This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/feb/10/real-beef-about-horsemeat
The article has changed 7 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 2 | Version 3 |
|---|---|
| The real beef about horsemeat | The real beef about horsemeat |
| (8 days later) | |
| British farmers must be shocked that the official line on the contamination of beef products with horsemeat is that there is no threat to health (The horsemeat scandal, 9 February). Of course, human beings can eat horse: that is not the issue. The problem is the unknown provenance of the meat. Farm animals in Britain are subject to strict controls: every move made by every animal from auction to farm, farm to auction, farm to farm, is recorded and controlled. There are laws regarding medication received by every animal, all recorded and banned from use for a period of time before slaughter. Veterinary inspections are mandatory at sales and abattoirs, and the latter have to reach high standards of hygiene and humane treatment. | British farmers must be shocked that the official line on the contamination of beef products with horsemeat is that there is no threat to health (The horsemeat scandal, 9 February). Of course, human beings can eat horse: that is not the issue. The problem is the unknown provenance of the meat. Farm animals in Britain are subject to strict controls: every move made by every animal from auction to farm, farm to auction, farm to farm, is recorded and controlled. There are laws regarding medication received by every animal, all recorded and banned from use for a period of time before slaughter. Veterinary inspections are mandatory at sales and abattoirs, and the latter have to reach high standards of hygiene and humane treatment. |
| Fallen stock has to be removed from farms by licensed firms, and recorded so that the meat does not enter the human food chain. Herds are regularly checked to eliminate TB and other diseases. | Fallen stock has to be removed from farms by licensed firms, and recorded so that the meat does not enter the human food chain. Herds are regularly checked to eliminate TB and other diseases. |
| Thus everything possible is done to ensure that British farming can deliver safe meat to the public. When this has failed, it was because the rules were broken by criminals. There has been no control and no knowledge of the origins of this contamination. There is a saying "I'm so hungry, I could eat a scabby horse". Perhaps some of us have done just that. Brenda Procter Lockerbie, Dumfries and Galloway | Thus everything possible is done to ensure that British farming can deliver safe meat to the public. When this has failed, it was because the rules were broken by criminals. There has been no control and no knowledge of the origins of this contamination. There is a saying "I'm so hungry, I could eat a scabby horse". Perhaps some of us have done just that. Brenda Procter Lockerbie, Dumfries and Galloway |
| • Three food and health-related stories in less than three weeks is not a coincidence but an indicator of how much is wrong with our industrial-scale food supply systems. | • Three food and health-related stories in less than three weeks is not a coincidence but an indicator of how much is wrong with our industrial-scale food supply systems. |
| Horse burgers, halal meat contaminated by pork (Contaminated halal meat supplier named, 4 February) and a "silent epidemic" of food poisoning from uncooked chicken meat (Face the Facts, BBC Radio 4, 16 January) are indicative of a system under pressure and operating at a scale that makes many feel uncomfortable. | Horse burgers, halal meat contaminated by pork (Contaminated halal meat supplier named, 4 February) and a "silent epidemic" of food poisoning from uncooked chicken meat (Face the Facts, BBC Radio 4, 16 January) are indicative of a system under pressure and operating at a scale that makes many feel uncomfortable. |
| It is clear that local producers should play a much more significant role in the nation's food supply chain. However, more supportive and clearer signals are required from both politicians and the "big beasts" of the food world. Buying local is good for the economy, good for the environment and good for you. Edwyn Martin Manager, Produced in Kent | It is clear that local producers should play a much more significant role in the nation's food supply chain. However, more supportive and clearer signals are required from both politicians and the "big beasts" of the food world. Buying local is good for the economy, good for the environment and good for you. Edwyn Martin Manager, Produced in Kent |
| • Apart from their revulsion at the thought of unwittingly eating horse, if the labelling on the packaging, the point-of-sale material etc, said products contained beef, consumers are not eating what they thought they bought. Legislation relating to trading standards, product description and sale of goods already exists and the retailers are, to some extent, as at fault as the manufacturers/producers. Retailers should compensate consumers accordingly. | • Apart from their revulsion at the thought of unwittingly eating horse, if the labelling on the packaging, the point-of-sale material etc, said products contained beef, consumers are not eating what they thought they bought. Legislation relating to trading standards, product description and sale of goods already exists and the retailers are, to some extent, as at fault as the manufacturers/producers. Retailers should compensate consumers accordingly. |
| Consumers might consider getting together to mount claims against what they have been sold under a wrong description. Any individual can temporarily waive his or her rights to confidentiality of data held by retailers/loyalty scheme operators for the purpose of mounting legal challenges. Such actions might galvanise retailers to operate in a better way than they do at present. Alan Jarmain Egerton, Bolton | Consumers might consider getting together to mount claims against what they have been sold under a wrong description. Any individual can temporarily waive his or her rights to confidentiality of data held by retailers/loyalty scheme operators for the purpose of mounting legal challenges. Such actions might galvanise retailers to operate in a better way than they do at present. Alan Jarmain Egerton, Bolton |
| • Essentially, what the current arguments boil down to is that British consumers have the right and expectation to an assurance when they eat these products that the awful pink slurry they contain has been blasted from the bones of old cows and not old horses. Perhaps I'm missing something. Terry McGinn Barrowford, Lancashire | • Essentially, what the current arguments boil down to is that British consumers have the right and expectation to an assurance when they eat these products that the awful pink slurry they contain has been blasted from the bones of old cows and not old horses. Perhaps I'm missing something. Terry McGinn Barrowford, Lancashire |
| • The Tories are opposed to both Europol and the European arrest warrant. Therefore, as a matter of principle they should not use these instruments when seeking to detain and prosecute the "criminal element" who are involved with the horsemeat fiasco. And do pork and lamb also have other meats mixed with them? Duncan Anderson Immingham, Lincolnshire | • The Tories are opposed to both Europol and the European arrest warrant. Therefore, as a matter of principle they should not use these instruments when seeking to detain and prosecute the "criminal element" who are involved with the horsemeat fiasco. And do pork and lamb also have other meats mixed with them? Duncan Anderson Immingham, Lincolnshire |
| • I demand to see a government minister's child eating a horse burger immediately, in order to allay my fears about eating processed food! Howard Yardy Tregaron, Ceredigion | • I demand to see a government minister's child eating a horse burger immediately, in order to allay my fears about eating processed food! Howard Yardy Tregaron, Ceredigion |
| • Could I have reassurance that no burgers contain traces of Soylent Green? Dr Martin Thomas Faversham, Kent | • Could I have reassurance that no burgers contain traces of Soylent Green? Dr Martin Thomas Faversham, Kent |
| Our editors' picks for the day's top news and commentary delivered to your inbox each morning. | Our editors' picks for the day's top news and commentary delivered to your inbox each morning. |
| Our editors' picks for the day's top news and commentary delivered to your inbox each morning. Enter your email address to subscribe. | Our editors' picks for the day's top news and commentary delivered to your inbox each morning. Enter your email address to subscribe. |
| Our editors' picks for the day's top news and commentary delivered to your inbox each morning. |