Details about
how horsemeat masquerading as beef made it into the European meat markets are
surfacing from court action.
French
authorities estimate that between 2010 and 2013, 4,700 horses unfit for human
consumption were slaughtered and introduced into the legal food chain.
Four hundred
horse passports with anomalies were detected in France alone.
Due to
falsification, suppression and/or modification of official health documentation
by the group, the horsemeat, deemed unfit for human consumption, was able to
fraudulently enter the European food chain. According to EU food chain
legislation, all horsemeat is supposed to be traceable.
A man in
Belgium is believed to be the head of the fraud.
An
Investigating judge from the Tribunal de Première Instance of the Province of
Luxembourg (Division Arlon), Belgium, began his inquiry in 2012.
France started
its investigation in July, 2013, led by a judge from the Tribunal de Grande
Instance of Marseille (Pôle Santé Publique).
A joint
investigation team between France and Belgium was formed in May, 2014, with
funding by Eurojust. This month the United Kingdom joined the team.
So far there
have been 26 arrests, about $50,000 worth of cash has been seized and more than
200 horses will be examined by veterinary services.
Dozens of
searches of commercial and private premises were carried out, more than 800
horse passports were seized plus medication, dozens of microchips and computer
equipment.
