KPMG administrators Paul Flint and David Standish have confirmed that a "significant amount" of valuables were removed from the
B Riley & Sons site in Dunnockshaw, before they were appointed on 16 December 2015. The administrators have been tasked with recapitalising the business by finding a new buyer for the Burnley-based abattoir.
Flint and Standish have confirmed the missing assets include plant and machinery, trailers and vehicles. The total value of the assets is still unknown and a police investigation is ongoing.
Lancashire Police said that a member of the public recently found some of the missing B Riley & Sons machinery in a warehouse in Bacup, about 16 miles from Dunnockshaw.
However, most of the equipment is missing and the KPMG administrators said finding these assets would help them in the process of selling the business.
Details about the removal of the B Riley assets remain scarce. When asked if Lancashire Police felt the disappearance of the valuable assets was criminally-motivated, a spokesman confirmed this was "still under investigation", adding he could not "provide much more detail".
Prior to its administration, the meat processing business was geared up to supply lamb to the EU's wholesale halal market and it also supplied beef. A detailed report of B Riley & Sons' debts is expected to be published on the Companies House website this week.