By Aidan Fortune – Meat Trades Journal
The former Boosbeck abattoir Banaras Halal Meats in Birmingham has been taken over by a Middle East
consortium led by producer and former government halal advisor Mohammed Saleem.
The abattoir attracted negative publicity earlier this year following complaints from the public over bad smells. An environment health officer was appointed to monitor the abattoir. It was charged by the Food Standards Agency with five counts of holding meat intended for human consumption that posed a health risk.
Saleem, through the newly formed company Halal First Limited, hopes the new management will be good for the halal meat industry and wants to open up trade negotiations with the Middle East which he sees as an export opportunity.
He told Meat Trades Journal: “This will be a godsend for the UK meat industry. It would be a perfect export route for the country and there’s a lot of money to be made for the industry. It’s shocking that it cannot happen at the moment and I’m hoping that the export legislation will soon be changed.”
He added that the consortium he was working with was willing to invest up to £20 million in the site.
