An award-winning beef farmer has been fined £8,000 after he failed to tell officials that 94 of his cattle had died.
Gordon Kemp also faced criminal charges relating to his record keeping and animal identification process after he was outed during an investigation by inspectors at his Aberdeenshire farm earlier this year.
The 37-year-old admitted a string of “food fraud” failings, including not timelessly and accurately recording the deaths of cattle at the family business at Waterside, Bridge of Alford.
It is understood the 94 beasts died over a 10-year period.
He also admitted using an ear tag on one of his beasts that had already been used by another, and using an identification document for an animal other than the cow it had been issued for.
Kemp – a well-respected farmer in the north-east – was crowned the winner of the McIntosh Donald/Tesco Best Scotch Steak competition at the Royal Highland show in July.
But yesterday as he was sentenced for his failings, Aberdeen Sheriff Court heard his business has suffered since the charges came to light.
His solicitor revealed that his membership with Quality Meat Scotland – the industry regulator – had been withdrawn.
As a result, he stands to lose around £24,000 a year from the top-quality cattle he sells.
Sheriff Alison Stirling heard the father-of-two had struggled to keep on top of his administration and paperwork as he managed the business on his own, working 80 hours a week.
She was told the failings had been genuine “mix-ups” and that he in no way tried to break the law.
Sheriff Stirling said it was a matter of “serious concern”. The charges date back to January and February this year.
She fined him £8,000, which must be paid in three months.
Last night, Aberdeenshire Council’s animal health and welfare service – which carried out the inspection at Kemp’s farm – welcomed the hefty fine.
Team manager John Bell said the rules were there to ensure the meat the public eat is safe.
“The farming and red meat industry forms a large proportion of the local and national economy and legislative compliance is vital to that,” he said.
“The council’s animal health and welfare inspectors work hard to enforce the laws concerning cattle identification and record keeping to ensure full traceability of meat products and protect the integrity of the food supply chain.
“Cattle identification is also essential to control the spread of animal disease.
“Hopefully this will send a message to those who may be tempted to defraud the system that food fraud will not be tolerated.”