A BBC Wales investigation was aired last night which revealed the shocking hygiene standards of three meat processing plants in Wales.  These plants are suppliers of Marks & Spencer, Somerfield and Sainsbury’s.

In the programme, the BBC’s journalist witnessed several examples of meat being stamped as ’suitable for human consumption’ despite being contaminated with faeces. The pressure of workers to meet production targets is one of the main causes. A worker described how workers’ “hands are full of faeces. You try to wash it off, then they make you go quicker. Contamination starts from there”.

In one example, a worker spotted a health-stamped carcas with faecal contaminatation and explained that “it happens” and that the plant was too big and contamination is often missed. The programme even showed vacuum packed meat with contamination.

A Meat Hygiene Service inspector described how inspectors are hated by workers and owners of meat processing plants. Others revealed how inspectors are often bullied by owners and thus often turn a blind eye to bad practices in an attempt to keep things moving.

Although the BBC investigated only three plants, a survey released this week from trade union, Unison, showed that these issues are nationwide. David Bezzina of Unison said “there is an admission of a systems failure in the meat hygiene service as a whole” and added that consumers should be “very concerned”.

The investigation has resulted in Somerfield suspending their contract with one of the plants, Cig Calon Cymru, pending their own investigations.

What deadly bacteria is lurking in your steak?

It was disturbing to see the apathy of the plant workers. An inspector said he felt that the number of people who don’t do their work properly is ‘unthinkable’ and that workers are bored and don’t care. The attitude of “it happens” is hardly appropriate considering the potentially fatal E Coli 0157 bacteria that around 2,000 people each year are infected with. This bacteria, found in around 10% of animals’ intestines, produces toxins which can damage internal organs such as the heart and brain.

Let’s not forget the largest ever outbreak of E. coli O157 in Wales (and the second largest in the UK) in 2005 which affected more than 150 people, most of whom were children.  Thirty one people were admitted to hospital and five year old Mason Jones died.

However, this tragedy seems far from the minds of the meat industry as they struggle to keep going against rising costs, lower profits and the new targets for greenhouse gas reductions which will undoubedly affect livestock production.  Time to call it a day?

If you’re in the UK, you can watch the BBC programme Week in Week Out online until 30 October.

A slaughterhouse with the worst hygiene standards ever recorded in the UK was allowed to continue operating for 3 years, causing a major outbreak of E Coli. One hundred and fifty adults and children became ill; one boy lost his life.

Inspections in the early 1990s revealed disgusting conditions including flies, contaminated carcasses and floors not cleaned until the day after slaughter. A vet from the Meat Hygiene Service said he was “overwhelmed by the very old and very poor condition” of the slaughterhouse when he first visited in 2003.

Despite the appalling state of the slaughterhouse, it continued to operate until the owners voluntarily closed it down in February 2006 - 2 months after the 3 month outbreak of E.Coli ended - 5 months after 5 year old Mason Jones died. It was the largest outbreak of its kind in Wales, the 2nd biggest in the UK and the 6th biggest in the world.

How could this happen? The Meat Hygiene Service is part of the government’s Food Standard Agency and “is responsible for the protection of public health”. How could they let the public down so badly? Another Veterinary Meat Hygiene Advisor who also saw the disgusting conditions said that he was under pressure to try to help the industry and not to shut abattoirs down. The worst slaughterhouse on record, a clear risk to public health, and he was under pressure to support the industry?

It is no surprise that the owner of the slaughterhouse, Billy Tudor, was a bully. He was described as “a difficult man with a very, very difficult relationship with anyone saying something he didn’t want to hear”. He bullied and even assaulted inspectors to get his way.

And thus, recommendations to shut down the slaughterhouse were declined by the secretary of state for Wales and 42 schools continued to be supplied with contaminated meat.

Can you trust the meat industry to put your health first? Mason Jones’s mother put it best when she said Billy Tudor had “put greed before the health and safety of our children“.