Man bailed in cattle food fraud probe

A man has been arrested and bailed as part of a joint investigation by police and the Food Standards Agency (FSA) into suspected fraud linked to cattle.

Officials have stressed there is no current food safety risk linked to the probe, which remains live following a joint operation with two police forces.

The FSA’s National Food Crime Unit (NFCU) worked with officers from both South Yorkshire and West Yorkshire on the operation, which took place last Wednesday 6 November.

Statement

In a statement released yesterday (13 November), NFCU deputy head Neil Castle said they were investigating “potentially fraudulent activity in relation to emergency slaughter of cattle on farms”.

He continued: “West Yorkshire police arrested one male who was later interviewed by our investigators and released under investigation.

“Working with South Yorkshire Police, we also executed a search warrant at a business in South Yorkshire, where a number of items were seized. The investigation is ongoing.”

Suspected fraud

The statement said the suspected fraud involved the creation of “potentially fraudulent documents that enable movement of cattle, and the likely adverse impact on the food chain”.

It concluded: “There is no food safety risk at this time and this remains a live investigation.”