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On this page . . . Our current news Information for NEWS and FEATURES journalists - although it can make pretty interesting reading for academics, the curious and any other interested parties. Information for FOOD journalists. Historical scoops - we have released some pretty interesting stories to the Press since 1986. A few juicy ones are listed here. Current News We keep a whole collection of interesting statistics and information at our headquarters in Warminster. We only put general stories here so as not to waste juicy bits of information. If you are working or want to research a piece about the meat or poultry industry, do not hesitate to give us a call. We have assisted many people in the past. BERNARD MATTHEWS TO BECOME UK's BIGGEST ORGANIC TURKEY PRODUCER. Yes, the architect of modern intensive turkey production and mastermind behind such gastronomic milestones as the 'Turkey Twizzler' has bought ailing organic turkey producer, Cherryridge. See below for more. SOIL ASSOCIATION POLICY DIRECTOR ADMITS TO BEAK TRIMMING AND LETTING PUBLIC DOWN OVER "DEROGATIONS." See below for more. SENIOR TRADING STANDARDS OFFICER GIVES UP ON ORGANIC FRAUD. Unlike Real Meat Company produce, the "organic" movement has no sound testing mechanism nor sanctions to deal with substitution of ordinary meat. It relies on Trading Standards departments who are well aware of the problem but, in the absence of any sound test, such as Real Meat's genetic fingerprinting system, are powerless. Contact us for more details. Bernard Matthews buys struggling organic turkey giant. BOOTIFUL Bernard Matthews is the biggest turkey producer in Europe. A pioneer of cheap turkey and turkey products from intensive production methods, welfarists and food enthusiasts criticise the man, his methods and his products. In September 2006, Hillside, an animal welfare group, filmed Bernard Matthews employees playing baseball with live turkeys and called for prosecutions. The 'Turkey Twizzler' was slated by Jamie Oliver as a school dinner offering. Twizzlers consist of Turkey (34%), Water, Pork fat, Rusk, Coating (sugar, rusk, tomato powder, wheat starch, dextrose, salt, wheat flour, potassium chloride, hydrogenated vegetable oil, citric acid, spices, onion powder, malt extract, smoke flavourings, garlic powder, colour <Actinic:Variable Name = 'E160c'/>, mustard flour, permitted sweetener <Actinic:Variable Name = 'E951'/>, herb, spice extracts, herb extracts), Vegetable oil, Turkey skin, Salt, Wheat flour, Dextrose, Stabiliser (E450), Mustard, Yeast extract, Antioxidants (E304, 307, E330, E300), Herb extract, Spice extract, Colour (E162). Yummy! CHERRYRIDGE What version of organic and how good the standards were at Cherryridge, we may never know. A major supplier to Tesco and the other big supermarkets, Cherryridge was the subject of a damning video obtained and distributed by Hillside in 2000. The video showed birds in appalling conditions. MR NICE GUY The entry of the Bernard Matthews group into the organic market is a manouevre that points out one of the many great flaws in the organic system. It is not just the 'good' that are involved. There is nothing to stop the 'bad' and the 'ugly' joining in, if they feel like it. Are organic consumers really going to be happy to buy their organic birds from this organisation? Don't worry, hidden behind a soothing supermarket own-label, they will never know! Soil Association admits to beak trimming. AT LAST After twenty years of Real Meat having to struggle to peruade journalists and potential customers alike that our standards of welfare are superior to those of the organic movement, a firm and frank debate on Radio 4's "You and Yours" brought some key issues out into the open. DEBEAKING Debeaking or beak trimming is a practice that has been banned by the Real Meat Company since day one. The practice is used almost universally by turkey and laying hen farmers to combat irrational pecking, a side effect of unnatural rearing methods. Time and time again we have come across organic hens and turkeys on locations or in newspaper articles that have clearly been debeaked. On the programme, Peter Melchett, Policy Director of the Soil Association, admitted that it was possible for organic birds to have suffered this process. DEROGATION The use of "Derogations" is another practice pretty much unknown to the consuming public. Whereas the Real Meat Company never, ever allows deviations from its Codes, if a farmer is struggling to achieve one or more of the organic rules, they can apply for a Derogation. This means that they can ignore part or all of a particular regulation. The trouble is that the general public, researching journalists and academics only ever see the published rules. They do not get told about the derogations. Just put 'organic' and 'derogation' into Google and you will see pages of examples. Melchett admitted that this was misleadsing. Damn right it is! Past Scoops FOOD & DRINK PROGRAMME - Picked up our 1987 press release revealing that British calves were being shipped to Holland to be reared in veal crates which would be illegal in the UK and then the veal was shipped back to be sold in prestigious stores and supermarkets. We accompanied the researcher across the UK following calves, across the North Sea to a Dutch veal farm, to the wholesaler who revealed his client list. The project was wrapped up in less than 36 hours. - THE TIMES picked up our 1989 press release revealing that Tesco's 'Dudley Moore' free range chickens were on a serious routine medication regime despite their promotional material clearly stating that their diet was "totally natural". THIS WEEK, the rather good documentary series on Thames Television, picked up a snippet we gave them whilst they were doing a feature on us. In the year that Sainsburys won the Green Supermarket of the Year contest, we were able to reveal that they actually owned a number of very intensive and, in modern terms, not at all nice intensive pig farms. This Week's researchers could not locate the farms but we did and filming took place followed by an excruciating interview with a Sainsburys spokesperson. - - FULL ON FOOD wanted, presenter and journalist, Richard Johnson to be able to choose a beef animal from the field, accompany it through the abattoir (filmed) and then address the possibility of eating meat from the same beast. We arranged all the shots, health and safety and most critically persuaded the workforce at the abattoir we use to allow filming. Although Richard Johnson did not eat the beef that day, Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall turned it into an excellent stew and shared it with the studio audience.