Stillman’s (Somerset) Ltd denies five charges of breaching safety and hygiene laws
THE owners of a slaughter house on the edge of Taunton have been accused of five serious breaches of safety and hygiene laws.
Stillman’s (Somerset) Ltd are contesting the charges relating to its operation at Staplegrove Mills, Staplegrove.
The case was mentioned at Taunton Magistrates’ Courts yesterday (Tuesday) and the defendant faces a five-day trial starting at the same court on Monday, February 3.
Stillman’s (Somerset) Ltd, based at Foxhill Farm, Blackborough, Cullompton, is accused of committing four of the offences between February 11 and 13 last year. The fifth count dates from February 15 to 18 last year.
All counts, which are denied by the company, relate to alleged breaches of the Safety and Hygiene (England) Regulations 2013.
Stillman’s is accused of:
*placing on the market a product of animal origin that is part of a detained pig carcase without a health mark;
*failing to ensure that post mortem inspection of all slaughtered animals is carried out under suitable conditions by removing the detention tape and cutting a pig carcase without the permission of the competent authority;
*failed to comply with a requirement that until post mortem inspection is complete, parts of a slaughtered animal must remain identifiable as belonging to a given carcase by cutting and removing parts of a detained pig carcase prior to post mortem inspection being carried out;
*did not have in place systems and procedures to identify food business operators from who they had received and to who they had delivered products of animal origin by allowing parts of a detained pig carcase to leave the establishment without the commercial document;
*failed to give a named person assistance or information which that person may reasonably require of them for the performance or their functions under the hygiene regulations by furnishing that person information known to be false or misleading by producing an invoice with false or misleading information.
As well as its abattoir at Staplegrove and head office in Cullompton, Stillman’s has butcher’s shops in Tiverton and Taunton. The charges relate to alleged incidents at the Staplegrove abattoir.
Phil Hill
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