Criminal gangs implicated in horse-meat scandal

Mafia-like groups may last behind the contamination of processed beef products, inwards a scandal which is spreading across Europe.

Britain’s Daily Mirror has suggested ruthless criminal gangs convey been buying horses for every bit niggling every bit £10 each inwards Romania, which in addition to thence entered the human nutrient chain.

It alleged that vets convey been bribed to supply relevant paperwork to overstep the horses off every bit legitimate produce.

According to the The Mirror, investigators are probing potential links betwixt the Romanaian crooks in addition to essence processing plants across Europe.

The allegation surfaces every bit the listing of tainted beef products grows. Several products are reported to convey been pulled from French supermarket freezers.

The latest inwards U.K. was Tesco’s Everyday Spaghetti Bolognase, iii samples of which contained to a greater extent than than sixty per cent Equus caballus meat. The production had been pulled from shelves a calendar week agone every bit it had been sourced from French theater Comigel, the same fellowship that supplied tainted Findus beef lasagnes.

These were made for Findus past times some other French firm, Comigel, at its Luxemburg plant.

According to French consumer affairs government minister Benoit Hamon, inquiries had industrial plant life that the Equus caballus essence had originated from Romania. Hamon reported that the Luxemburg manufactory had been supplied past times some other French firm, which had bought the essence from a Cypriot trader, who inwards plow sub-contracted the social club to a Dutcher trader supplied past times a Romanaian abattoir.

The Observer paper has too reported on the alleged interest of organised criminal gangs operating internationally.

It said sources some Britain’s Department for the Environment, Food in addition to Rural Affairs in addition to the Food Standards Agency said it appeared that the contamination of beef burgers, lasagne in addition to other products was the number of fraud of an “international dimension”.

The Observer said experts inside the Equus caballus slaughter manufacture said in that place was bear witness that both Polish in addition to Italian mafia gangs were running multimillion-pound scams to substitute Equus caballus essence for beef during nutrient production.

It suggested that vets in addition to other officials working inside abattoirs in addition to nutrient production plants were intimidated into signing off essence every bit beef when it was inwards fact cheaper alternatives such every bit pork or horse.

Frederic Vincent

Meanwhile, the European Union’s spokesman for wellness in addition to consumers, Frederic Vincent, said the fact the Equus caballus essence discovered inwards frozen Findus prepared meals could last traced dorsum to Romania showed the EU’s nutrient traceability systems worked.

Vincent, at a press conference inwards Brussels, said: “The uncomplicated fact that inside a few hours or 48 hours nosotros tin already convey a commencement see of what happened, that shows that the European traceability works.

“If in that place has been fraud along the production chain, the operators convey to resolve this, from a legal point, alongside each other,” Vincent said. “Someone, somewhere inwards Europe has sent a supplier essence that wasn’t correctly labelled.”

A High German professor has told Radio Free Europe, Radio Liberty, that some consumers were furious because they felt they had been duped but, for others, something to a greater extent than powerful seemed to last at work.

“There is a high rank of emotionalism because of the history of the horse,” said Victor Meyer-Rochow, a professor of biological scientific discipline at Jacobs University inwards Bremen. “[It is] seen every bit such a stately, such a glorious, noble animal, specially if it is declared every bit some other form of meat.”

Meyer-Rochow suggested much of the appall came from people feeling they convey been tricked into breaking a deeply felt cultural taboo or nutrient taboo.

“Certainly, Equus caballus essence is eaten inwards many parts of Europe in addition to inwards many parts of the globe in addition to in that place is no scientific argue why i should non eat Equus caballus meat,” said Meyer-Rochow.

Today, however, the norm inwards virtually European countries was to laissez passer horses the condition of household unit of measurement pets.

He noted that Equus caballus essence was non eaten past times British consumers.

“Any form of nutrient taboo unites people of a item grouping in addition to that makes them unlike from the others. So, past times maxim the Equus caballus is such a noble fauna in addition to nosotros volition non eat this meat, nosotros rear ourselves inwards a higher house those who care for the Equus caballus every bit if it were simply a rabbit or something else.”

 

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