Compliance Radar

Who was sanctioned, and for what?

Fines, court rulings and incidents from Europe and North America: 756 cases from 32 jurisdictions, each with an official source and checked against that source before publication. Filter by country, area of law and sector. Click a chart to drill down one level.

8cases from 1 jurisdiction
€1.8mTotal of monetary amounts (7 cases with an amount)
€804,320Largest single case: McCain Foods (G.B.) Limited
€61,335Median per case with an amount

Click a bar to drill down one level.

Where?

by authority
  1. Lincoln Magistrates' Court (Anklage: Health and Safety Executive) €804,320 45 % · 1 case
  2. Birmingham Magistrates' Court (Anklage: Health and Safety Executive) €691,518 38 % · 1 case
  3. Health and Safety Executive (Milton Keynes Magistrates' Court) €141,014 8 % · 1 case
  4. Health and Safety Executive (Aberdeen Sheriff Court) €61,335 3 % · 1 case
  5. Airdrie Sheriff Court (Ermittlungen: SEPA, Anklage: Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service) €58,610 3 % · 1 case
  6. Employment Tribunal €23,018 1 % · 1 case
  7. Taunton Magistrates' Court (Anklage: Environment Agency) €18,635 1 % · 1 case
  8. Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) — 0 % · 1 case

What for?

by area of law

All areas of law

  1. Health and safety and employment law €1.7m 94 % · 4 cases
  2. Environment and sustainability €77,245 4 % · 2 cases
  3. Whistleblower protection €23,018 1 % · 1 case
  4. Competition law — 0 % · 1 case

Who?

by company
  1. McCain Foods (G.B.) Limited €804,320 45 % · 1 case
  2. Samworth Brothers Limited €691,518 38 % · 1 case
  3. Puratos Limited €141,014 8 % · 1 case
  4. Duncan Farms Limited €61,335 3 % · 1 case
  5. Devro (Scotland) Limited €58,610 3 % · 1 case
  6. Gate Gourmet €23,018 1 % · 1 case
  7. Manor Farm Dairy Ltd €18,635 1 % · 1 case
  8. Greencore Group plc — 0 % · 1 case

When?

per quarter, by date of decision
Trend
PeriodCasesTotal
Q3 20230—
Q4 20231€804,320
Q1 20240—
Q2 20240—
Q3 20240—
Q4 20240—
Q1 20250—
Q2 20250—
Q3 20250—
Q4 20254€100,263
Q1 20260—
Q2 20261€61,335
Q3 20262€832,532

8 cases

4 Sep 2026 Samworth Brothers LimitedSamworth Brothers: £594,000 after two workers scalded at steam line United KingdomWorkplace safety and accidents €691,518

At the Kettleby Foods plant in Melton Mowbray, an employee and a contractor were scalded with hot water while replacing a leaking gasket on an isolation valve of a steam line (burns to 4–5 % and 9 % of their body surface respectively). The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that the task had neither been assessed nor documented as a safe system of work, isolation and lock-off procedures had not been applied, fall protection was missing and supervision was inadequate. Following a guilty plea, a fine of £594,000, plus £6,000 compensation for the injured employee, costs and a victim surcharge.

What organisations can take from it

Maintenance on steam and pressure lines requires a written isolation and lock-off procedure that is supervised on site.

Relevance to training and awareness

Isolating and locking off equipment during maintenance (lockout/tagout)

Authority / court
Birmingham Magistrates' Court (Anklage: Health and Safety Executive)
Area of law
Health and safety and employment law · Workplace safety and accidents
Legal basis
Section 2 Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974
Action
Fine
Status of proceedings
final
Sector
Food and agriculture
Published
16 Sep 2026

Original amount 594,000 GBP, converted at the ECB reference rate of 4 Sep 2026.

Checked against the official source on 25 Sep 2026 · Direct link

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17 Jul 2026 Puratos LimitedPuratos: 120,000 GBP for flour dust above exposure limits and heavy sack handling United KingdomWorkplace safety and accidents €141,014

During an inspection in December 2024, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found dust escaping from machinery, blowing down with compressed air and dry sweeping at the bakery ingredients factory; measurements confirmed that workplace exposure limits had been exceeded, with a risk of asthma. In addition, employees lifted 25 kg sacks by hand every day. The site had already been cited in 2021 for the same deficiencies; fine of 120,000 GBP plus 6,270 GBP in costs.

What organisations can take from it

Companies that do not permanently remedy deficiencies after a citation pay significantly more the next time – flour dust is a recognised cause of asthma.

Relevance to training and awareness

Dust exposure and lifting heavy loads

Authority / court
Health and Safety Executive (Milton Keynes Magistrates' Court)
Area of law
Health and safety and employment law · Workplace safety and accidents
Legal basis
Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, s. 2(1)
Action
Fine
Status of proceedings
final
Sector
Food and agriculture
Repeat case
yes
Published
20 Jul 2026

Original amount 120,000 GBP, converted at the ECB reference rate of 17 Jul 2026.

Checked against the official source on 25 Sep 2026 · Direct link

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7 May 2026 Duncan Farms LimitedDuncan Farms: 53,000 GBP because a worker was caught in an unguarded conveyor United KingdomWorkplace safety and accidents €61,335

In October 2024, an employee of the egg producer climbed between two running manure conveyors to check a noise and was caught at the in-running nip; he suffered nerve damage to both arms. The drive had no fixed or interlocked guards – instruction and clothing rules alone were not sufficient. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) prosecution resulted in a fine of 53,000 GBP.

What organisations can take from it

Instruction is no substitute for technical safeguards: in-running nips must be protected by fixed or interlocked guards.

Relevance to training and awareness

Stopping machinery before intervening

Authority / court
Health and Safety Executive (Aberdeen Sheriff Court)
Area of law
Health and safety and employment law · Workplace safety and accidents
Legal basis
Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998, reg. 11(1) und (2); Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, s. 33(1)(c)
Action
Fine
Status of proceedings
final
Sector
Food and agriculture
Published
13 May 2026

Original amount 53,000 GBP, converted at the ECB reference rate of 7 May 2026.

Checked against the official source on 25 Sep 2026 · Direct link

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17 Dec 2025 Greencore Group plcGreencore/Bakkavor: takeover only with sale of sauce plant in Bristol United KingdomMerger control Order

In the planned acquisition of the food manufacturer Bakkavor, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) found a substantial lessening of competition in chilled own-label sauces for UK supermarkets. It cleared the merger only because Greencore undertook to sell its entire chilled soups and sauces plant in Bristol, including its employees, to a pre-determined purchaser.

What organisations can take from it

Even overlaps in small product segments can hold up an entire acquisition – prepare remedies early.

Authority / court
Competition and Markets Authority (CMA)
Area of law
Competition law · Merger control
Legal basis
Enterprise Act 2002, s. 73(2) (Undertakings in lieu of reference)
Action
Order
Status of proceedings
final
Sector
Food and agriculture
Published
18 Dec 2025

Checked against the official source on 25 Sep 2026 · Direct link

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11 Nov 2025 Devro (Scotland) LimitedDevro (Scotland): 48,000 GBP fine for discharging industrial wastewater into burn United KingdomEmissions and permits €58,610

In July 2021, a blockage in the foul sewer at the Moodiesburn plant (collagen casings for sausages) caused untreated industrial wastewater to back up into the surface water system, polluting the Bothlin Burn with ammonia and organic load. The company pleaded guilty on 11 November 2025; on 24 March 2026, the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) reported a fine of 48,000 GBP plus a 3,600 GBP victim surcharge.

What organisations can take from it

On-site drainage needs monitoring and maintenance so that faults in the foul sewer do not reach watercourses via surface water pipes.

Authority / court
Airdrie Sheriff Court (Ermittlungen: SEPA, Anklage: Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service)
Area of law
Environment and sustainability · Emissions and permits
Legal basis
Regulations 4 und 44(1)(a) Water Environment (Controlled Activities) (Scotland) Regulations 2011; Section 20(3)(a) Water Environment and Water Services (Scotland) Act 2003
Action
Fine
Status of proceedings
unknown
Sector
Food and agriculture
Published
24 Mar 2026

Original amount 51,600 GBP, converted at the ECB reference rate of 11 Nov 2025.

Checked against the official source on 25 Sep 2026 · Direct link

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22 Oct 2025 Gate GourmetTribunal: Gate Gourmet files no response – £20,000 to whistleblower United KingdomRetaliation against whistleblowers €23,018

Because Gate Gourmet failed to file a response to the claim despite repeated requests, the Manchester Employment Tribunal found that there had been detriment on grounds of a protected disclosure and in January 2026 awarded £15,000 for loss of earnings and £5,000 for injury to feelings. An application for reconsideration, based on an email inbox that was no longer monitored, was refused.

What organisations can take from it

Correspondence from authorities and courts must go to monitored addresses – missed deadlines turn a defensible claim into a default judgment.

Relevance to training and awareness

Managing deadlines and incoming mail in litigation

Authority / court
Employment Tribunal
Area of law
Whistleblower protection · Retaliation against whistleblowers
Legal basis
Employment Rights Act 1996, s. 47B (Benachteiligung wegen geschützter Offenlegung); Employment Tribunal Procedure Rules 2024, Rule 22
Action
Other
Status of proceedings
unknown
Sector
Food and agriculture
Published
7 Jan 2026

Original amount 20,000 GBP, converted at the ECB reference rate of 22 Oct 2025.

Checked against the official source on 25 Sep 2026 · Direct link

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8 Oct 2025 Manor Farm Dairy LtdManor Farm Dairy: fine after slurry overflow into stream near Dorchester United KingdomEmissions and permits €18,635

In March 2024, cattle slurry ran from the dairy farm's lagoons into a stream, seriously damaging it over more than 2 km, with effects up to 4.5 km downstream. The court imposed a fine of 6,000 GBP (reduced from 9,000 GBP because of an early guilty plea) and 10,158.50 GBP in costs; the Environment Agency described the incident as avoidable.

What organisations can take from it

Farms must maintain sufficient slurry storage capacity and monitor lagoons.

Authority / court
Taunton Magistrates' Court (Anklage: Environment Agency)
Area of law
Environment and sustainability · Emissions and permits
Legal basis
Regulations 12(1)(b) und 38(1)(a) Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) Regulations 2016
Action
Fine
Status of proceedings
unknown
Sector
Food and agriculture
Culpability
negligent
Mitigating circumstances
Early guilty plea (fine reduced from 9,000 to 6,000 GBP).
Published
13 Oct 2025

Original amount 16,158.5 GBP, converted at the ECB reference rate of 8 Oct 2025.

Checked against the official source on 25 Sep 2026 · Direct link

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22 Nov 2023 McCain Foods (G.B.) LimitedMcCain Foods: £700,000 after finger amputation while cleaning a machine United KingdomWorkplace safety and accidents €804,320

An employee lost two fingers when his hand was drawn into a rotary valve while he was removing a piece of string from a chute on a breading line. The HSE criticised missing guarding, an inadequate risk assessment and inadequate training. Fine of £700,000 plus costs.

What organisations can take from it

Cleaning and fault clearance are high-risk activities – guarding and training must cover precisely these situations.

Relevance to training and awareness

Safe cleaning of machinery only when stopped

Missing or inadequate training played a role in the decision.

Authority / court
Lincoln Magistrates' Court (Anklage: Health and Safety Executive)
Area of law
Health and safety and employment law · Workplace safety and accidents
Legal basis
Section 2(1) Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974; Regulation 11(1) Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998
Action
Fine
Status of proceedings
final
Sector
Food and agriculture
Published
22 Nov 2023

Original amount 700,000 GBP, converted at the ECB reference rate of 22 Nov 2023.

Sources

Checked against the official source on 25 Sep 2026 · Direct link

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