MPs called today for David Miliband, DEFRA secretary, to make a public announcement over allegations that Bernard Matthews continued importing meat from Hungary after H5N1 was confirmed at its turkey unit in Suffolk.
The Food Standards Agency (FSA) announced on Saturday (10 February) that it would recall products from supermarket shelves if "illegal" meat [from the Hungarian exclusion zone] had entered the food chain.
Officials from the FSA and the Meat Hygiene Service are currently studying documentation from Bernard Matthews on dates and amounts of poultry imported, the route it followed and whether it complied with EU health requirements.
Since H5N1 was confirmed on the turkey unit on 3 February, Bernard Matthews has maintained in statements to the media that trade operations were separate between its Suffolk and Hungary plants.
But a DEFRA statement on Thursday (8 February) confirmed that the government was “aware of regular consignments from Hungary in compliance with EU intra-community trade legislation.” It says: “Our understanding was that they came from uninfected parts of the country. Test results have revealed that the strain of the virus found in the turkeys may be identical to the strain found in Hungary.”
In an interview with The Guardian, Bart Dalla Mura, Bernard Matthews’ commercial director, admitted that employees at the Holten plant had processed meat from Hungary last week after H5N1 had been confirmed. But he argued that paperwork confirmed that the meat came from outside the exclusion zone in Hungary.
Chris Huhne, Liberal Democrat shadow environment secretary, said: “If true, the revelation that DEFRA allowed continued imports of poultry meat from Hungary after the notification of bird flu at the Bernard Matthews plant in Suffolk is extraordinary and suggestive that one part of the department does not know what other parts are doing.”
Peter Ainsworth, Conservative shadow environment secretary, demanded Mr Miliband make a public statement over this current issue in a letter sent to the minister on Friday (9 February).