A MAN accused of running major illegal meat processing plant in Bradford "hid his involvement" in the operation where two tonnes of chicken was seized by using a series of false addresses, a court has heard.

Majid Zaman, 34, denies being the boss of the processing plant which was operating at Unit 2 at Iron Works Park, Bowling Back Lane.

The site was raided by the Food Standards Agency, Bradford Council environmental health officers and Home Office Immigration Enforcement on September 3, 2013.

Officers found large bins containing animal by-product were leaking, the premises was dirty and knives were left on the floor.

Poultry carcasses were being de-boned at the time of the raid, where four men were found working.

Zaman has pleaded not guilty to a total of 12 counts of food hygiene and health and safety breaches at a plant operating without approval, between August 1 and September 4, 2013.

Zaman, who runs Shariah Foods, had leased Unit 2 from Adam and Baka Limited on July 30, 2013, only weeks before the raid, Howard Shaw, prosecuting, told the jury yesterday.

He said Zaman used a number of addresses in connection with his business, Shariah Foods, a Halifax-based meat distributor.

These were unit ten, Victoria Industrial Estate, Halifax, Parkinson Lane, Halifax, and Highfield Terrace, Halifax. But the addresses he gave officials were not registered with Calderdale Council.

Mr Shaw told Bradford Crown Court yesterday: "The plant at Unit 2 was to be an unlawful cutting plant and the defendant wanted to hide his involvement in it. He hid his involvement in running this operation behind a facade of the company called West Yorkshire Lamb, Beef & Poultry Limited.

"Various hygiene regualtions were breached.

"The premises were being operated with a complete disregard for food hygiene practices.

"The premises were dirty and in a poor state of repair and wholly unsuitable for use as a meat cutting plant.

"It was the defendant's operation, he was running the show. He was known under the false names, Muhammed Sajjid and Saj.

"Knives were found lying on the floor underneath the cutting table at the site.

"A total of 26 boxes of chickens awaiting cutting were also found at the premises."

Officers carried out an emergency prohibition notice with the meat found at the site certified as unfit for human consumption.

Mr Shaw told the jury that during the raid immigration officers had been given Zaman's mobile phone number by a worker at the plant who said it was that of his boss called Saj.

After he was contacted by phone Zaman went to the premises and told officers he had sub-let the unit to a Karmat Sajid and had nothing to do with how it was operating.

Zaman also said he had only met Karmat Sajid "once or twice" when interviewed.

He also said he was the brother of the owner of the unit but he gave a number of different names to the officers but eventually providing his real name, Mr Shaw said.

Officers also found the site was operating a separate refrigerator business which could only be accessed by walking through the meat processing factory first.

Zaman faces charges of operating a meat cutting plant without approval, failing to ensure that every person working in a food handling area wore suitable clean protective clothing, failing to provide sufficient hand washing facilities and failing to provide sufficient facilities for washing food and equipment.

Other charges are failing to ensure that food premises are kept clean and well maintained, failing to ensure that food equipment is effectively cleaned, failing to ensure that wrapping materials are not exposed to a risk of contamination, failing to protect food against contamination, failing to provide adequate changing facilities for personnel.

Zaman, of Parkinson Lane, Halifax, also faces two charges of failure to establish the traceability of food at all stages of production.

The final charge is failing to put in place, implement and maintain procedures based on the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) principles.

Zaman gave the address of his company, Shariah Foods, as unit ten, Victoria Industrial Estate in Halifax but Mr Shaw told the court this site was leased to someone else between late 2011 and January 2014 and had nothing to do with Zaman.

Zaman had worked at the site in 2003 and 2005 as manager of Gladstone Groceries.

The trial continues.