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| Slaughterhouse and meat firm raided | Slaughterhouse and meat firm raided |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| A slaughterhouse and a meat firm have been raided by police and food safety officials probing alleged mislabelling of horsemeat as beef. | |
| Peter Boddy Licensed Slaughterhouse, in West Yorkshire, and Farmbox Meats Ltd, Aberystwyth, have had work suspended. | Peter Boddy Licensed Slaughterhouse, in West Yorkshire, and Farmbox Meats Ltd, Aberystwyth, have had work suspended. |
| Environment Secretary Owen Paterson said it was unacceptable if UK firms were defrauding the public. | Environment Secretary Owen Paterson said it was unacceptable if UK firms were defrauding the public. |
| Meanwhile, Waitrose withdrew its Essential British Frozen Beef Meatballs after pork was detected in two batches. | Meanwhile, Waitrose withdrew its Essential British Frozen Beef Meatballs after pork was detected in two batches. |
| The Food Standards Agency suspended operations at both the raided premises, detained all meat found and seized paperwork, including customer lists from the two companies. | The Food Standards Agency suspended operations at both the raided premises, detained all meat found and seized paperwork, including customer lists from the two companies. |
| The West Yorkshire plant was thought to have supplied horse carcasses to the Aberystwyth plant, which were then allegedly sold on as beef for kebabs and burgers. | |
| Both West Yorkshire and Dyfed-Powys police entered the premises with the FSA. | Both West Yorkshire and Dyfed-Powys police entered the premises with the FSA. |
| Mr Paterson said: "This is absolutely shocking. It's totally unacceptable if any business in the UK is defrauding the public by passing off horsemeat as beef. | Mr Paterson said: "This is absolutely shocking. It's totally unacceptable if any business in the UK is defrauding the public by passing off horsemeat as beef. |
| "I expect the full force of the law to be brought down on anyone involved in this kind of activity." | "I expect the full force of the law to be brought down on anyone involved in this kind of activity." |
| 'Integrity essential' | |
| FSA director of operation Andrew Rhodes said: "I ordered an audit of all horse-producing abattoirs in the UK after this issue first arose last month, and I was shocked to uncover what appears to be a blatant misleading of consumers. | FSA director of operation Andrew Rhodes said: "I ordered an audit of all horse-producing abattoirs in the UK after this issue first arose last month, and I was shocked to uncover what appears to be a blatant misleading of consumers. |
| "I have suspended both plants immediately while our investigations continue." | "I have suspended both plants immediately while our investigations continue." |
| The Welsh minister for agriculture, Alun Davies, said: "Integrity and trust are essential in the food chain. I would be appalled if these allegations are proven. | |
| "The Welsh Government is working closely with Defra (Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) and the FSA to ensure this matter is dealt with swiftly and decisively." | |
| The latest developments came as Mr Paterson held another meeting with the FSA, supermarkets and food producers to discuss the spreading horsemeat contamination scandal. | |
| He told MPs during a Commons debate earlier that "too much is taken on trust" when it comes to verifying meat supplies. | He told MPs during a Commons debate earlier that "too much is taken on trust" when it comes to verifying meat supplies. |
| At Waitrose, a spokeswoman said it had had "contradictory results" from tests on the frozen beef meatballs. | At Waitrose, a spokeswoman said it had had "contradictory results" from tests on the frozen beef meatballs. |
| She said all had tested negative for horse DNA, but one test had indicated the presence of some pork. | She said all had tested negative for horse DNA, but one test had indicated the presence of some pork. |
| "We have withdrawn two batches of these products as pork is not listed as a product in the recipe." | "We have withdrawn two batches of these products as pork is not listed as a product in the recipe." |
| The products have a best before date of the end of June 13 and the end of August 13. | The products have a best before date of the end of June 13 and the end of August 13. |
| Mr Paterson will travel to Brussels on Wednesday to discuss the scandal with counterparts in EU countries. |