Live and dead mice, weevils, dead cockroaches found in bakery
A northside Brisbane bakery known for its generosity to the local community has been slugged with hefty fines over rodents and other pests found on the premises.
Police & Courts
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Live and dead rodents, live weevils and dead cockroaches were found in a northside Brisbane bakery that has supported local community schools and sports clubs.
A Brisbane City Council officer spotted a live mouse in the kitchen of Baked to Perfection bakery at Clayfield on January 24 last year, Brisbane Magistrates Court heard.
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The bakery company was yesterday fined $16,000 and director Kevin Kielly, who has run the business for more than 20 years, was fined $2000, after each pleaded guilty to nine charges.
Magistrate Tina Previtera said she had reduced the penalty by $5000 because of the effect of COVID-19 on the business.
The charges related to food storage, cleanliness, maintenance of premises and the presence of pests.
“Most concerning is the indicia of the rodent infestation, with the presence of faeces and the presence of deceased and decomposing rodents and one live rodent,’’ said Anna Swindley, for Brisbane City Council.
Ms Swindley said two dead rodents were found on the bakery kitchen’s food storage shelf and rodent faeces were found on the kitchen floor.
Live weevils were found in flour that was no longer used, in storage bins, and dead cockroaches also were found in the bakery.
Defence counsel Liza Marshall said Mr Kielly had seen a mouse and had begun baiting before the two dead mice were found by council inspectors.
While she disputed that there was a rodent infestation, she said Mr Kielly accepted there were mice around the premises and holes in the ceiling that could provide access points for vermin.
The bakery had never had a food poisoning complaint.
The court heard Mr Kielly had addressed all the issues within 24 hours and had since introduced better cleaning, pest control measures and staff training.
Ms Marshall told the court Mr Kielly and his wife, who died in March, had run Baked to Perfection since 1999, employing six staff, mostly university students.
“It’s a little local business that engages with and supports the community, including the local schools and the swimming club,” Ms Marshall said.
The bakery routinely provided bakery items, such as bread rolls and bread, to a swimming club and Rotary club for fundraising activities and provided discounted cakes to schools.
Ms Marshall said Mr Kielly had been left devastated by the loss of his wife and the couple’s son Daniel, who died of a brain tumour in 2017, a year after he was diagnosed.
Mr Kielly’s mother also died six months later, in 2018.
Ms Marshall said the bakery made only $11,686 profit in the last financial year, when it paid out more than $250,000 in wages, superannuation and other staff expenses.
She said Mr Kielly, who had relied on his wife’s income as a nurse, did not draw a wage.
Ms Previtera said the offences were serious and the public had a right to expect to purchase food that had not been potentially infiltrated by rodents.
She ordered the company and Mr Kielly to pay the council $713 in costs, but she did not record convictions.
