The Food Standards Agency has unveiled tough news rules to halt unfit poultry going on sale in the UK.

Following the conviction of seven people last year in Yorkshire in a crackdown on potentially harmful food products, the agency has detailed a seven point plan to rid the food chain of unfit products.

Under the new rules poultry considered unfit for human consumption will be stained - in line with current practice for red meat.

The agency also calls for a new code of practice on the handling and disposal of animal by-products to prevent them entering the food chain through illegal means.

A new waste food taskforce is also to be established in order to examine ways to control the dispoals of over 700,000 tonnes of poultry waste produced in the UK each year.

Sir John Krebs, the agency's chairman, said consumers were entitled to know that their food was safe.

"It has become apparent since the recent cause in Rotherham, and subsequent investigation in Amber Valley, that current controls are not adequately protecting consumers from unfit meat entering the human food chain," he said.

There are already strict controls in place, but these need to be tightened and loopholes need to be closed. The board will consider these proposals very carefully to ensure that the consumer is protected as far as possible from this illegal trade."