The Farmers Mart Autumn 2017 - Issue 52 | Page 30

Farm News ‘CRISIS OF CONFIDENCE’ IN FOOD SUPPLY CHAIN AS TWO IMPRISONED OVER HORSE MEAT CRIME » » TWO MEN HAVE BEEN SENT to prison for defrauding consumers by labelling horse meat as beef. The Food Standards Authority said the sentence ‘sends out a clear signal’ that food crime will not be tolerated. Andronicos Sideras, owner of Dinos and Sons Ltd, and Ulrich Nielsen of Flexi Foods were sentenced to four years and six months and three years and six months imprisonment respectively at Inner London Crown Court in August. ‘a big issue for the public to be concerned about’ A third man, Alex Ostler- Beech, also of Flexi Foods was given an 18 month suspended sentence. On a number of occasions Mr Sideras, Mr Nielsen and Mr Ostler-Beech had conspired to mix consignments of beef with horsemeat, falsely labelling it as beef and thereby inflating their profits as a result. Their crime was discovered after an environmental health officer visited a meat manufacturer in Newry, Northern Ireland. The FSA led the investigation before passing the responsibility to the City of London police in 2013. Heather Hancock, Chairman of the FSA, said: “The sentencing today is the result of an immense effort by The scandal broke when horsemeat DNA was found in “beef” burgers on sale in some supermarkets. individuals in a multi-agency investigation and, as well as the police, I’d like to highlight the key role played by local authorities in securing the conviction. “Today’s sentences should act as a deterrent to those who think they can profit from committing food fraud.” Judge Owen Davies QC said: “It was not confined to this country, not confined to the firms we have heard about, and it’s a big issue for the public to be concerned about, but the fact is it was discovered by accident and only emerged as a problem because of your activity. “It’s not a mitigating factor, in my judgement, that other people were at it as well as you. “It’s difficult to recall now the conditions that made this horsemeat scandal headline news every day five years ago but it made an impact on the public in general.” Prosecutor Jonathan Polnay said the scandal had led to a ‘crisis of confidence’ in the food supply chain which hit sales. 30 Autumn 2017 www.farmers-mart.co.uk HSE warn on ‘undue risks’ Farmers will be held accountable in line with health and safety legislation. » » FARMERS PUTTING themselves and their workers’ health and safety in jeopardy throughout the potato harvest will be held accountable, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) warned as this year’s harvest got under way. HSE inspectors is visiting farms that are harvesting potatoes across the country, providing safety advice and guidelines. But they say recent events show that farmers and workers are still not managing the risks they face, creating undue risk to their own and their workers’ health and safety. For those farmers failing to adequately plan harvesting activities or manage risk, HSE has warned it will use its full powers to hold them accountable in line with health and safety legislation. FOCUS SHARPENED FOLLOWING DEATH The regulator has sharpened its focus in light of the death of an agricultural engineer who was working on a potato harvester when the incident occurred. The investigation is in its very early stages but the ‘One poor decision – life-changing implications’ circumstances surrounding the incident will form part of the investigation. HSE’s head of agriculture, Rick Brunt, said: “We encourage farmers to do all they can to manage the risks and reduce the likelihood of incidents. “There is an abundance of free resources on the HSE website that farmers and workers can refer to, to ensure they’re compliant with the law. We would like to remind all employers of their legal obligation to comply with health and safety law as one poor decision could have life- changing implications.” ‘We encourage farmers to do all they can to manage the risks and reduce the likelihood of incidents’ Throughout the inspection initiative, inspectors are checking that: Haulm and clod rollers were properly guarded; PTO guards were in good condition; harvester operators had been trained; all drivers followed Safe Stop; work equipment was adequately maintained; the right access equipment was used for working at height. www.hse.gov.uk