Just to add a little balance here...
On many occasions, companies I have worked for were compelled to destroy stocks of merchandise for reason of cost. It was the only way that import duties and tax could be reclaimed.
An example, a delivery of 10,000 tshirts, infested by bugs.
Cost of merchandise, £2.00. Value now, worthless, as the cost of inspection and refurbishment is £3.00 per item.
Import duty was 25p. So that was the only salvageable amount.
To reclaim this, HMRC required physical proof of the destruction of the goods.