perkins Ltd, was prosecuted by the FSA when it emerged that his company had slaughtered poultry and brought animals into the food chain without proof they were free from disease.
The FSA, along with Officers from Heart of the South West Trading Standards, Environmental Health and Avon and Somerset Police, executed a search warrant at Perkins’ poultry farm and abattoir in Radstock, Somerset, in November 2023. They uncovered a lack of traceability, as well as evidence that animal disease certificates had been falsified.
The Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) supported the investigation, collecting official Salmonella samples and monitoring the welfare of poultry at the premises, while the FSA took action to ensure products with traceability concerns were removed from the market.
The FSA’s National Food Crime Unit (NFCU) also issued an alert to ask food businesses to check the traceability of their suppliers to help ensure the integrity of the food supply chain.
On 3 July Perkins pleaded guilty to several offences under The Food Safety and Hygiene (England) Regulations 2013 and the Animal Health Act 1981.
Perkins and his company were ordered to pay 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 – a total of £50,830.75.
Fakir Mohamed Osman, Head of the Heart of the South West Trading Standards Service commented: “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.”
Andrew Quinn, Head of the 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.”
