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| Horsemeat scandal: EU ministers to hold crisis talks | Horsemeat scandal: EU ministers to hold crisis talks |
| (about 3 hours later) | |
| EU agriculture ministers are to discuss the horsemeat scandal that has reportedly affected up to 16 countries. | EU agriculture ministers are to discuss the horsemeat scandal that has reportedly affected up to 16 countries. |
| Irish Agriculture Minister Simon Coveney will chair the Brussels talks, which will seek ways to restore consumer confidence in meat products. | |
| This comes after the discovery that meat sold in Europe labelled as beef contained horsemeat. | This comes after the discovery that meat sold in Europe labelled as beef contained horsemeat. |
| On Tuesday, a slaughterhouse and a meat firm were raided by police in the UK probing alleged horsemeat mislabelling. | On Tuesday, a slaughterhouse and a meat firm were raided by police in the UK probing alleged horsemeat mislabelling. |
| UK Environment Secretary Owen Paterson said it was unacceptable if British firms were defrauding the public. | UK Environment Secretary Owen Paterson said it was unacceptable if British firms were defrauding the public. |
| The scandal has raised questions about the complexity of the food industry's supply chains across the 27-member EU bloc, with a number of supermarket chains withdrawing frozen beef meals. | The scandal has raised questions about the complexity of the food industry's supply chains across the 27-member EU bloc, with a number of supermarket chains withdrawing frozen beef meals. |
| Meanwhile, Romania has denied claims that it was the source of the mislabelling of horsemeat. Bucharest says horsemeat that leaves the country has not been minced, and is labelled as horse. | Meanwhile, Romania has denied claims that it was the source of the mislabelling of horsemeat. Bucharest says horsemeat that leaves the country has not been minced, and is labelled as horse. |
| Tighter restrictions | Tighter restrictions |
| The ministers from the UK, France, Ireland, Luxembourg, Poland, Romania and Sweden are expected to take part in the talks in Brussels, along with European Commission officials. | |
| The meeting is an opportunity to exchange ideas on where the problem might have originated and how to stop it in the future, the BBC's Christian Fraser reports. | The meeting is an opportunity to exchange ideas on where the problem might have originated and how to stop it in the future, the BBC's Christian Fraser reports. |
| Tighter restrictions for the labelling of processed food are now in the pipeline, our correspondent adds. | Tighter restrictions for the labelling of processed food are now in the pipeline, our correspondent adds. |
| "We are looking at whether (such labelling) is possible... but nothing is fixed yet," Mr Borg's spokesman said on Tuesday. | "We are looking at whether (such labelling) is possible... but nothing is fixed yet," Mr Borg's spokesman said on Tuesday. |
| There are growing concerns that that a drug used to treat horses - and which is harmful to humans - could be in the food chain. | There are growing concerns that that a drug used to treat horses - and which is harmful to humans - could be in the food chain. |
| But EU officials say public health is not at stake, and the problem is instead one of mislabelling. | But EU officials say public health is not at stake, and the problem is instead one of mislabelling. |
| They say it is up to national regulators to take action. | They say it is up to national regulators to take action. |