WOW! UNBELIEVABLE, 200,000 + SIGNATURES. THANKS SO MUCH TO ALL OF YOU.

When my wife and I started the petition we never dreamed we would reach 200,000 signatures.
 
Although the petition is about meat, the principles of independent food inspection should be a concern to everyone, as all of us require food.
 
Food poisoning was defined in 1992, by the Department of Health’s Advisory Committee on the Microbiological Safety of Food, as "Any disease of an infectious or toxic nature caused by or thought to be caused by the consumption of food or water ".
 
Foodborne illness was estimated to cost the UK £1.9 billion in 2011- 2012 according to the Food Standards Agency's  Chief Scientist’s report. (Since then we haven’t seen any figures in relation to foodborne illness from them). The above does not include the costs of obesity related ill health problems.
 
Many outbreaks of E.coli O157 in the UK and around the world, (which mainly comes from the faeces of cattle, sheep and goats) have been caused by contaminated food including vegetables, fruit, meat, unpasteurised milk and unpasteurised cheeses.
 
In terms of the environment the bacterium has caused outbreaks from recreational farm land, open farms and untreated water supplies.
 
The FSA are now planning to reduce food inspections further through their “Regulating our Future” programme, whilst allowing the food industry to mark their own work. 
 
Despite this, the FSA and Defra (Department of the Environment Food & Rural Affairs) who are responsible for food and the environment, have failed to deal with with these problems effectively.
 
This has caused medical professionals in the UK to start a drugs trail for sufferers of E.coli O157 who develop Haemolytic Uraemic Syndrome (Kidney Failure). This type of kidney failure amongst children, is the highest in Europe and North America.  
 
It is obscene that we now have had to put cure before prevention. The trial is known as ECUSTEC and use a drug called Eculizumab. (The drug is sometimes referred to as Solaris).