The meat found was unsafe for humans to eat

Nottingham Crown Court heard workers at the plant in Newark, Nottinghamshire, were worried about the missing parts, as the birds had been declared unfit for human consumption.

The waste meat was supplied to the Newark company by Denby Poultry Products, in Denby, Derbyshire.

Denby Poultry is accused of being at the centre of a scam which saw thousands of tonnes of condemned chicken and turkey enter the human food chain.

I have seen at the bottom of the skips a black mess of poultry, which was all the waste that had been decomposing Colin Beckett, manager at J. G. Pear's

The court was told the fraud made the company owners about �850,000.

Colin Beckett, a manager at JG Pear's in Newark, said in a statement: "Waste from Denby was missing off-cuts of fillet, knuckles, chicken legs and thighs.

"It was a concern about there being off-cuts because this was meat classed as unfit by poultry meat inspectors.

"It had been boned and filleted before being sent to us."

He said on occasions, he had found older, rotting waste underneath new batches of carcasses delivered from Denby.

"I have seen at the bottom of the skips a black mess of poultry, which was all the waste that had been decomposing," said Mr Beckett.

Missing joints

Five men deny conspiracy to defraud in connection with the scam between August 1995 and March 2001.

The defendants are Peter Roberts, 68, of Francis Street, Chaddesden, Derby; Simon Haslan, 39, of Alder Road, Belper, Derbyshire and David Watson, 38, of Paxton Crescent, Bletchley, Buckinghamshire.

Also accused are father and son, Brian William John Davies, 64, of Walmsley Road, Bury and Brian Paul Davies, 37, of Moor Road, Bury.

Jurors had been told that Roberts failed to appear at court and is being tried in his absence.