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Dock. My Inspectors caused 30 of these bags to be de-frosted and
made a careful inspection of the contents. They found them to
consist of an outside wrapping of larger pieces of mutton and inside
a large quantity of smaller pieces averaging about ten to the lb.
Evidence of caseous lymphadenitis was found in a certain number of
smaller pieces.
A stop was put on the whole of the consignment in the
Royal Albert Dock and I got into contact with the Medical Officers of
Health of Southwark and Finsbury and obtained their agreement to
take similar action. I sent a number of samples of the diseased
meat direct to the Ministry of Health and said that I proposed to
condemn the consignment as unfit for human consumption and to permit
its release only for industrial purposes. To this action I
obtained the consent of Dr.Lethem, Medical Officer in charge of the
Food Division of the Ministry of Health.
One of your Inspectors, Mr.Clifford, went to Nelsons Cold
Store and there examined portions of the consignment at that store
in company with Dr.Stott, the Medical Officer of Health, and Dr.Stott
agreed to take the same action. Dr.Blythe Brooke of Finsbury
agreed likewise.
It was not long before representatives of the Meat and
Livestock Division of the Ministry of Food got into contact with me
and requested they might be allowed to inspect the material at the
Royal Albert Dock. In due course I went to the Royal Albert Dock
accompanied by Mr.Grace, F.R.C.V.S., and Mr.Penman, representatives
of the Ministry of Food, together with two representatives of Messrs,,
Armours, the exporting firm, and we there inspected a further sample
of the consignment. Both Mr.Grace and Mr.Penman agreed that the
material was diseased but they put up the usual plea that the
definition of 'scrap meat' was always in doubt and that provided a
small piece of meat could be traced to a particular part of the
carcase, then it could not be regarded as 'scrap'; a view which I
have always disputed.
I was very strongly urged, in view of the extremely serious
shortage of fresh meat in this country, to release the material for
manufacturing purposes (pies, mince, sausages, etc.) on the strict
undertaking that the material would only be sent to firms agreed to
by myself, where the strictest supervision could be carried out and
where the rejection of any diseased or doubtful pieces of meat would
be assured.
Seeing that the larger portions of meat were for the most
part free from disease and that the total consignment represented
a considerable tonnage of meat, I finally consented, under much
pressure, to agree to this line of action on the understanding that
the smaller portions of material, which in any case were mostly
unsuitable for human consumption, would be rejected whether they
showed signs of disease or not, and also on the understanding that
the Medical Officer of Health of the area to which the meat was going
would accept t.he meat into a factory in his area for manufacturing
purposes. But I also said that I would report the matter to the
Port of London Health Committee and make certain recommendations to
the Committee.
On the 1st August the "Highland Chieftain" arrived in the
Royal Albert Dock with a consignment of 2,554 bags of boned mutton
and mutton scrap also from Messrs.Armours, La Plata, and the same
action has been taken in respect of this consignment.
Your Medical Officer has long been dissatisfied with the
facilities that are available, under the conditions of unloading in
the docks, for the proper inspection of boneless meat. This meat
is invariably imported in large bags or sacks and to carry out a
satisfactory inspection requires the defrosting of several of these
bags, a process which takes time and means that the consignment,
/of which
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