COPS have issued an urgent warning over “suspicious” meat after experts warned it could cause “serious health issues”.
Three medicated sheep were burgled from the village of Chaddesley Corbett, Worcestershire, over the Bank Holiday weekend, say West Mercia Police.
Shoppers are urged to stick to reputably sourced meat, as the sheep in question are unfit for human consumption due to the medication they were on.
Although the incident took place in Worcestershire, police also extended the warning to residents across Herefordshire and Shropshire.
PCSO Kate Easthope said: “We’re concerned that if the meat from these sheep has entered the food chain it could cause serious health issues for those who consume it.
“As always, for your safety we would only advise buying and consuming meat from reputable sources.
“As well as being unsafe for consumers, illegal butchery is a serious offence which can cause unnecessary suffering to the animal. Rural crimes like this also have serious emotional and financial impact on our farming communities.
“We’ve launched an investigation into this incident and I would ask, as always, that people contact us if they think someone is selling illegal meat.”
The news comes after a similar incident earlier this year, in which two Reading businesses were found in possession of 400kg of illegal meat products.
The meat, which included sheep heads, cutlets, leg joints and offal – some of which was more than a year old – was found to be in breach of food hygiene standards.
Two weeks ago, the National Sheep Association (NSA) also warned of an “alarming rise” in illegal sheep meat imports – with sheep being transported from abroad without adequate checks.
NSA chief executive Phil Stocker said this could introduce new diseases to the UK food system, and urged the Labour government to roll out “swift and effective measures.”
Anyone with information about the theft of the sheep, or who may have been offered meat for sale in the last few days which may be suspicious, is asked to contact PSCO Kate Easthope on 07773046202 or kate.easthope@westmercia.police.uk quoting incident number 453i of 25 August.
