# Horsemeat scandal: Focus switches to Romania



## Vicsetter (Feb 10, 2013)

price of horse meat has recently fallen dramatically in Romania following a new law there banning horses-and-carts on the highway

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-21401111
I think I'll stick to raw meat from Morrisons.


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## HOBIE (Feb 10, 2013)

"Tainted in Horse meat"  I dont call 100%  "TAINTED"  jurnalists


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## Andy HB (Feb 10, 2013)

Vicsetter said:


> I think I'll stick to raw meat from Morrisons.



Yep, 100% whippet!! 

Andy (with apologies to my Northern friends!) HB


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## Vicsetter (Feb 10, 2013)

Sorry don't do Whippet in Scotland only the insides of sheep.


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## Andy HB (Feb 11, 2013)

Vicsetter said:


> Sorry don't do Whippet in Scotland only the insides of sheep.



Mmmmmm ....... Haggis ....... If only I could get my hands on a real one and not one wrapped in that nasty plastic!

Andy 

p.s. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-21413376 .... Mr Ponta (Romanian Prime Minister issues an angry denial).


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## Vicsetter (Feb 11, 2013)

Andy HB said:


> Mmmmmm ....... Haggis ....... If only I could get my hands on a real one and not one wrapped in that nasty plastic!
> 
> Andy
> 
> p.s. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-21413376 .... Mr Ponta (Romanian Prime Minister issues an angry denial).



Not cheap but you can get it delivered, I use this firm for my Xmas turkey: http://www.blackface.co.uk/blackface_haggis.asp
Or you might get it at a good deli shop.


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## Northerner (Feb 11, 2013)

*Horsemeat scandal: Tesco reveals 60% content in dish*

Some Tesco Everyday Value Spaghetti Bolognese contains 60% horsemeat, DNA tests by the retailer have found.

The meal, withdrawn from sale last Tuesday, was made at the same French factory producing Findus beef lasagne, at the centre of a current controversy.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-21418342


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## magtom (Feb 11, 2013)

The lasagne I bought from Aldi was the nicest one I have ever tasted not sure if this was horse ?


Findus products I would not buy .

I noticed over the last couple of days that Morrison's and Asda have put the mince beef up in price and the beef joints are on special price.

After hearing about the transportation issues from a delivery aspect I will be more wary of what I buy .


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## Northerner (Feb 12, 2013)

*Horsemeat scandal: Government to hold food summit*

Environment Secretary Owen Paterson will meet Food Standards Agency and food industry representatives later to discuss the horsemeat crisis.

Mr Paterson told the Commons on Monday that it appeared "criminal activity" had been at the heart of the scandal.

MPs will discuss the issue after Labour called a debate on Tuesday afternoon.

It comes after some Tesco Everyday Value spaghetti bolognese, withdrawn from sale last week, was found to contain 60% horsemeat.

Horsemeat has been detected in several brand and supermarket-own processed meat products.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-21421477


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## Northerner (Feb 12, 2013)

*Horsemeat scandal: bute drug 'presents very low risk to public health'*

The UK's chief medical officer, Dame Sally Davies, has said there is a "limited public health risk" if the drug phenylbutazone, known as bute, is found in beef products that contain horsemeat.

In her first public statement on the horsemeat scandal, Davies reiterated the message of ministers that there was no health risk and sought to allay concerns over any potential harm from bute, an equine anti-inflammatory medicine that is banned in food.

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has ordered further tests and said last week that consumers should not eat Findus beef lasagne bought before it was removed from shelves because it had not been tested for bute.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/feb/11/horsemeat-bute-very-low-risk


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## Northerner (Feb 12, 2013)

*EU ban on UK mince made suppliers vulnerable to horse meat*

An EU decision to reclassify a type of minced meat widely used in the UK played a significant part in creating the horsemeat crisis, a former Food Standards Agency senior scientist says.

Desinewed meat was a key ingredient in value items such as pies, lasagne and other processed beef products.

Dr Mark Woolfe said the decision to ban it last year had prompted producers to go outside the UK to source supplies of cheap mince.

The FSA rejected his argument.

Until 2009, Dr Woolfe was the head of authenticity at the FSA.

He says the root cause of the current horsemeat crisis can be traced back to a decision taken by the European Commission less than 12 months ago to ban desinewed meat, which was then a key food ingredient.

He also suggested UK lamb products might need testing for horsemeat to reassure customers.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-21430329


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## Northerner (Feb 12, 2013)

*Slaughterhouse and meat firm raided*

A slaughterhouse and a meat firm have been raided by police and food safety officials probing alleged mislabelling of beef products as horsemeat.

Peter Boddy Licensed Slaughterhouse, in West Yorkshire, and Farmbox Meats Ltd, Aberystwyth, have had work suspended.

Environment Secretary Owen Paterson said it was unacceptable if UK firms were defrauding the public.

Meanwhile, Waitrose withdrew its Essential British Frozen Beef Meatballs after pork was detected in two batches.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-21434077


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## Riri (Feb 12, 2013)

The one in Wales is only 10 miles from me and the company directors are well known locals - definitely causing a stir and probably worth buying our local weekly paper tomorrow. Jiw jiw as we say round here!!


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## Vicsetter (Feb 13, 2013)

Northerner said:


> A slaughterhouse and a meat firm have been raided by police and food safety officials probing alleged mislabelling of beef products as horsemeat.
> http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-21434077



He He , think you got that the wrong way round, mislabelling of horse product as beef, maybe.


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## LeeLee (Feb 13, 2013)

Vicsetter said:


> He He , think you got that the wrong way round, mislabelling of horse product as beef, maybe.



I heard a BBC newscaster read it that way last night and chuckled to myself.


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## Northerner (Feb 13, 2013)

Vicsetter said:


> He He , think you got that the wrong way round, mislabelling of horse product as beef, maybe.



Ha! Totally missed that! I think the report was just a few minutes old when I picked it up


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## Northerner (Feb 13, 2013)

*Horsemeat scandal: Probe will be relentless, says FSA*

The probe into allegations of horsemeat mislabelling will be "relentless", the Food Standards Agency (FSA) has said.

It comes after a slaughterhouse in Todmorden, West Yorkshire and a meat firm near Aberystwyth were raided by FSA officials supported by police.

FSA director of operations Andrew Rhodes told the BBC that the agency's investigations would continue until "there was nothing left to find".

The FSA suspended operations at both raided premises and seized paperwork.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-21437328


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## Northerner (Feb 13, 2013)

*UK vets have 'repeatedly raised concerns' over bute in food*

An independent veterinary committee had "repeatedly expressed concern" about a drug found in UK horsemeat destined for export, the BBC has learned.

The discovery of horsemeat in UK foodstuffs is raising big concerns that UK testing regimes are not sufficient.

There are worries that if unregulated horsemeat is substituted for beef it could expose people to a drug called phenylbutazone - often called "bute".

Once used as an anti-inflammatory, its toxicity to some people led to a ban.

The drug in rare cases caused a serious blood disorder known as aplastic anaemia.

But it is still used widely to treat horses. Once treated these animals are not supposed to enter the food chain.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-21383362


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## Northerner (Feb 13, 2013)

*'Pork' meatballs withdrawn by Waitrose made in Glasgow factory*

Batches of Waitrose beef meatballs that were withdrawn from shelves for containing pork were made at a factory in Glasgow, it has emerged.

The supermarket chain has confirmed that the items were made by ABP Freshlink in Old Shettleston Road.

ABP Food Group responded: "Freshlink has carried out over 450 DNA tests during the last two and a half years.

"All our test results have been confirmed as negative for non-declared species."

Republic of Ireland-based ABP said its Glasgow convenience foods factory would share its own results with the Food Standards Agency as part of its investigations.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-21442328


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## Northerner (Feb 13, 2013)

*Horsemeat scandal: EU urges DNA tests of processed beef*

The EU is urging members to conduct random tests to tackle a widening scandal over mislabelled horsemeat.

All members should carry out DNA tests on processed beef for traces of horsemeat for three months from 1 March, the health commissioner said.

Horsemeat should also be tested for the presence of the veterinary medicine phenylbutazone ("bute"), he added.

Tonio Borg was speaking after a meeting with ministers from the UK, France and other affected countries in Brussels.

"This is a Europe-wide issue that needs a Europe-wide solution," Irish Agriculture Minister Simon Coveney said.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-21453370


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## Northerner (Feb 14, 2013)

*Horsemeat scandal: Government 'flat-footed' over crisis*

The government's response to the horsemeat scandal has been criticised as "flat-footed" by a group of MPs.

They have called for greater testing of products to reassure people there is not a threat to human health.

The Commons Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee also said that if criminals were illegally passing off horsemeat as beef they were unlikely to be applying adequate hygiene standards.

Ministers insist there is no evidence of a risk to health.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-21455060


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## Northerner (Feb 14, 2013)

*Horsemeat scandal: Bute found in eight UK-slaughtered horses*

Eight horses, killed in the UK, tested positive for the painkiller bute and six may have entered the food chain in France, the Food Standards Agency said.

Some 206 carcasses were tested, with eight found to contain phenylbutazone.

England's chief medical officer said the highest level detected was 1.9mg of bute per kg of horsemeat, which posed "very little risk to human health".

Earlier, food minister David Heath said tests for traces of bute in Findus products were negative.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-21455419


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## Northerner (Feb 14, 2013)

*Beef removed from Staffordshire school menus*

Beef has been removed from school meals across Staffordshire as a precautionary measure amid the horsemeat scandal.

The county council, which provides meals to 87% of its schools, said there was no suggestion there had been a problem with contamination.

In the meantime, pupils are being served other meats such as turkey.

The county council said the move was a precaution and added "normal school menus" were likely to return after next week's half-term break.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-stoke-staffordshire-21458671


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## Vicsetter (Feb 14, 2013)

Is there any chance that rump steak will come down in price


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## Northerner (Feb 14, 2013)

*Horsemeat scandal: France blames processor Spanghero*

French meat processing company Spanghero knowingly sold horsemeat labelled as beef, the French government has said.

Spanghero's licence is being suspended while a probe continues, agriculture minister Stephane Le Foll said.

The firm has denied the allegations, saying it only ever dealt in meat it believed to be beef.

A widening scandal over mislabelled horsemeat has affected at least 12 European countries.

Spanghero imported meat from Romania and sold it on to another company, Comigel, which made frozen ready meals at its factory in Luxembourg.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-21464052


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## Northerner (Feb 14, 2013)

*Three held in horsemeat mislabelling investigation*

Police investigating allegations that horsemeat was mislabelled as beef have arrested three men.

Dyfed-Powys Police said two men, aged 64 and 42, were held at Farmbox Meats Ltd, of Llandre near Aberystwyth, on suspicion of Fraud Act offences.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-21466074


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## Northerner (Feb 14, 2013)

*Horse passports: up to 7,000 unauthorised documents issued*

The BBC has learned that up to 7,000 illicit horse passports have been in circulation in the UK since 2008.

The documents were issued by an equine society after the government had withdrawn its right to grant passports, sources have said.

It has led to confusion at abattoirs when some of the animals were sent for slaughter.

Campaigners say it highlights the fact that the passport system is chaotic and subject to widespread abuse.

The horse passport system was introduced in 2005 in response to an EU directive aimed at ensuring animals destined for the food chain were drug-free.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-21430330


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## Northerner (Feb 15, 2013)

*Horsemeat scandal: Burgers withdrawn from hospitals*

Burgers containing horsemeat have been supplied to hospitals in Northern Ireland.

David Bingham from the Business Services Organisation, which sources meat for the health trusts, said that one range, supplied by a company in the Republic of Ireland was affected and had been withdrawn.

"We have acted immediately as soon as we got information there may be a confidence issue we withdrew the product," he said.

Northern Ireland's agriculture minister Michelle O'Neill has called a special meeting on the horsemeat scandal.

A number of other executive ministers, including Justice Minister David Ford are to attend the briefing on Friday.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-21469738


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## mcdonagh47 (Feb 15, 2013)

Northerner said:


> Burgers containing horsemeat have been supplied to hospitals in Northern Ireland.
> 
> http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-21469738



What happens if they find human DNa in ready meals or other animals,. dogs, foxes,rats etc. Are they even testing for those ?


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## Northerner (Feb 15, 2013)

mcdonagh47 said:


> What happens if they find human DNa in ready meals or other animals,. dogs, foxes,rats etc. Are they even testing for those ?



Only if purchased from S. Todd Butchers, Fleet St.


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## Northerner (Feb 16, 2013)

*Horsemeat scandal: FSA hands evidence to Europol*

Evidence seized from three UK premises as part of the horsemeat investigation has been handed to Europol.

Food Standards Agency (FSA) officers and police took computers, documents and meat samples from two premises in north London and one in Hull on Friday.

Labour leader Ed Miliband said the government had reacted too slowly to the crisis, but Defra said that was "utterly wrong and misleading".

Three men arrested as part of the horsemeat probe have been bailed.

The men, two aged 64 and 42 from the Aberystwyth area and one aged 63 from West Yorkshire, were arrested on 14 February on suspicion of fraud.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-21486291


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## Northerner (Feb 17, 2013)

*Iceland boss blames councils over 'poor meat quality'*

Local councils are to blame for driving down food quality with cheap food contracts for schools and hospitals, the boss of Iceland has said.

Speaking on the BBC's Andrew Marr show, Malcolm Walker said the "problem really lies" with councils buying food from the poorly supplied catering industry.

Retailers should not be blamed for the horsemeat crisis, Mr Walker added.

His comments followed a call on Sunday from the boss of Waitrose for tighter meat testing controls.

Iceland was among UK retailers, including Tesco, Asda, Lidl and Aldi which withdrew products which were later found to test positive for horse DNA.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-21490004


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## Northerner (Apr 10, 2013)

*Horsemeat scandal: Dutch uncover large-scale meat fraud*

Some 50,000 tonnes of meat supplied by two Dutch trading companies and sold as beef across Europe since January 2011 may have contained horsemeat.

The meat is being recalled where possible, the Dutch authorities say.

There was no evidence that the meat was a threat to human health, the Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority said.

In total, 132 companies in the Netherlands and some 370 more around Europe are affected by the discovery.

The suspect meat was supplied by Wiljo Import en Export BV and Vleesgroothandel Willy Selten.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-22098763


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## Northerner (Dec 12, 2013)

*Horsemeat scandal: Review urges UK food crime unit*

A specialist food crime unit should be set up in the UK in the wake of the horsemeat scandal, a government-commissioned review has recommended.

The suggestion is contained in a report by Prof Chris Elliott, director of the Institute for Global Food Security at Queen's University Belfast.

He was asked to find ways of improving the safety of UK food supply networks.

The scandal erupted in January, when food inspectors found horsemeat in processed beef products.

After that initial discovery, horse DNA was then found in other ready meals.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-25347633


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