Five company officials are facing charges in connection with spoiled consignments involving Bahrain's main meat and livestock importer.

The Bahrain Livestock Company (BLC) employees appeared at the Public Prosecution yesterday where they were quizzed on how three shipments of contaminated chilled meat were allowed into the country in the space of a week, said  a report in the Gulf Daily News (GDN), our sister publication.

It follows an announcement on Tuesday that the company had been banned from importing any chilled meat due to public health fears.

The five employees, including two managers, now stand accused of failing to abide by quarantine rules.

“Two managers and three others from the Bahrain Livestock company were summoned by the Public Prosecution where they faced five charges in connection with allowing contaminated meat to enter the country,” Attorney General Dr Ali Al Buainain told a Press conference yesterday at the Public Prosecution, in Manama.

“Contaminated meat entered the country on January 14, 18 and 20 and the Public Prosecution carried out investigations into the matter.

“We were the first to find out about it and informed other concerned bodies in the country.

“Our main priority is citizens' health and the people responsible for contaminated meat entering the country will be punished according to the law, if found guilty by the criminal courts.

“Any imported shipment that can affect people in Bahrain in a negative way is a main concern.

“This is a serious matter and a case involving public opinion.

“Five people are being charged in connection with the case and investigations are currently ongoing.

“They appeared at the Public Prosecution and were questioned before being referred to the criminal courts to enter their plea.”

They were released on bail pending investigations.

The Directorate of Agriculture and Marine Resources announced on Tuesday that the Bahrain Livestock Company had been banned from importing chilled meat. It said that unfit meat was confiscated after being imported into the country.

According to company officials the consignment of lamb and mutton had cleared an initial check by government inspectors and was only found to have gone off when the company's own food quality monitors scrutinised it.

Chairman Ebrahim Zainal told the GDN that with thousands of tonnes of perishable food coming in to Bahrain every week, it was impossible for all of them to be '100 per cent safe'.

On Sunday, it emerged that a consignment of 15 sheep carcasses had been stopped at Bahrain International Airport by health inspectors who deemed it unfit for human consumption.

MP Ali Al Muqla claimed it was the fifth shipment unfit within 10 days and announced plans to launch a parliamentary probe.

On January 13, the GDN reported that five tonnes of spoiled meat bound for Bahrain's markets almost made it into the country.

Approximately 90 carcasses imported by the BLC were were found unfit for human consumption by health and veterinary authorities. - TradeArabia News Service