Meat shipment seized over false certificates

A CONTAINER of slaughtered lambs that arrived on the island from Greece was yesterday confiscated by the Veterinary Services after it emerged a big scam was hiding behind it.

According to the head of the Services, Charalambos Kakoyiannis, the container was accompanied by tampered documents, issued for the exportation of 80 lambs and then altered to 780 lambs.

Three lambs had already been sold to consumers by a Larnaca supermarket before the load was withdrawn.

“The destination was a chain of supermarkets,” Kakoyiannis said yesterday. “Then, through documents we were sent from Larnaca to our central offices, we thought it proper to check the origin of this container and the accuracy of the documents.”

After contacting the relevant authorities in Serres, Greece, it emerged that the specific slaughterhouse had been checked and a supervision certificate issued for 80 lambs.

“It appears that the number seven was added in front of the number and it turned into 780; the same amount of slaughtered lambs that arrived in Cyprus,” Kakoyiannis explained.

“This immediately put our service on alert and we managed to confiscate all the meat and return it to Larnaca, where the importer of the container was called to arrive. When he was told what happened, he completely co-operated with us and all the slaughtered lambs were collected, except three.”

Pressed to name the supermarket, Kakoyiannis refused, despite the fact that the meat could very well be unsuitable for consumption.

“It isn’t poisonous meat. We believe there is no reason to announce the name,” Kakoyiannis claimed.

“Our estimation is that the whole scam took place in Greece, because the certificate was issued there and sent from Greece. The slaughtered lambs will be sent back.”

Meanwhile, the container’s importer will be reported for not notifying the services 24 hours before the container arrived, as provided by law, but only 18 hours.

Agriculture Minister Michalis Polynikis said procedures had already begun to send the meat back to Greece, stressing that the government would never allow meat of dubious quality to enter the market.