British turkey giant guilty of sloppy practices

The company at the centre of a bird flu outbreak in Britain has come in for some harsh criticism after a catalogue of failings were revealed by an official report.

Inspectors from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) reported seeing gulls feeding on meat scraps left in uncovered open waste bins and polythene bags.

The gulls were apparently observed carrying turkey waste and roosting on the roof of the turkey houses 500 metres away.

The report says polythene bags containing residue of liquid waste could have blown around the site and plastic-covered bales of wood shavings used as bedding were kept outside.

According to the interim report by DEFRA on the Suffolk plant, imported turkey meat from Hungary was the "most plausible" cause of the H5N1 outbreak at Holton which led to a cull of 159,000 birds at the plant.

However a number of other causes were also listed, such as contaminated clothing or footwear.

There were also holes in the houses that could have allowed birds or rodents to get inside the sheds.

A second report by the Food Standards Agency (FSA) has said all food importing and processing activities carried out at the Holton site had complied with EU laws but also said that Meat Hygiene Service records for the past year showed Bernard Matthews staff had been verbally warned about "deficiencies" on a number of occasions.

Bernard Matthews' response is that they have always operated within the law; they have however promised to act on DEFRA suggestions on enhancing biosecurity and will comply with any recommendations made.

The DEFRA investigation into the outbreak is still going on and if the company is found to have breached laws on the disposal of animal by-products, it could face prosecution.

The H5N1 strain found on the site is almost identical to that found in Hungary, where Bernard Matthews has a plant which regularly supplies meat to its UK operation.

The firm says its voluntary decision to halt the movement of meat to and from Hungary on the 8th of February would remain in place "until further notice".

Following a cull and a disinfecting operation, the plant started to receive consignments of turkeys from other sites in the UK on Tuesday and some Bernard Matthews turkey products have already been cleared by the FSA to be released for sale.

Meanwhile, a ban remains on licensed bird gatherings including races, sales and shows in the restricted zone across Suffolk and Norfolk.