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Halal butcher had no license
29/ 8/2003
A man who ran a butcher's business illegally in Entwistle Road
faced fines and costs totalling £2,000 when he appeared before
magistrates at Rochdale.
Thirty-five years old Mirza Zamal, of Entwistle Road, admitted two
charges of using premises for the purposes of a butcher's shop when
there was not a licence in force and failing to ensure adequate
provision for the removal and storage of food waste.
The father-of-three had run foul of new legislation stemming from
the fatal food poisoning outbreak in Scotland although the court
was told that
there was no suggestion that meat sold by Zamal was infected and no
customer had been made ill by it.
Keith Burley, prosecuting on behalf of the local authority said the
new legislation which was a reaction to the Scottish E-Coli
outbreak required local authorities to issue licences before
premises could be used as butcher's shops. Visits were made to all
such premises in Rochdale and the position explained to the
owners.
Zamal received two visits when the dangers of cross-contamination
through selling raw meat along with other goods was outlined.
It was later found that meat was being sold in the grocery section
of the shop. This was pointed out to the proprietor and information
about training courses passed on to him.
However at a later date the butcher was seen to be cutting raw meat
in an area where ready-to-eat food was being stored.
A general inspection of the premises also showed an accumulation of
waste in the back yard, principally cardboard boxes, which
constituted a potential hazard.
At the time Zamal said the premises were not being used for
butchery for the public but to provide meat for his family but,
said Mr Burley, the amount involved was indicative of meat being
prepared for sale.
Zamal claimed he believed because he had two sinks he did not need
a butcher's licence and this was a misunderstanding on his
part.
He no longer had the butcher's section at his general store. In
fact there was little meat sold and he had only kept it going at
the request of customers who would have been disappointed had they
not been able to get meat. Zamal had proper invoices from a fully
authorised slaughterhouse in
Todmorden and this was a recognised source.
Zamal now realised he needed a licence but had stopped the
unprofitable butchery anyway.
The waste referred to had been mainly a pile of boxes in one corner
of the yard and Zamal accepted he should have taken it off for
collection.
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