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| Science Forum Index » Agriculture - Poultry Forum » Dirty meat getting into the food chain |
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| Old Codger |
 Posted: Wed Sep 26, 2007 5:38 am |
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Guest
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Dr Yunes Teinaz is a hero of our times. He flatly refuses to be
intimidated by the dirty meat merchants who have the muscle and power
to intimidate those who oppose their dangerous crimes. If only there
were more of him.
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June 10 2007 ~ "The Observer has learnt from one senior trading
standards officer that poultry smuggled in from Egypt, where avian flu
was confirmed last year, is on sale at markets across London.
Dr Yunes Teinaz, acting environmental health manager for the London
borough of Hackney, said much of the trade was carried out by criminal
gangs: 'It's a very big black-market industry with highly lucrative
rewards. You just need £400 to buy an old van and you can go around
the country distributing illegal meat.'..."
June 2007 Article on the illegal meat trade by Aura Sabadus
In a thriving consumer society, food has become no less fashionable
than the latest must-have cars or the clothes we choose to wear.
But like many other products on the shelves, the juicy chicken looking
tempting on our dinner plates or the burgers wedged inside freshly
baked rolls may have a history that is often linked to the murky world
of international trafficking, animal cruelty, black magic and even
cannibalism.
Every year hundreds of tonnes of decomposing meat stored in illegal
slaughter houses across the country are believed to enter the food
chain, exposing consumers to serious public health hazards that can
often lead to animal and human diseases such as E-coli, BSE,
Foot-and-Mouth or Bird Flu.
The problem is further compounded by the smuggling of "dirty bush
meat" - rats, insects, giraffes, gorillas, chimpanzees, elephants
killed in various African countries or the Far East and then
channelled onto underground markets in Europe, including Britain, for
human consumption.
At £1bn a year, the sale of illegal meat whether locally produced or
imported is considered one of the largest illegal trades in the UK,
according to environmental health experts. But despite existing
evidence from Customs and Excise who confirm that seizures continue to
increase year by year, there are too few resources and too few staff
to gauge the trade's true scale and to stamp it out. Figures provided
by Customs and Excise show an upward trend, with the number of
seizures increasing from 15,316 in 2003/04 to 25,286 in 2004/05 and
finally to 32,703 last year.
Much of the meat is smuggled in via the 140million tonnes of freight
that pass through Britain's ports and airports every year to be then
sold in markets or takeaways across the country. Most of it is
destined for London's ethnic population, but health experts say even
counties like Norfolk or Suffolk may not be safe from the illegal
trade. At Felixstowe, Suffolk, consignments of bush meat were
discovered over the last years. In 2001, it was revealed that over 100
cartons of meat mixed with cereals, noodles, and other non-meat
products arrived in the port from China - which had been hit by
numerous outbreaks of foot and mouth in recent times.
In Norfolk the National Farmers' Union is concerned at the illegal
meat trade. Brian Finnerty speaking for the Union said infected meat
can often end up in the animal food chain leading to outbreaks of Foot
and Mouth or other diseases.
"The fact that illegal meat imports are still coming in is something
that we feel strongly about. The year before the outbreak of foot and
mouth, we had swine fever in Suffolk which had been traced to infected
meat. That was very worrying for our farmers. The Government got
better at raising awareness, but this is a matter we simply can't be
complacent about," he says.
Dr Yunes Teinaz, the head of environmental health in Hackney, East
London and adviser to the director-general of the Islamic Cultural
Centre in London believes the intelligence he gets on the traffic of
dirty meat is only the "tip of the iceberg."
A big man, who has a £100,000 bounty on his head because of his
relentless attacks on criminal gangs, Dr Teinaz says the trade is
highly sought after because the trafficked products are either wanted
for human consumption or used by "witch-doctors" who sell them as
"miraculous" remedies for incurable diseases at extortionate rates.
"I want to raise awareness about this trade which seems to have wide
ramifications throughout the country. It's worth more than £1bn a year
and it depends on cruel methods being used to catch the animals, as
well as unsatisfactory methods of storage," he says.
"In Britain, there is the sale of "smokies," decomposing meat often
blowtorched and resold as fit for human consumption. There was much
disquiet over several similar cases in Carmarthenshire, Wales, where a
few farmers were found red-handed and fined.
"In two separate cases in 2003, I found 150 carcasses on each
occasion, produced as 'smokies' in Wales. The meat then ends up in
mince pies, kebabs or burgers all over the country."
The acting head of environmental health in Hackney, East London, is
equally concerned at the trade in bush meat whose hidden nature gives
enforcement agencies major headaches.
"Methods of importing illegal food into the UK are becoming
increasingly sophisticated," he says. "Preparation of bush meat is
often carried out in filthy, unhygienic and shabby premises by people
with little understanding of health risks. The potential of harm is
very serious indeed. International bodies cite reports of people being
infected by such serious diseases as HIV and Ebola virus as a result
of hunting, butchering or eating bush meat animals such as monkeys,
cane rats, giraffes," he said.
Dr Teinaz says that given the existing legal framework, enforcement
agencies face an uphill struggle whenever trying to prosecute those
who are in breach of the law.
In one high-profile case in 2003, an African woman received a prison
sentence at London's Haringey Magistrates' of three months together
with a life ban. She was convicted of 23 charges, including breaches
of the Food Safety Regulations and for selling food that was unfit for
human consumption. However, the prosecution was not brought for
selling bush meat per se, but because of the filthy conditions in
which the food was stored.
He adds: "The law has no teeth. People receive very mild sentences and
it's easy for them to slip through the net."
Most terrifyingly, Dr Teinaz says, is recent intelligence he has
received regarding the discovery of human body parts sold for
consumption on the black market.
"I haven't found anything myself, but if this is true, and it could
well be that this is the case, then that's terrifying news.
"We know that much of the bush meat trade is used in potions and
ointments for black magic treatments and we know that other animals
are sacrificed for voodoo purposes in the African community. But we
have a deep concern over human body parts. We think they could be
coming in with the bush meat."
The illegal trade is also taken seriously by leading microbiologist
Professor Hugh Pennington, who advised the Government at the height of
the BSE and Bird Flu crises.
"The trade in illegal meat is definitely an issue worth jumping on,"
he says.
"Consumers are exposed to some health risks that they are not used to.
The trade involves some products that are not subject to any proper
checks and there is the important issue of detecting the products as
well as finding the right evidence to stand the cases up in court."
Last night, Sophie Leney, assistant head of the county's Trading
Standards Agency tried to allay fears, claiming the trade was not a
"big issue" in Norfolk. She insisted the body was involved in carrying
out traceability checks on meat products whose origins may not be
clearly stated on labels.
A spokesman for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
explained: "We continue to recognise that we can only tackle the
illegal imports with a combined effort across all relevant government
departments and enforcement agencies and by raising public awareness
and understanding the risks."
But speaking from London, Dr Teinaz is not convinced.
"Unless there are more environmental health officers to enforce the
law and to produce a co-ordinated approach to tackling food crime,
Britain will remain exposed to all sorts of diseases and the
Government could be accused of indirectly allowing this to happen," he
concluded.
For more information on meat crimes check www.warmwell.com
April 2007 ~ there is now a greater risk of contracting and spreading
a food borne illness locally, regionally, and even globally. Food
poisoning problem requires action by food producers and distributors
as well as by consumers, from the farm to the folk.
Read "Food Poisoning Facts - by Dr Yunes Teinaz, Acting Head of
Environmental Health London Borough of Hackney
Food contamination may occur as food travels through long industrial
chains; production and harvest, initial processing and packing,
distribution, and final processing. ..." Read in full
April 18 2007 ~ Crown Court Rejects Appeal against Sentence for
Selling Unfit Meat
On Monday 16 April 2007 Snaresbrook Crown Court Judge dismissed the
application by Mr Qurbain Hussain, owner of Gangal Ridley Halal
Butchers to appeal against his sentence for selling unfit meat. Mr
Hussain was found guilty of four offences at Thames Magistrates Court
on the 15th January. The offences related to the sale of meat unfit
for human consumption under the Food Safety Act 1990.
Mr Hussain who was arrested at an airport last year after failing to
appear at the Thames Magistrate Court did not appear and the Appellant
applied for an adjournment. The application was refused. The Judge
then went on to hear the facts and submissions. The Judge dismissed
the application to appeal the sentence and ordered the original
sentence to remain, which was a £900 fine for each offence and costs
of £4,000 (a total of £7,600). The judge also ordered the Appellant to
pay £540 for the costs of the appeal assessment.
Councillor Alan Laing, Cabinet Member for Neighbourhoods said: ''The
Hackney Environmental Health team will continue to be very proactive,
in order to protect public health and ensure unfit meat is not sold in
this borough. The council will take legal action against anyone
selling sub standard food, or preparing food in an unsafe
environment."
April 6 2007 ~ "Offending restaurants don't train their staff to meet
health and hygiene standards. They often buy and serve condemned meat
because it's cheap. And it's cheap because it hasn't been through
public health controls"
Dr Teinaz's interview at www.londragazete.com is well worth reading in
full. "He'd rather play nicely, but he's prepared to roll up his
sleeves and get his hands dirty if proprietors don't cooperate."
"....Of course, for every failing restaurant there are many more who
follow the regulations to the letter and honour the very spirit of the
laws. "There are many kebab houses that follow the rules, that are
very hygienic, and I must congratulate them," says Dr Teinaz. "If the
kebab is nice, the meat is healthy and has passed health controls, if
it's bought from a reputable supplier and there's less salt in it for
a healthy choice; if the restaurant is clean and hygienic, there will
be more customers to make everybody happy and proud," he says."
March 30 2007 Dr Yunes Teinaz interviewed by Islam Channel
The report went out yesterday at 5.30pm and was repeated at 9.30 pm as
part of the news on Islam Channel, Sky Channel 813. You can watch it
on the internet for the next 5 days. The website address is
www.islamchannel.tv/news (click on 29 March ).
March 19 2007 ~ "As public concern about cruelty to farm animals
grows, there has been a huge surge in demand for such eggs, which can
cost as much as 80p a dozen more than battery hen products."
Daelnet.uk
The free-range egg swindle, said to have covered about two percent of
free range egg sales in Britain, is reported on today by, among
others, the Daily Telegraph, Farmer's Weekly Interactive, Reuters and
the Guardian. The scandal raises even more questions about accurate
labelling - and proper checks. But the fraud emphasises UK consumers'
increasing reluctance to buy food from factory farms. As Daelnet.uk
says, "Such has been the demand that British farmers have been unable
to match the increase in production so millions of eggs are being
imported from two as yet un-named European countries. ....by selling
them as free range, the British egg packers and distributors will have
racked up millions in fraudulent profits. There have been similar
cases in the past - including prosecutions in Yorkshire several years
ago - but nothing on the scale of the current investigation."
Meanwhile, it is determined individuals - such as those in the Hackney
Environmental Health Services team - who are doing the real work in
trying to stamp out the lucrative illegal meat trade. Such first hand
work is dangerous and unpleasant - as are the criminals against whom
they are fighting. (The descriptions and photos involved are not for
the faint hearted.)
UK Dirty Meat Scandal
The billion pound dirty meat scandal. Watch "Watchdog" (Courtesy of
BBC1 via the ICC website)
http://icclondon.org/videos/health/watchdog/low_joined/ (low quality
for slow connections)
http://icclondon.org/videos/health/watchdog/med_joined/ (medium)
http://icclondon.org/videos/health/watchdog/hig_joined/ (high quality)
You may need Shockwave to view the film
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
January 15 2007 ~ Despite committing these offences over two years ago
it has taken until this week to obtain a conviction
report from Hackney
December 7 2006 ~ battery eggs sold as free range, intensively farmed
food sold as organic, low quality produce sold as premium....
The FSA has begun a major investigation into food fraud in Britain.
The Times reports, ".... In an interim report for today's agency board
meeting, Dr Barlow also suggests that the fraudsters were willing to
take risks because of the low chance of detection and some confusion
over the roles of various enforcement agencies.
There is particular concern that criminals operating on a national
scale may be escaping detection and prosecution because of the
piecemeal approach by local authorities.
Dr Barlow's task force is to complete a final report by next summer.
Its early findings coincide with a number of investigations into
suspect dealings in the food industry.
Inspectors at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
have announced that they are investigating a massive scam over
low-price, battery-cage eggs that are being sold as premium grade,
free-range eggs.
The FSA is also conducting surveys into the extent to which farmed
fish is passed off as wild; meat from conventional farming is sold as
organic; low-quality beef is sold under the Aberdeen Angus label;
ordinary chickens are sold as corn-fed; and whether fruit juices are
really "pure"."
"18.5 per cent rise in the number of seizures of illegal meat smuggled
from the 15 countries that are classed as 'high risk' of animal-borne
disease.... a nightmare scenario in which Ebola finds its way into our
food chain
Observer "....Dr Yunes Teinaz is a dead man walking, at least that's
what his enemies say. Teinaz, a big man with a big mouth, has a
£100,000 bounty on his head thanks to his outspoken attacks on
criminal gangs. But the gangs who Teinaz, Chartered Environmental
Health Practitioner, an adviser to the Director General of the Islamic
Cultural Centre, has fallen foul of are not involved in prostitution,
drugs or guns: they sell meat. Illegally. ...
.....'For some time, our concern has been that nobody has done a
theoretical examination of the risks to public health. But if it could
happen we need to know. The consequences would be enormous,' Morris
added.
Figures to be published this month, as part of the HM Revenue &
Customs' annual review into the illicit trade in smuggled produce,
will show an 18.5 per cent rise in the number of seizures of illegal
meat smuggled from the 15 countries that are classed as 'high risk' of
animal-borne disease. ..." Read in full two recent Observer articles
July 16 2005 ~ Some progress: "... if meat is unfit for human
consumption, it cannot be considered halal, irrespective of whether it
derived from a halal slaughtered animal."
Shaheen Zar of the Meat Fraud and Diversity Branch Enforcement
Division of the Food Standards Agency, has now written to Jane Downes,
the Veterinary and Technical Director at the Meat Hygiene Service
(MHS) concerning the points raised in the letter from Dr Ahmed Al
Dubayan and Dr Yunes Teinaz of the Islamic Cultural Centre. In the
letter to the MHS, Shaheen Zar says:
"....The ICC letter has confirmed the collective opinion of the Muslim
Organisations Working Group. It states that it is not an Islamic
requirement for halal slaughtered animals to leave the slaughterhouse
un-chilled....meat transported in un-refrigerated vehicles is at a far
greater risk of arriving in a state that is not fit for human
consumption.....if meat is unfit for human consumption, it cannot be
considered halal, irrespective of whether it derived from a halal
slaughtered animal. I would be grateful if this advice could be
forwarded to all licensed premises, as well as including it as an item
in the next MHS newsletter as it appears to be a common misconception
that hot meat is an Islamic requirement.
It would also be helpful to receive a progress note in due course in
order to inform the Working Group."
See entry for 16 June
March 28 ~ April 3 2005 ~ "...hundreds of carcases of illegal meat
enter the human food chain without any action"
Diseased meat, illegally slaughtered in the vilest of conditions, is
getting into the human food chain.
Carcases can be bought from the criminals who - with good reasons -
laugh all the way to the bank at the government's " wide-ranging
action plan to tackle meat crime". They know that neither local
authorities nor the Food Standards Agency has the time, inclination or
expertise to stop them - and that even if they do end up in the dock
it will cause just a brief and inexpensive hiatus to their activities.
Agencies getting government money to check on safety and hygiene are
simply not doing so - and the FSA says that to introduce a new law
against a newly defined offence would "breach European Community law".
Watchdog on BBC television, Tuesday 29 March at 7 pm is going to shock
and disturb viewers.
for the email received from the one man in the country who is fighting
the meat criminals on behalf of the people of London, Dr Yunes Teinaz,
see below
January 16 - 22 2005 ~ Food Standards Agency says it would be a breach
of EU law to create a new offence against the £1bn a year criminal
meat trade
In answer to the important Parliamentary Question from Charles Hendry
on January 12th 2005 "... what punishments may be imposed upon those
found guilty of selling or trading in dirty, diseased and illegal cuts
of meat..?", Miss Melanie Johnson said that the
".. Food Standards Agency has, with its partners in other Government
Departments and enforcement bodies, a wide-ranging action plan to
tackle meat crime."(See below)
Important professional and trade associations, such the Chartered
Institute of Environmental Health (CIEH) and the Local Authorities
Coordinators of Regulatory Services (LACORS) have called for new
legislation to deal with serious food crime. Among others sceptical of
the "action-plan" is Dr Yunes Teinaz, whose response is important.
However, the Food Standards Agency has resisted, arguing that to
introduce a new offence would "breach European Community law". The
Meat Hygiene service which is an executive Agency of the Food
Standards Agency cannot be regarded as above suspicion, while what we
saw in last September's Dispatches programme suggests that corruption
and collusion can be found in very high places, that agencies get
government money to check on safety and hygiene but do not do so. How
many of the stakeholders being consulted by the FSA have, as their
first priority, the health of the nation - rather than that of their
pockets or their careers ?
December 13 2004 ~" JULIAN JONES smelt strongly of rotten meat. His
clothing was dirty and stained, as well as his hands which were
bloodstained. .."
The largest "smokies" criminal meat case came to a conclusion on
Monday at Wood Green Crown Court. Two years of painstaking and heroic
work by Dr Yunes Teinaz, showing cast iron evidence of guilt, cruelty
and disregard for public safety - work that was carried out in the
face of actual death threats and intimidation and on behalf of the
public health of the entire country, formed the prosecution. The
result? Fines and community service for Julian Jones and James
Elliott.
From the evidence: "...Some livers showed signs of parasitic cysts.
The lungs had lesions consisted with parasitic pronchopneumonia. The
udders of lactating female animals had not been removed from the
carcasses. The kidneys also remained attached to the carcasses without
having been removed from their covering membranes. ..the carcasses
were in a warm condition. There was a noticeable foul smell when the
door was first opened. There were no health marks or evidence of
inspection on the carcasses. ..."
There is a stench of corruption here. Meat criminals are rich,
dangerous and influential.
The most absurd regulations and red tape in the name of food safety
are putting good farmers out of business - but when it comes to the
real criminals, the government loses its nerve...indeed, DEFRA just
days before the latest of his convictions for meat crimes last June,
chose to use Carmelo Gale as a "consultant".
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"I've seized many carcasses contaminated by faeces, brain and spinal
matter, as well as a variety of potentially- fatal bacteria. Some have
also been covered in cysts and riddled with disease...
....After a long battle against these criminals I feel that nothing
happens to them; they are still in business poisoning the nation every
day and no one is taking any action...I will do what I can to protect
the public despite difficulties which I am facing." Dr Yunes Teinaz..
The "Dirty Meat" Despatches programme, shown on Channel 4, showed only
the tip of the iceberg.
In spite of reassuring words from the government and the FSA, - no
action is actually taken to stop the rotten trade except by the heroic
few such as Dr Teinaz. Although professional and trade associations
have called for new legislation to deal with serious food crime, the
Food Standards Agency has resisted, arguing that to introduce a new
offence would "breach European Community law."
Thanks to Dr Yunes Teinaz and other researchers who have shared their
knowledge with warmwell, we can at least put some information onto the
internet for all to see. This sort of task should not be up to us -
but where are those who should be giving substantial help to Dr Teinaz
with new legislation aimed at the real criminals? The Meat Trade in
its criminal form is sinister, powerful and deeply feared - and
widespread. Who will protect consumers from diseased meat and the
animals from barbarous slaughter?
email March 28 2005
I have managed successfully to arrange the purchase of smokies from
Southwark and Brixton in Lambeth for the Watchdog programme, going on
air Tuesday 29 March @7 pm.
It is alarming when hundreds of carcases of illegal meat enter the
human food chain without any action from the local authorities or the
FSA.!
I am sure that the viewers of the programme will find the footage
disturbing. This is an issue affecting the health of the entire
nation.
The same criminals still in business; nothing happens to them !
Very best wishes
Watch the Video - "Watchdog - Meat Crimes" in low, medium or high
quality
http://icclondon.org/videos/health/watchdog/low/1.html
http://icclondon.org/videos/health/watchdog/low/2.html
http://icclondon.org/videos/health/watchdog/med/1.html
http://icclondon.org/videos/health/watchdog/med/2.html
http://icclondon.org/videos/health/watchdog/hig/1.html
http://icclondon.org/videos/health/watchdog/hig/2.html |
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