Matvælastofnun has received tips about a person who walked between stables in Eyrarbakki last weekend and introduced himself as an employee of the agency. The agency would like to stress that no inspectors on its behalf were working in the area in question at that time.
“The person concerned is not under the authority of the organization and has no authority for supervision,” it says notification on MAST’s website.
It is pointed out that incidents like this are unfortunately not unique and it has happened in the past that unauthorized parties pretend to be carrying out official inspections.
“For this reason, the Food Agency wants to direct the owners of animals, as well as the general public, to show care and be on the lookout for behavior like this,” it continues.
Visibly marked
MAST also points out that in order to remove all doubt regarding cases like this, it is right to keep the following in mind:
- Matvælastofnun’s inspectors always wear work clothes that are visibly marked with the agency during their work.
- All inspectors carry special professional certificates bearing the organization’s logo. They must always be able to present their certificates to prove their identity.
Contact or report the matter to the police immediately
Finally, animal owners are encouraged not to hesitate to ask to see a certificate of employment if there is any doubt about the person’s identity.
“If people become aware of persons pretending to be employees of the Food Agency without the required authorizations, they are kindly requested to contact the agency immediately and, depending on the circumstances, report the incident to the police,” the announcement also states.
