New Mexico’s Valley Meat Co. is appealing a state fine of $86,400 for improper disposal of composted cattle remains. Valley Meat gained notoriety earlier this year when it applied to USDA for equine inspection services to open a horse slaughter facility for export at its closed beef plant near Roswell, NM.
The New Mexico Environment Department issued a compliance order Aug 2, citing Valley Meat for failure to register as a compositing facility for property located near the slaughterhouse, and for failing to properly dispose of solid waste. Valley Meat received the order and notice about the fine by e-mail on Aug. 14. Company attorney A. Blair Dunn said Valley Meat would file an appeal and request a hearing by state officials. New Mexico’s order came after a 2 year stand off over Valley Meat’s failure to move a 400 ton pile of composted cattle remains because a local landfill could not receive the waste due to state restrictions. As for registering the site, Dunn says the state lost two previous applications and then took the position that the third one was not filed in a timely manner. After President Obama and Congress last year lifted a 5 year ban on horse slaughter inspection, Valley Meats filed an application that is still pending for equine inspection services at the closed facility it had once used for beef. Horse slaughter opponents sought to discredit Valley Meats in its application for equine inspections by using the two-year-old problem with the pile of dead cows at the Roswell plant. An inspector for USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service had first questioned the 15-foot pile of rotting cow flesh in January 2010. Valley may resume beef operations while it waits for action on its request for equine inspection services.
The News Desk team at Food Safety News covers breaking developments, regulatory updates, recalls, and key topics shaping food safety today. These articles are produced collaboratively by our editorial staff.
The majority of countries are finding implementing food safety culture controls difficult, according to a European Commission survey.
The report looked at the state of food safety culture controls in
Ireland’s largest Listeria outbreak and plans to introduce a food hygiene rating system are among the highlights of the Irish food agency’s annual report.
According to the Food
The European Commission has assessed histamine controls in fishery products with training highlighted as one of the major problems.
Histamine toxicity, also known as scombroid poisoning, is associated with consumption
The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has published six pieces of research relating to efforts to reduce Campylobacter in chicken meat.
The papers cover interventions applied at slaughterhouses, in the supply
Mexican authorities have warned about an adulterated brand of tequila as investigations continue into several tainted alcohol deaths.
La Comisión Federal para la Protección contra Riesgos Sanitarios (COFEPRIS) said the
The Food and Drug Administration uses import alerts to enforce U.S. food safety regulations for food from foreign countries. The agency updates and modifies the alerts as needed.
Recent
The Yakima Health District in Washington is investigating 10 confirmed and suspected cases of Salmonella infection among individuals who reported eating food at the Fourth of July event hosted by
Khong Guan Corporation is recalling specific lots of “Glutinous Rice Balls with Black Sesame Filling” because they may contain undeclared peanuts.
People who have an allergy or severe sensitivity to
