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Un-Australian: Abattoir convicted of large scale lamb substitution
A company that operated an abattoir on the NSW mid-North Coast has been added to the Food Authority’s ‘Name and Shame’ register. Following a lengthy and contested hearing, Tolsat Pty Ltd was convicted and fined $66,000 on December 19, 2012, in the NSW Chief Industrial Magistrates Court for large scale lamb substitution.
NSW Food Authority CEO, Polly Bennett welcomed the outcome of the court case for the message it sends about lamb substitution.
"Consumers rightly expect meat labels to be correct and not a substituted product," Ms Bennett said.
"Tolsat was prosecuted for lamb substitution offences and non-compliance with the law over a period between early October 2007 and mid-January 2008. Meat substitution laws are in place in NSW for a reason; flouting them also puts other businesses at a disadvantage for doing the right thing.
"Lamb is a premium commodity and one of the most recognised brands in Australia. Consumers have a right to get what they pay for. That is why there are laws in place to distinguish young lamb meat, which is more expensive, from older hogget or mutton"
Ms Bennett said the Tolsat investigation stemmed from a State-wide audit of lamb identification procedures in 2008 in conjunction with complaints from industry and a Federal Senate inquiry into meat marketing at that time.
"During an audit of Tolsat’s operations, a NSW Food Authority inspector specifically looked at the branding of carcasses. The officer noticed problems with the dentition checks the abattoir was conducting when it classified carcasses as lamb. This prompted further investigation by the Authority."
"At a follow-up investigation, officers found discrepancies in the abattoir livestock and slaughter records at the abattoir and it appeared that older animals had been processed and supplied to its customers as lamb."
Ms Bennett said that as a result of the NSW Food Authority’s investigation, the court found Tolsat guilty of a total of 66 charges and imposed total fines of $66,000. The company was also ordered to pay the Authority’s legal costs.
Of the 66 charges, 33 charges related respectively each to false description (section 18(2)) and a failure to comply with the Meat Food Safety Scheme (section 104) of the Food Act 2003. The long running matter was vigorously defended by the company.
Source: NSW Food Authority, 1 February 2013
