A farmer from the Northern Irish town of Ballymoney, in County Antrim, has been issued a fine of over £1,000 for breaching food hygiene regulations.
Thomas Taylor was prosecuted at Coleraine Court for breaching Food Hygiene Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2006. Inspectors carrying out a routine check at his farm found a number of structural issues with some parts of his premises, including the bulk tank storage area and milking parlour. The farmer was fined £1,500 for the breaches.
Commenting on the outcome of the case, the FSA in Northern Ireland’s head of food safety, Michael Jackson, said:
“The FSA gives high priority to the safe and hygienic production of food and operates a rigorous enforcement policy to ensure full compliance of regulatory requirements. Despite repeated requests and warnings, Mr Taylor failed to take action and maintain appropriate standards at the milking parlour.”
Mr Jackson also said that the FSA sees failures to comply with food hygiene regulations, including lapses in food hygiene training standards, as a very serious matter indeed. He added that offending businesses which repeatedly fail to comply with improvement notices may even be prosecuted.
