David Parry, 52, has been ordered to pay £20,000 after he created false certificates to claim his flock of hens and eggs had been tested for salmonella.
A farmer has been ordered to pay almost £20,000 after he falsified certificates which stated the eggs he was selling had been tested for salmonella when they had not. The fraud came to light after investigators noticed discrepancies with fonts and letter sizes.
David Parry, 52, was selling eggs from his farm in Parc y Deri in Monmouthshire, on the gate and supplied eggs to Raglan Dairy. He did this despite having fallen behind with required testing on hens and eggs for salmonella.
A sentencing hearing at Merthyr Tydfil Crown Court on Monday heard Parry’s business was registered with Animal and Plant Health Agency as an egg supplier. For the latest court reports sign up to our crime newsletter.
In August 2018, the defendant received a delivery of more than 5,000 pullets who required testing under health regulations.
Prosecutor Anthony Vines said for eggs to be sold at class A, for direct human consumption, they needed to be tested for salmonella and if this had not been done, they could be sold at class B at a much decreased value.
In January 2021, an egg marketing inspector contacted Parry to arrange for a routine inspection to take place in two days time.
The defendant said he would not be available but the inspector said he would not be required and he would only need to provide certain documentation, including copies of the last five salmonella testing results.
Screenshots were sent by Parry to the inspector, including what he purported to be copies of salmonella testing results, from December 2019 and January 2021.
When the inspector later examined the documentation and was concerned some of the test certificates were not genuine because the dates were of a different font and size, and looked as if it had been copy and pasted.
Enquiries were made at a laboratory which confirmed the last regular test was from September 2019.
Test certificates for dates December 12, 2019, March 17, 2020, June 22, 2020, October 1, 2020, and January 6, 2021, were suspected to be false.
On February 3, 2021, an egg marketing inspector and a government technical advisor visited the farm and were provided with the same certificates.
When challenged, Parry admitted the certificates were false and there was no negative salmonella testing in place for his flock of hens for a period of a year and five months.
The defendant was interviewed and he said he was a sole trader and had suddenly realised he had not undertaken the required testing and panicked.
He confirmed the certificates were false and said an unnamed friend had created them at his behest.
Mr Vines said Parry had sold £23,345 worth of eggs at class A prices, when if sold at class B would only be worth just over £4,000. In total, the prosecutor said the defendant had oversold the eggs at almost £20,000.
Parry, of Parc y Deri Farm, Tregare, pleaded guilty to two counts of failing to comply /contravene provision in schedule three of Eggs and Chicks (Wales) Regulations 2010, and three counts of using a false instrument with intent it be accepted as genuine. The court heard he was of previous good character.
As part of Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA) proceedings, Mr Vines said the defendant benefited by £60,227 but only had available assets of £16,780.
In mitigation, Alec Owen said his client had been going through divorce proceedings and was in financial difficulty at the time of the offences.
He said the defendant was unable to deal with the administration of the farm in a “coherent and structured manner” and his mental health issues also played a part. Mr Owen said his client no longer owns chickens or sells eggs, and he will no longer be able to operate in the egg industry.
Sentencing, Judge Richard Kember said the defendant had a “good hygiene record” other than the offences, and was previously a “well thought of member of the farming community” but he has not lost his positive character.
Parry was fined £2,590 and was ordered to pay £16,780 as part of the POCA proceedings. He will serve three months imprisonment in default if the funds are not paid.
