March 12, 2010

 
Jail sentence and large fine for UK egg fraudster

The UK businessman at the centre of a free-range egg fraud has been sentenced to three years in jail and a fine of GBP3.25 million (US$4.9 million).

Keith Owen, of Heart of England Eggs, based in Bromsgrove, Worcestershire, had pleaded guilty to three counts of false accounting.

The case was brought by the UK farm ministry, Defra, and dated from arrests made in October 2006. It alleged that millions of eggs laid by caged birds were passed off as free-range or organic.

Following the allegations, the British Lion scheme moved to strengthen its code of practice to ensure that traceability was stronger. This included on-farm stamping and a new database to track eggs throughout the system.

"Consumers can be reassured that with new procedures in place, the eggs they are buying are genuine," said Charles Bourns, National Farmers Union (NFU) poultry board chairman. "I am sure that egg producers will help report any wrongdoing, and above all protect the integrity of the British egg industry."