Higher priced home-produced poultry and more imports from sources with dubious food safety standards could be the consequences if a regulatory blitz is provoked by the latest meat scandal, industry sources have warned. The Food Standards Agency has acknowledged there may be a widespread problem of poultry laundering' scams involving the illegal sale of condemned unfit chicken and turkey back into the human food chain, and said this week changes in the law and official inspection procedures may be required. However, major poultry companies claim the implicit criticism of their technical standards and trading practices is unfair and a misinterpretation of the marketing and distribution systems. "The abuses exposed so far and others under investigation have not been by the processing plant operators and not with the connivance of these companies," said Peter Bradnock of the British Poultry Meat Federation. Bradnock said there was was rigorous enforcement of hygiene and safety standards in the major plants. Unfit poultry being absorbed back into the food chain illegally might reflect inadequate controls by contractors responsible for collection and disposal of material from slaughterhouses, but it was unfair to blame the processors. The FSA has proposed the compulsory staining of the material. "But this could cause expensive difficulties for us," said Bradnock. "We have to ensure our industry does not incur a cost due to lack of enforcement in a different sector." He also called on retailers, and suppliers to ensure they purchased poultry only from legitimate suppliers. If a user is offered meat at an irresistibly low price, "he must know he is getting something of dubious provenance". {{NEWS }}