Europol seizes 117 tonnes of illegal horse meat

[andybk]

Live animals and 117 tonnes of horse meat were seized from several slaughterhouses
Europol have seized 117 tonnes of illegal horse meat from European countries as part of an EU-wide project looking to remove illegal foods off the market.


Europol and Interpol coordinated operation Operation Opson 2020 which targeted trafficking of counterfeit and substandard food and beverages.


The ninth operation of its kind, it ran from December 2019 to June 2020 and involved law enforcement authorities from 83 countries.


A dedicated project was launched to support governments in combating the sale of illegal horse meat, led by Belgium, Ireland and the Netherlands.


The operational activities focused on checks of documents of more than 157,000 horses from eight countries and about 117 tonnes of horse meat.


Live animals and horse meat were seized from several slaughterhouses in Belgium, Ireland, Italy, Spain and the Netherlands.



Inspections of slaughterhouses in several countries showed that about 20% of the foreign passports used for these horses showed signs of forgery.


Competition horses with forged documents were also sent to slaughterhouses.


Catherine De Bolle, Europol’s executive director, said criminals look for 'new ways' to abuse customers in times of crisis.


"Counterfeit and substandard food is not only deceitful to consumers but can also pose a significant threat to their health," she said.


"Our annual Operation Opson shows in its ninth year that cooperation between law enforcement, regulatory authorities and the private sector is crucial to protect both consumers and businesses from the harm criminals try to put on our plates."


Since its creation, the total seizures of illegal food and beverages made during operations Operation Opson VI, VII, VIII and IX are worth around €450 million.


It follows the 2013 horse meat scandal, which affected the UK. Foods were advertised as containing beef, but were found to contain undeclared or improperly declared horse meat – as much as 100% of the meat content in some cases.

 

[Bury the Trash]

already in a thread.

Illegal horsemeat in Irish slaughterhouses seized by Europol

Written by Agriland Team Europol launched a dedicated project as part of ‘Operation Opson IX’ to support authorities in combating the sale of illegal horsemeat from countries including Ireland. Operation Opson IX was coordinated by Europol and Interpol and ran from December 2019 to June 2020...

thefarmingforum.co.uk

 

[andybk]

mods can delete if necessary

 

[Bury the Trash]

Makes you wonder where it was being offered for wholesale / retail .. ..

 

[andybk]

Makes you wonder where it was being offered for wholesale / retail .. ..

i know its not uk , but lots of sharp practice amongst euro slaughter houses , like larry they are all sharks , needs investigating urgently

 

[Bury the Trash]

i know its not uk , but lots of sharp practice amongst euro slaughter houses , like larry they are all sharks , needs investigating urgently

Do they have Assurance Schemes for their Abbatoirs? I wonder , if so they aren't very effective..that's for sure.

 

[Agrivator]

Do they have Assurance Schemes for their Abbatoirs? I wonder , if so they aren't very effective..that's for sure.

Apparently, DNA test have proved the presence of Assessors in many of the samples.

 

[jed]

Maybe blockchain DNA sampling when we tag our cattle would not be such a bad thing might put an end to the nag steak trade .

 

[Al R]

As bad as it is you can’t blame people for trying it..
a steer and a horse stood next to each other in a field, 1 is worth £1500 the other is worth £150, cut up and cooked you’d struggle to tell the difference. Much more profit selling the £150 animal for £3000 of meat than a £1500 for £3000 of meat.

 

[Woolless]

I remember at the time of horsegate we were told that there was no danger to the public from eating horse meat. While that may be true, when there's no genuine traceability so nobody knows where it came from or how it's been handled then how do you know?

 

[Bill the Bass]

I remember at the time of horsegate we were told that there was no danger to the public from eating horse meat. While that may be true, when there's no genuine traceability so nobody knows where it came from or how it's been handled then how do you know?

What If said horse meat is laden with Bute?

 

[hendrebc]

FFS! I have no problems with them slaughtering horses. It would be the best thing to happen to horses if it gave them a value and meant people looked after them better but they should have to label it properly! They say there is no health risk from eating it and it's true but they shouldn't be hiding it in the middle if the beef. Why do we bother with all the tagging and bcms if they are allowed to do that?!
Sell it as horse meat FFS!

 

[Nithsdale]

What If said horse meat is laden with Bute?

Exactly.

I wouldn't be surprised if a lot of the horses going into the food chain are laced with Bute... there is no traceability there's no checks there's no screening...
you wouldn't get me eating it unless it meets the same standards as beef pork lamb and poultry.


But it doesn't, and that's exactly why they're sticking it in, under the radar

 

[Kiwi Pete]

I wonder if it would give you the trots?

 

[Farmer Fin]

I think this is the point in the raids. Horses that have had their passports marked as having had bute etc which means they can’t enter the food chain, and then having the passport tampered with.

 

[SteveHants]

Was it mislabling horsemeat destined for human consumption anyway or just random horsemeat not fit for human consumption?
I've eaten horsemeat in France and Belgium and there are dedicated butcher's shops for it in some places. There's a horse abattoir on the Forest of Dean somewhere, I believe.

Obviously, I don't condone mislabling of meat by species, but one of these scenarios is more dangerous than the other.

 

[Chopsy Varmint]

Exactly.

I wouldn't be surprised if a lot of the horses going into the food chain are laced with Bute... there is no traceability there's no checks there's no screening...
you wouldn't get me eating it unless it meets the same standards as beef pork lamb and poultry.


But it doesn't, and that's exactly why they're sticking it in, under the radar

Me neither. Horses are routinely treated with a course of bute, sometimes long-term, but the passport isn't up-dated and owners are be left with a box to self-administer. Same as for ventipulmin and pergolide, which aren't supposed to be in horses for human consumption either.

On the other hand it could be said that a horse steak a couple of times a week will put a spring in your step and sort your wheezy chest, achy legs, and stiff old joints in one delicious dinner.

Perhaps that's the British Horsemeat Marketing Board's sales tagline right there

 

[Nithsdale]

Me neither. Horses are routinely treated with a course of bute, sometimes long-term, but the passport isn't up-dated and owners are be left with a box to self-administer. Same as for ventipulmin and pergolide, which aren't supposed to be in horses for human consumption either.

On the other hand it could be said that a horse steak a couple of times a week will put a spring in your step and sort your wheezy chest, achy legs, and stiff old joints in one delicious dinner.

Perhaps that's the British Horsemeat Marketing Board's sales tagline right there

The ex is a vet. Horses are/were her thing so I got to know some of the going on. Bit of an eye opener as i didn't realise Bute was so widely used

 

[Woolless]

I wonder if it would give you the trots?

Right, that's it. F off back to the holistic grazing thread

 

[Woolless]

What If said horse meat is laden with Bute?

Exactly. And who's to know?