The butcher was fined at Perth Sheriff Court

Simon Howie Butchers, who supply supermarket chains and Gleneagles Hotel, admitted the charge at Perth Sheriff Court.

The effluent caused high pollution levels which could have harmed fish.

Sheriff Robert McCreadie said the company did not have permission to pour effluent meat product waste into the burn beside its factory.

Simon Howie Butchers Ltd, of Finndonny Farm, Muckhart, Dunning, breached pollution control regulations by discharging prepared raw and cooked meat products into nearby Latch Burn.

The firm, which has a �7m annual turnover, was fined �5,250 after admitting polluting the burn between 1 July and 28 September last year.

There was diminution to insect life and then that might have indirectly affected fish Sheriff Robert McCreadie

Sheriff McCreadie said: "This was a case where the company accepted there was a lack of consent.

"It clearly had a significant effect.

"There was diminution to insect life and then that might have indirectly affected fish which depend on the insect life."

Fiscal depute Robbie Brown told the court that the discharge of the effluent was far too great for the burn involved.

He said officials from the Scottish Environment Protection Agency took samples and discovered the waste was effectively sucking the oxygen out of the water.

'Secondary waste'

The biochemical oxygen demand was as much as eight times the normal level, while the ammonia content was over six times above average, the court heard.

Solicitor Grant Brown, defending, said the factory was basically being used like a large kitchen and produced similar waste to a hotel.

"Basically it was prepared raw or cooked butcher meat," he told the court. "This was secondary waste."

The solicitor said the company had never previously been convicted of any offence.

The court was told it had since held discussions with SEPA officials to tackle the problem of effluent disposal.