The Smoky Trade: A Hidden Epidemic in the UK

Smokies are traditional food of some West African countries, but here in the UK, it's illegal to produce them and sell them. The term smoky refers to the way the meat is prepared. An old sheep is shorn, hung up, and blowtorched with its skin and innards intact. When sold to consumers, they will recook the product so that a smoked flavor can be part of the food they'd like to eat.

The authorities are concerned that E coli, salmonella, and other bacteria could be transferred through the way this meat is produced. However, those who want to make it believe in the health risks. A 1986 ban on smokies created an underground black market that supplies the demand by trucking in an estimated 200,000 smokies from the UK countryside to London Market each year. Goat meat would be used to make a smokie, but here in the UK, it's easier to come by sheep, so mutton is preferred.

Mutton is stronger than lamb and cheaper to produce, making it perfect for smokie production. The flavor is stronger, which some argue makes the product more desirable. However, the Welsh farming industry is tough place to make a living, and many farmers are calling for the trade to be legalized so they can supply the demand. One such farmer, and convicted smokie producer, Carmello Gale agrees to show us what a smokie producer would be looking for when selecting a sheep for slaughter.

Carmello takes me to a local livestock market to meet some more farmers and see the kind of sheep that smokie producers prefer to use. Farmers only keep a few rams to cover their flock, so excess males and older female ewes are no longer used for breeding but instead sold for their meat. We're now in the market where all the rams and the ewes are being sold to go into the meat trade. The atmosphere is quite exciting here. We've got the auctioneer, who's looking out for any sign of life - a little flick of the finger. This kind of tip of the hat and the price just goes up and up.

The flavor of mutton is stronger than lamb, making it perfect for smokie production. The meat is cheaper to produce, which makes it more attractive to consumers who want to try traditional ethnic foods. Since the influx of people from India and Africa, there has been a growing interest in buying mutton for cooking. However, many farmers are calling for the trade to be legalized so they can supply the demand.

Margaret is a long way from cultural London, but there is an unexpected middle ground between Welsh farmers and those who want to eat smokies. She's been farming for 38 years and has seen her fair share of ups and downs. When I asked her about bringing in meat from abroad, she mentioned health reasons - both for the farming fraternity, if you like, to the animals, or to humans themselves. Disease could be spread as quick as wildfire when meat is produced under unhygienic conditions.

Margaret takes me to a local livestock market where all the rams and the ewes are being sold to go into the meat trade. The atmosphere is quite exciting here, with an auctioneer looking out for any sign of life - a little flick of the finger. This kind of tip of the hat and the price just goes up and up. We're now in the market where all the rams and the ewes are being sold to go into the meat trade.

The Welsh farming industry is tough place to make a living, and many farmers are calling for the trade to be legalized so they can supply the demand. Carmello Gale, a convicted smokie producer, agrees to show us what a smokie producer would be looking for when selecting a sheep for slaughter. He shows me a ram with lost teeth, which is considered unsuitable for human consumption.

However, some farmers and producers argue that if there were a trade where these older ewes could go legally for the smokie production, it would solve many problems. The problem is not with consuming meat from abroad, but rather with the health risks involved in importing it. If we could supply our own ethnic market with the traditional meats they're used to eating, why don't we supply it for them instead of them doing it illegally in this country or importing it in suitcases?

The biggest thing to consider when bringing in meat from abroad is health reasons - both for the farming fraternity, if you like, to the animals themselves, or to humans themselves. Disease could be spread as quick as wildfire when meat is produced under unhygienic conditions. However, some farmers argue that they're already producing their meat under strict regulations and that there's no need to import it from abroad.

The problem lies in finding a solution that satisfies both the farmers who produce the meat and the consumers who want to eat traditional ethnic foods. If we could find a way to make the smokie trade legal, many problems would be solved. The Welsh farming industry is tough place to make a living, but with legalization, they can supply the demand and make a profit from their products.

Margaret's husband passed away six months ago after battling cancer for nearly 40 years. She lost her husband at nearly 38 years old, which left her two small boys behind - one was ten, and the other was 13. They couldn't give up what he'd achieved, so they all stuck together and are still here, and intend to be for a long time.

However, there is an unexpected middle ground between Welsh farmers and those who want to eat smokies. If we had a trade where these older ewes could go legally for the smokie production, it would solve many problems. The problem isn't with consuming meat from abroad, but rather with the health risks involved in importing it. Why don't we supply our own ethnic market with the traditional meats they're used to eating?

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enSmokiesare illegal not forhuman consumption.Diseased animals,they keep the skin andwool on they burn it.It is a meat whichis ending upin the human food chain.You are talking aboutthe health of the nation.>> Here in the UK,lots of people fromdifferent cultures try toaccess the food that'straditional to them.But often, those foodsand the ingredients thatmake up those dishesare really good to buy.>> Smokies aretraditional food of someWest African countries,but here in the UK,it's illegal toproduce them andit's illegalto sell them.The term smoky refers tothe way the meatis prepared.An old sheep is shorn,it's then hung up andblowtorched with its skinand its innards intact.When it's sold on toconsumers they willrecook the product sothat a smoked flavor canbe part of the foodthey'd like to eat.We're on our way toBrixton, which in a senseof it, has a verydiverse market where,rumor has it,people can buy smokies.On one side of thisdebate, the authoritiesare concerned that Ecoli, salmonella, andother bacteria couldbe transferred throughthe way this meatis produced.But, those thatwant to make it oreat it don't believein the health risks.A 1986 ban smokiescreated an undergroundblack market thatsupplies the demand bytrucking in an estimated200,000 smokies fromthe UK countrysides toLondon Market each year..Goat meat would be usedto make a smokie, buthere in the UK it'seasier to come by sheep,so lean mutton is whatgoes into the dish.When you firstmoved here,what did you thinkof the food?>> Roast beef andyorkshire pudding.>> What do you wanna buy?>> The goatwith the skin..You wish youcould buy it.>> Yeah, yeah, yeah.Goat is nice.I like the tastes.>> You throw awaythe best part.You know whatthis is good for?All the joints,put back allthe lubricationin your joints.>> What's specialabout eating meatwith the skin on.>> It gives us vitamins.That's what we believe.We've been eating it forages.>> How many peopleask you for a smoke?>> Every secondcustomer asks for it.>> Every second customerhere asks for a smoke.>> If it was legal wecould sell about60 a week.>> And, how much moneywould that make you?Good money.Before we wereselling a little bit,but now at the momentwe stopped it.>> An undergroundtrade is harder forthe authorities topolice, and some believenot nearly enough isbeing done to combat it.One man who has helpedprosecute producers formany years is Dr.Yunes Teinaz, buthe's now retired.>> No one istaking any actionbecause local authoritiesare not interested, andthe Food Standards Agencydon't knowabout their local needs.The issue here,are the local authoritiesequipped to dealwith criminals?>> It soundsvery similar tothe drug trade, in a way.>> What isthe difference?Both of them are crime,breach the law ofthe land andaffect human health.>> The source ofthe smokie is coming intomajor UK cities isa surprising one.The much reportedcriminal gangs andmasterminds behind thistrade are apparently tobe found in a westernrural part of the UK.So, we know in Wales,gang activity doesn'treally seem to fit.There's a description ofwhat goes on around here.I mean,you look around andall there is,is farm land.Everybody hereis a farmer,if you're not a farmeryou sell tractors,you sell cow feed,you sell pesticide.The whole area basicallyrelies on farming.So, we're about to gomeet a farmer calledMargaret Dalton.She's got womanfarmer of the year,she's been givena Farmer ofthe Year by the NationalSheep Association.She was evengiven an IBE forher services to the sheepfarming industry.>> Yup.If youdon't behaveyourself that'swhat happening.Do you hear me?Perhaps, he wason the whiskey.See?Just sit there.>> When firstmeeting Margaret,she seems likea nice lady anda bit of a soft touchwith the livestock.But, it's taken hardwork to keep her farm andbusiness afloat.>> I lost my husbandcoming up to nearly 40,38 years this year.He died unfortunatelyof cancer.I got two small boys.One was ten.One was 13 andso you know,we couldn't give upwhat he'd achieved.We all stuck together andwe're still here, andintend to be fora long time.On his tongue?>> Margaret is a long wayfrom cultural London.However, there isan unexpected middleground betweenWelsh farmers andthe people who wantto eat smokies.>> If we had a tradewhere these older ewescould go legally for,for the smokie trade forthe ethnic people that wewelcome into our country.And, they wantto eat the,the meat that theyare used to in theirpart of the world, whydon't we supply it forthe instead of themdoing it illegally inthis country or importingit in suitcases?>> What's the biggestthing to,with bringing inmeat from abroad?>> Well health reasons,both to the farmingfraternity, if you like,to the, to the animals,or to humans themselves.They're probably beingdone under unhygienicconditions, wheredisease could be spreadas quick as wildfire.When we go to the market,which we mustgo in a minute,you will see sheep there,which are absolutelyideal forthat ethnic market trade.Watch us go.Shallwe go fast?..Margaret takes me to alocal livestock market tomeet some more farmersand to see the kind ofsheep that smokieproducers prefer to use.Farmers only keepa few rams tocover their flock.So, excess males andolder female ewesare no longer used forbreeding, but insteadare sold for their meat.>> We're now inthe market where allthe rams and the ewesare being sold to gointo the meat trade.I cannotunderstand a word.>> You can'tunderstand a word?>> Who's buying?Who is saying,yeah I'll buy?>> Don't waggle yourhand like that orelse you'll be buying.>> Oh,I don't want to buy.One, two.>> The atmosphere isquite exciting here.We've got the auctioneer.All he's looking out for,have just a look around,is a little flickof the finger.A kind of tipof the hat andthe price justgoes up and up.Ewes over twoyears old andcastrated male sheep arereferred to as mutton.The flavor is strongerthan that of lamb andthe meat is cheaper.Making it perfect forsmokie production.So, this is all muttonbeing sold here, whichthere hasn't really beena particular interest formany English people inbuying for many years.But since the influxof people from India,people from Africacontinue eat mutton.It's that that keepsthis market alive.>> The Welshfarming industry istough place tomake a living.So, it's little surprisethat many farmersare calling for the tradeto be legalized sothat they cansupply the demand.One such farmer, andconvicted smokieproducer is a mancalled Carmello Gale.Gale is consideredby the press andthe authorities to haveonce been a key player inthe smokey trade.He agrees to show us whata smokey producer wouldbe looking for whenselecting a sheep forslaughter..See the teeth onthis one now?>> Yeah.>> She has lostone both sides soshe is what wecall a \"broker.\"She is an old ewe thathas finished breeding andshe is ready tobe slaughtered,to be culledbecause of her age.See the rib there?>> Oh, yeah.>> You can see there,she's half way from therib up to the backbone->> Right.>> So, that's what wecall a \"half-meated ewe.\"So, that means there'sno fat on her.All these are forthe smokies, yes.What Carmello wassaying was thata sheep about 30 poundsis the perfect smokie.Not too much fat.Quite lean on the back.Not too big, but some ofthese sheep are going forabout 120 pounds.Everything thatthe Africans will eat hasserved itslife's purpose.They want the endof the line,us people, we want theyoung side of everything.To be honest with you,what they wouldrather eat is goat,but mutton in Londonis sold as goat.Most of it, andin Manchester andall those other cities,as goat they sell it.>> In 2004, Carmelo Galewas convicted ofrunning an illegalslaughter house forthe productionof smokies.He pled guilty tothe charges ofslaughtering withouta license, andwas sentenced tosix months in jail.I invited Carmelo to joinme for a pint, to get tothe bottom of theMafia-style gang rumors,and his role inthe illegal trade.You are the Carmelo Gale.>> Yes, it's caused mea lot of trouble inmy life, my name.Yes.I'd be better off if itwas John Jones.Are you a criminal?>> No, I'm nota criminal, I'm a farmer.But, because they thoughtI was of Italian originand Mafia is Italian.But, I'm not Italianactually butI am Mediterranean.As far as I'm concerned,I'm not a criminalat all.But, the system makes yousometimes a criminal.Why did you getinvolved in smokies?>> I was drivinga lorry andthen I saw what could bedone, and at that time,then I knew there was,other people doing it,and I was prosecuted forit.>> Do you regret it?>> Not one bit, and ifyou believe in something,you've got tostick to it.I'm fighting on behalfof the farmer to getthis trade legal becausewe will all benefit, andI'm also fighting forthe African peoplebecause they want it.They are crying forit, because it'stheir culture.>> It's hard to tellhow much of the farmingcommunity's motivationsare altruistic andhow much is money driven.But, we can be surethat plenty ofpeople in the UKdo wish theycould buy smokiessafely and legally.>> You want to try it?My mommy's the best cook.She's the bestcook in Africa.>> The next day,I had to meet a family inthe world city of Cardiffwho have invited me tosit down with them fora meal preparedwith smokie meat.Explain to methen how do youcook the smoking meat?>> We've got tomatoes,onions, chillies.The goat.>> What have you doneto the goat meat toget that, that point?>> We boil it withspices to make itsoft before we can.Add it to the saucesthat we make,because if you add itstraight away raw,it doesn't cook.>> It doesn't cook.>> You can't chew it.>> I'm going to puta little bit of chili inhere, because you guyswon't be able to hold it.>> I like spicy food.>> You do?>> You do?>> Okay.He's doing well.>> I can cook.>> You can get a foodcooked better when it'scooked in their own skin,in their own juices.>> It tastes heavenly.>> When you smoke it itadds a special flavour toit, and especially theleg when you roast it.When you roast it,you get the samecrackling that youget that youget on a pork.>> And, it's delicious.>> In African culture,food is the basis becausewhen you put food onthe table you get allthe family around it.>> We want tosay thank you.Also for this food andalso for the purpose ofpreparing this food.>> Food is part of us andwe can't do without food,can we?>> How important is itfor you to be able tobuy all of this stuffthat you grew up on.It's really importantbecause you are notused to eatinganything else.If you want toeat your food.>> Yeah..>> Your African food,you want the reallife African food.>> Yeah, yeah.>> You, you don'twant substitutes.>> Is it so important?But, on special occasionsyou will find itsome way, somehow.>> When you feel likeeating somethingfrom home.You are just gratefulthat you canget it somewhere.Even though you don'tknow where it'scoming from,you are just grateful.>> How importantwould it be foryou to havethe meat legalized?>> It would help usif it's legalized andit's killed in a properabattoir ratherthan in some.Rather than in someback street somewhere,where we don't knowwhere it's coming from.>> Because you don't knowwhere it's coming from,would you ever worryabout giving the food toyour children?>> No,because we boil it.It kills any bacteriathat might be in it.>> so.>> A little bit ofbacteria doesn't killyou, they put it in theiryoghurt so why not?.>> Unfortunately, not allbacteria is of theprobiotic friendly kind,and in fact somecan kill you.We asked Dr.Andreas Karatzas a foodmicrobiologist fromthe University ofReading to tell us aboutthe bacteria that may becarried by sheepskin.>> So, this isStaphylococcus andit's a potentialpathogen,can actually contaminatethe, the food.It has been foundthat it's actually onthe skin of the sheep->> Uh-huh.>> In a very highpercentage.>> And,how would you kill it?>> Obviously,you can kill it with a,with a,with heat treatment.So, that wouldbe a salmonella,they could make you sick.They can also sendyou to the hospital.In rare cases, it canactually kill you if itgets intothe bloodstream.This is Listeriamonocytogenes.>> Yeah.>> This isthe most deadly.It would cause problemto old people,pregnant women,people who have immunesystem there's a problem.It's very difficult forthe antibioticsto kill it.So, once somebodyget's this disease,it's about a 30,30% chances of dying.>> It's unlikelythat consumers belegal me would complainto the authorities ifthey become ill.As a result, extinct towhich the ongoing tradeand smokie isleaving people withfood poisoning ishard to gauge.At what temperature doyou need to reach formost bacteria to die?>> Most of the bacteriawould actually die ataround 70, 80 degrees.But then, you have somevery resistant onesthat you need to goabove 100, 120, or 130.Obviously thistemperature would bereached with a,with a blowtorch.But, you might stillhave some areas that,they are not beingtreated, ok, andthis depends on thesurface of the animal.The main problemregarding the bacteria,there have not beenany tests looking atthe pathogenic bacteriathat can make you sick,and how they cansurvive the process.The remaining pieceof the puzzle is tosee how the smokieis produced.Lots of farmers saythat they know whata smokie is, and thatthe legalization of itwould benefit theirindustry a lot.But, very fewfarmers will admitto ever making them.Anyway, we've managedto track down somebody.He said that he'llshow us how to do it.He's told the rest ofthe crew that they've gota way back onto the farm,and I've got no ideawhere we're going.The sheep's beingshorn in preparation.>> To make a smokie,you need a shornmutton carcass anda powerful blow torch.The internal organsare left inside andthe skin remains intactto be blowtorched makingthe smokie a possiblehealth risk.Without knowing theprovidence of the sheep,the consumer doesn't knowwhether the animal hasrecently been treatedwith drugs orinsecticides.Or whether the skinmight hide lesions andabscesses, whichcould point tobacterial infections,and other disease.Currently in the U.K.,it's legal to eat fromhere to here the sheep.You can smokethe head of a lamb ifit's under 12 months old.So, but it is legal toeat those bits, why isn'tit legal to eat allthe bits where meat are.It's quite hard tosee what doesn't makesense about it sinceit's going to get cooked,fried, boiled.Everything else thatyou might do tomeat that you might buyin the supermarket.The only argument couldbe a hygienic one.The stinging processof the wool andskin can releasechemicals thatcould potentiallybe toxic.And without furtherresearch noone knows how manytoxins are produced, orhow they can effectthe consumer..While the blowtorchingdoes kill a certainamount of bacteria,even if a small number ofthem, or dangerouspathogens were leftbehind, it could make yousick, or even kill you.So, the smokie is nowbeing washed down.All that black charcoal,it was created from whenthe skin was torched,is being washed away.So, here we have it,the smokie.It's got thisamazing smell.Unfortunately, theappetizing smokie aromais soon replacedby another whenthe carcass isopened up andthe internal organsare removed.>> It smells horrendous.But, when the smokiesare sold on the market,these aren't the bitthat you're eating.Its this bit thatpeople are after.>> The science behind theslaughter process can becomplicated.And, the removal ofthe internal organs iswhat's up for debate.>> Is therean added danger atthat point whenthe guts are removed?When you have the gutsremoved, you,you practically haveexactly the same dangeras, as ina normal process.>> Right.>> Because where,where you actuallymove the guts,you have a lot ofbacteria inside the gut,and some of them canbe pathogenic forhumans, that can passthrough the skin.But, it's more or lessthe same danger, right?>> An investigationinto the production ofsmokies, indicated thatin fact, a safe andhygienic methodis possible.The food standards agencypresented these findingsto their Europeancounterparts, butthey were told thatmore work needs tobe done before the bancan be lifted.>> Every traditionalprocess that has beengoing on for thousandsand thousands of years,it doesn't meanthat it's safe.You have alsothe tradition, butyou also havethe development andthe science.Now, with the massiveproduction offood, you can have.An outbreak that goesthrough a lot ofdifferent countriesin the same time.So, that's whythe science, you know?And, the hygieneis actually ina high level at themoment, it's a priority.>> What's youropinion of smokies?>> You know, it'sacceptable across theworld, it's just in thiscountry, we've got todot the is, cross the ts,we're so extreme with.We're so extreme withcleanliness and whatever,and there's no issue.>> So, who's draggingtheir feet at the moment?>> It'sthe government andthe Meat Hygiene Service,bunch of numbnutsI think.>> We've beentrying I'd say for15 years tomake it legal.They've done all thetrials that they can doand can't find anythingwrong with them.We contactedthe FSA ourselves.And, in response to ourquestions, the FSA saythat they recognisethat legalisation wouldeliminate the undergroundtrade andhave a positive economicimpact for sheep farmers.Whilst theirinvestigation into thesafe production of skinon sheep meat continues,smokies remainedillegal in the UK andacross Europe.A lot of research hasgone into figuring out ifthere's a safe andhygienic way ofmaking smokies.While some people thinkmore research is needed,others think thereis a safe method ofproduction outthere already.But, one thing remainscertain, as more andmore people chose tomake the UK their home,the issue aroundwhat people can andcan not buy andtheir right tomaintain the traditionalcultures here in the UK.It's not gonna go away.\n"