Investigations across Ireland into suspected contamination of horse meat sold for human consumption
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Farms and houses across Ireland are being searched as part of an investigation into suspected contamination of horse meat sold for human consumption.
Investigators suspect that meat from horses that should have been destroyed, and not used for human consumption, may have been processed and exported abroad.
Officers don’t believe that any of the meat, which was possibly contaminated, was sold in Ireland.
The National Bureau of Criminal Investigation carried out the raids as part of the ongoing investigation.
The bulk of the horsemeat processed in Ireland is exported to Belgium, France and Italy as boneless meat. Meat from horses that have been treated with the painkiller phenylbutazone, commonly known as bute, is not allowed enter the food chain.
Nearly 22,000 unwanted Irish horses have been slaughtered for meat over the past three years.
Figures released by the Department of Agriculture reveal 6,573 horses were slaughtered for human consumption in 2018, with 7,748 slaughtered in 2017 and 7,618 slaughtered in 2016.
In 2013, a scandal over horsemeat saw meat products pulled from supermarket shelves across several countries in Europe after it was revealed that horsemeat was in products listed as beef.
The scandal prompted significant concerns over public safety
Following the controversy, new checks were introduced to ensure the slaughter of horses and the sale of horsemeat was better regulated.
