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| Police called in to investigate 'criminal' horsemeat scandal | Police called in to investigate 'criminal' horsemeat scandal |
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| Scotland Yard has been asked by the food standards watchdog to investigate if there is a criminal element to the horsemeat scandal – as the food industry prepares to test every processed beef product line following evidence adulteration has spread from burgers to lasagne. | Scotland Yard has been asked by the food standards watchdog to investigate if there is a criminal element to the horsemeat scandal – as the food industry prepares to test every processed beef product line following evidence adulteration has spread from burgers to lasagne. |
| The Food Standards Agency (FSA) says information so far "points either to gross negligence or deliberate contamination in the food chain" and David Heath, the food and farming minister has said there is "every probability" criminality was involved. | The Food Standards Agency (FSA) says information so far "points either to gross negligence or deliberate contamination in the food chain" and David Heath, the food and farming minister has said there is "every probability" criminality was involved. |
| The Met confirmed on Friday that it has met with the FSA. Owen Paterson, the environment secretary, is holding an emergency meeting with heads of meat retailers and suppliers in London on Saturday. "I fear it may be a conspiracy with international implications," he said. | The Met confirmed on Friday that it has met with the FSA. Owen Paterson, the environment secretary, is holding an emergency meeting with heads of meat retailers and suppliers in London on Saturday. "I fear it may be a conspiracy with international implications," he said. |
| Food businesses have been told to have test results on all their products with the FSA by next Friday but Paterson is expected to tell MPs in a statement on Monday that some suppliers have been complaining to departmental officials that they have come under pressure from supermarket suppliers to cut corners. | Food businesses have been told to have test results on all their products with the FSA by next Friday but Paterson is expected to tell MPs in a statement on Monday that some suppliers have been complaining to departmental officials that they have come under pressure from supermarket suppliers to cut corners. |
| Schools have also been warned by the Department for Education to check their food suppliers and Number 10 admitted it could not rule out that horsemeat may have been served in hospitals. At least one baby food manufacturer has ordered emergency tests but said it was confident in the security of its supply chain. | Schools have also been warned by the Department for Education to check their food suppliers and Number 10 admitted it could not rule out that horsemeat may have been served in hospitals. At least one baby food manufacturer has ordered emergency tests but said it was confident in the security of its supply chain. |
| UK authorities, who were working with the Garda and government in Ireland, have asked French police to investigate particular contamination at Comigel, the French plant responsible for producing Findus lasagne found to contain up to 100% horse DNA. Ministers have also asked the EU's law enforcement agency Europol for help. Inquiries since the scare first broke last month originally centred on Ireland, Britain and suppliers in Poland. Horse DNA has also been found in products in Sweden and Spain. | UK authorities, who were working with the Garda and government in Ireland, have asked French police to investigate particular contamination at Comigel, the French plant responsible for producing Findus lasagne found to contain up to 100% horse DNA. Ministers have also asked the EU's law enforcement agency Europol for help. Inquiries since the scare first broke last month originally centred on Ireland, Britain and suppliers in Poland. Horse DNA has also been found in products in Sweden and Spain. |
| Mary Creagh, Labour's shadow environment minister, wants the Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA) to be involved. In a letter to environment secretary Owen Patterson, she said: "I have been given information about British companies who may potentially be involved in the illegal horsemeat trade. I am keen to share this information with the police to ensure that a full investigation can be made into any criminal activity." | Mary Creagh, Labour's shadow environment minister, wants the Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA) to be involved. In a letter to environment secretary Owen Patterson, she said: "I have been given information about British companies who may potentially be involved in the illegal horsemeat trade. I am keen to share this information with the police to ensure that a full investigation can be made into any criminal activity." |
| The investigations into possible criminality are thought to involve not only what has happened at factories and slaughterhouses but the wider pan-European horse trade. Animal welfare charities have long warned that lack of supervision in the transport of live animals has meant there is illegal activity. | The investigations into possible criminality are thought to involve not only what has happened at factories and slaughterhouses but the wider pan-European horse trade. Animal welfare charities have long warned that lack of supervision in the transport of live animals has meant there is illegal activity. |
| As David Cameron indicated that he would have no qualms about eating the sort of processed meat dishes that have been at the heart of the recent food scare, authorities insisted there was no evidence that frozen food in general was a risk to human health. But the FSA advised consumers who have bought affected beef lines from Findus not to eat them. They had not been tested for the presence of the veterinary medicine commonly used to treat horses, phenylbutazone, which is banned in the human food chain. It can cause a serious blood disorder in rare cases. | As David Cameron indicated that he would have no qualms about eating the sort of processed meat dishes that have been at the heart of the recent food scare, authorities insisted there was no evidence that frozen food in general was a risk to human health. But the FSA advised consumers who have bought affected beef lines from Findus not to eat them. They had not been tested for the presence of the veterinary medicine commonly used to treat horses, phenylbutazone, which is banned in the human food chain. It can cause a serious blood disorder in rare cases. |
| The Guardian has also established that the FSA has been unable to trace all the horses slaughtered in the UK that tested positive for "bute" last year. The agency has routinely been testing less than 1% of slaughtered horses for the drug, but found four positives in 2012 in a sample of 82 carcasses. It carried out a special additional survey on a further 63 horses last year and found 5% of those contained residues, bringing the total of positives to nine. | The Guardian has also established that the FSA has been unable to trace all the horses slaughtered in the UK that tested positive for "bute" last year. The agency has routinely been testing less than 1% of slaughtered horses for the drug, but found four positives in 2012 in a sample of 82 carcasses. It carried out a special additional survey on a further 63 horses last year and found 5% of those contained residues, bringing the total of positives to nine. |
| The Red Lion abattoir, owned by High Peak Meat Exports Ltd, has admitted that two of its slaughtered horses had tested positive for bute "historically" but said that this was typical of the industry as a whole and that residues levels were so low as not to be a public health issue. The abattoir is currently under investigation by the FSA for alleged animal welfare abuses, and three of its slaughtermen have had their licences to kill horses rescinded. The company said it was the FSA's responsibility to inspect horses at abattoirs and decide whether they were fit for the human food chain. | The Red Lion abattoir, owned by High Peak Meat Exports Ltd, has admitted that two of its slaughtered horses had tested positive for bute "historically" but said that this was typical of the industry as a whole and that residues levels were so low as not to be a public health issue. The abattoir is currently under investigation by the FSA for alleged animal welfare abuses, and three of its slaughtermen have had their licences to kill horses rescinded. The company said it was the FSA's responsibility to inspect horses at abattoirs and decide whether they were fit for the human food chain. |
| The FSA found six of the horses found to contain bute last year had been exported to France, two were still being traced, and one had been allegedly returned to two owners in the north of England for personal consumption. The family of one of the owners, in Chorley, Lancashire, told officials however that they had never received the carcass nor expected to receive it. | The FSA found six of the horses found to contain bute last year had been exported to France, two were still being traced, and one had been allegedly returned to two owners in the north of England for personal consumption. The family of one of the owners, in Chorley, Lancashire, told officials however that they had never received the carcass nor expected to receive it. |
| Some companies have told the Guardian they began testing their own products soon after the first cases of adulteration were reported in Ireland in mid-January. Full details of the testing requirements will be sent to the industry on Monday although the agency says companies already have enough information to get on with the job and return results by next Friday. | Some companies have told the Guardian they began testing their own products soon after the first cases of adulteration were reported in Ireland in mid-January. Full details of the testing requirements will be sent to the industry on Monday although the agency says companies already have enough information to get on with the job and return results by next Friday. |
| The agency said evidence of the significant amounts of horse meat in burgers and lasagne pointed "to either gross negligence or deliberate contamination in the food chain". | The agency said evidence of the significant amounts of horse meat in burgers and lasagne pointed "to either gross negligence or deliberate contamination in the food chain". |
| It said two particular cases of horse DNA in frozen burgers from Tesco and the lasagne from Findus were linked to suppliers in Ireland and France respectively. "We are working closely with the authorities in these countries to get to the root of the problem. Our priority remains to protect UK consumers." | It said two particular cases of horse DNA in frozen burgers from Tesco and the lasagne from Findus were linked to suppliers in Ireland and France respectively. "We are working closely with the authorities in these countries to get to the root of the problem. Our priority remains to protect UK consumers." |
| Tesco – which withdrew burger lines after one of its products made at an Irish plant had 29% equine DNA and withdrew lasagne made by French company Comigel – said it had already begun testing other beef lines at independent laboratories. | Tesco – which withdrew burger lines after one of its products made at an Irish plant had 29% equine DNA and withdrew lasagne made by French company Comigel – said it had already begun testing other beef lines at independent laboratories. |
| Elsewhere, a spokesman from supermarket chain Aldi said: "Following an alert from our French supplier, Comigel, Aldi immediately withdrew its frozen beef Lasagne and frozen spaghetti Bolognese from stores as a precautionary measure. | Elsewhere, a spokesman from supermarket chain Aldi said: "Following an alert from our French supplier, Comigel, Aldi immediately withdrew its frozen beef Lasagne and frozen spaghetti Bolognese from stores as a precautionary measure. |
| "Tests have been completed that show horse meat in the withdrawn products. In samples selected at random, tests demonstrated that the withdrawn products contained between 30% and 100% horse meat. | "Tests have been completed that show horse meat in the withdrawn products. In samples selected at random, tests demonstrated that the withdrawn products contained between 30% and 100% horse meat. |
| "This is completely unacceptable and like other affected companies, we feel angry and let down by our supplier. If the label says beef, our customers expect it to be beef. Suppliers are absolutely clear that they are required to meet our stringent specifications and that we do not tolerate any failure to do so. | "This is completely unacceptable and like other affected companies, we feel angry and let down by our supplier. If the label says beef, our customers expect it to be beef. Suppliers are absolutely clear that they are required to meet our stringent specifications and that we do not tolerate any failure to do so. |
| "We have acted quickly to withdraw the affected products from sale, conduct additional testing and review the performance of our suppliers. The products from Comigel will not be sold in our stores again and we will no longer take any product from Comigel. | "We have acted quickly to withdraw the affected products from sale, conduct additional testing and review the performance of our suppliers. The products from Comigel will not be sold in our stores again and we will no longer take any product from Comigel. |
| "We advise anyone who has bought any of these products to return them to their nearest Aldi store for a full refund." | "We advise anyone who has bought any of these products to return them to their nearest Aldi store for a full refund." |
| Cow and Gate, one of the UK's major baby food companies, began testing its 14 lines containing beef in the second half of last month. The results are due "quite soon", it said. The company, part of the French-based multinational Danone, has no production plants in Britain but has its factories in France and Spain. It insists it can trace meat back to a specific cow. Heinz said it did not source from Comigel and would be responding to the request for testing. | Cow and Gate, one of the UK's major baby food companies, began testing its 14 lines containing beef in the second half of last month. The results are due "quite soon", it said. The company, part of the French-based multinational Danone, has no production plants in Britain but has its factories in France and Spain. It insists it can trace meat back to a specific cow. Heinz said it did not source from Comigel and would be responding to the request for testing. |
| "We only source beef for our baby food recipes as whole muscle meat. We are continuing to keep the issue under close review with our suppliers as more information becomes available about the incident and root cause." | "We only source beef for our baby food recipes as whole muscle meat. We are continuing to keep the issue under close review with our suppliers as more information becomes available about the incident and root cause." |
| Baxters and Bird's Eye were among other companies who said they had begun their own tests. Both said none of their products came from any suppliers so far implicated. The Food and Drink Federation, which represents the interests of the UK food industry, emphasised the "small number" of products where significant levels of horsemeat had been detected so far and said it was "unlikely" the national testing programme would reveal negligence or fraud by other suppliers. | Baxters and Bird's Eye were among other companies who said they had begun their own tests. Both said none of their products came from any suppliers so far implicated. The Food and Drink Federation, which represents the interests of the UK food industry, emphasised the "small number" of products where significant levels of horsemeat had been detected so far and said it was "unlikely" the national testing programme would reveal negligence or fraud by other suppliers. |
| Meanwhile Findus said it knew there was a potential problem with its lasagnes two days before the products were withdrawn. It was looking into claims by the Labour MP Tom Watson that meat used by Comigel may have been suspect since August last year. | Meanwhile Findus said it knew there was a potential problem with its lasagnes two days before the products were withdrawn. It was looking into claims by the Labour MP Tom Watson that meat used by Comigel may have been suspect since August last year. |
| Labour has claimed the loss of 700 trading standards officers in three years has made this type of consumer fraud more widespread. | Labour has claimed the loss of 700 trading standards officers in three years has made this type of consumer fraud more widespread. |
| It also points to FSA's Meat Hygiene Service suffering cuts of £12m in the 4 years to 2014, with the result that amount of food checked in laboratories has gone down by as much as 30 %. | It also points to FSA's Meat Hygiene Service suffering cuts of £12m in the 4 years to 2014, with the result that amount of food checked in laboratories has gone down by as much as 30 %. |
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