We’re back in business
Artisan cheesemaker that council tried to shut down wins payout of £250,000 and re-hires staff it laid off
‘Confiscation of our product was wrong’
A cheesemaker welcomed back axed staff yesterday after winning more than £250,000 in a compensation battle over the safety of its products.
Errington Cheese took South Lanarkshire Council to court after officers declared part of its stock unsafe to eat following an outbreak of E.coli in 2016, which resulted in the death of a child.
The company had thousands of pounds worth of cheeses confiscated and had to lay off staff as profits plummeted.
But Sheriff robert Weir ruled that it did not breach safety standards and lifted an order that had stopped the company’s Lanark Blue and Corra Linn cheeses being sold.
The firm, based near Carnwath, Lanarkshire, has now received £254,000 from the council as compensation for cheese that was seized two years ago.
The payment to Errington, which faced going out of business during the dispute, has enabled it to rehire two former members of staff who had been laid off earlier in the year.
Head cheesemaker Angela Cairns, who is part of the family which owns and runs the business, and cheesemaker Paul mcAllister have returned to work as the firm hopes to increase production and sales.
It also hopes eventually to reemploy the full staff – another ten.
Selina Cairns, 39, daughter of the firm’s founder Humphrey Errington, welcomed the payout.
She said: ‘Although the payment from South Lanarkshire does not cover the decline in our sales, or the legal fees we have incurred in order to be cleared of any wrongdoing, it is a testament to our determination to clear the business’s name, and represents an acknowledgement that the council’s confiscation of our product was wrong.
‘The re-employment of Angela and Paul is a great achievement. It will no doubt help us on our journey to increase our production and sales.’
Angela Cairns said: ‘It has been a long road over the last two years, but we remain determined and focused on rebuilding.’
Errington Cheese scooped three medals at the World Cheese Awards last month. Two batches of Corra Linn, a ewes’ milk cheese made with unpasteurised milk, won gold.
The batches entered were made in 2016 and released after the firm won its fight to have its cheese declared safe to eat.
The company’s Dunsyre Blue won silver at the awards ceremony in Bergen, Norway.
The civil hearing at Hamilton Sheriff Court cost Errington £350,000 and the taxpayer £500,000 in legal fees.
The firm had earlier estimated the figure owed to it was £380,000.
Errington had been linked to an outbreak of E.coli 0157 in which a three-year-old girl from Dunbartonshire died two years ago.
A range of Errington products are made from unpasteurised milk, and environmental officers seized batches of Lanark Blue and Corra Linn after the E.coli outbreak.
The Crown Office said there would be no criminal proceedings because of a lack of evidence linking Errington to the girl’s death. Earlier this year a fatal accident inquiry into the death was ruled out.
South Lanarkshire Council said: ‘We can confirm that compensation has been agreed.’