Romanian abattoir implicated as horsemeat scandal spreads

The scandal over horsemeat sold as beef has spread to France, amid suspicions organised crime gangs could be behind a scam stretching all the way back to Romanian abattoirs.

The Romanian government is now investigating if horsemeat discovered in products including lasagne came from one of its abattoirs.

Meanwhile six French supermarket chains withdrew suspect frozen products from their shelves, following an earlier move by British retailers.

The British government suspects organised crime might be behind the meat substitution, but has ruled out a blanket ban on importing meat from European Union countries.

"It's completely wrong that a British consumer should go to a store, buy a product clearly marked beef, and find that it actually contains a cheaper product - horse," food minister Owen Paterson said.

"So this is actually fraud on the public.

AUDIO: Listen to Mary Gearin's report (AM)

"And personally, I think it's either a case of gross incompetence amongst suppliers further down the chain or, and I've got reason to believe this is looking increasingly likely, it looks like this is an international crime."

Several ranges of prepared food have been withdrawn in Britain, France and Sweden after it emerged that frozen food companies had been using horsemeat instead of beef in making lasagnes and other pasta dishes, shepherd's pies and moussakas.

Highlighting the complexity of European food supply chains, the meat has been traced back from France through Cyprus and the Netherlands to Romania.

On Sunday, French retailers Auchan, Casino, Carrefour, Cora, Monoprix and Picard announced they were withdrawing products provided by Findus and French producer Comigel.

The retailers said the withdrawal was the result of "labelling non-compliance in regards to the nature of the meat" in the products.

Findus is now considering legal action against its French-based suppliers, who in turn are pointing the finger at Romanian abattoirs.

The Romanian government has launched its own investigation.

'Panic measure'

A recall notice for frozen meals containing horsemeat at a London Aldi supermarket

In Britain, where tests found that some frozen ready meals produced in mainland Europe and labelled as processed beef actually contained up to 100 per cent horsemeat, Mr Paterson dismissed calls for a ban on EU meat imports.

"Arbitrary measures like that are not actually going to help. Firstly, we are bound by the rules of the European market," he said on Sky News television, describing the idea as a "panic measure".

But he warned that the government would not hesitate to impose a ban if public health was at risk.

"Should this move from an issue of labelling and fraud and there is evidence of material which represents a serious threat to human health, I won't hesitate to take action," he said.

The British press is full of speculation that organised crime groups were at the root of the scandal.

The scandal has had particular resonance in Britain, where eating horsemeat is considered taboo.

British authorities have also said they are testing to see whether the horsemeat contains a veterinary drug that can be dangerous to humans.

The Findus meals were assembled by Comigel using meat that was provided by Spanghero, a meat-processing company also based in France. Comigel supplies products to companies in 16 European countries.

Spanghero in turn is said to have obtained the meat from Romania via a Cypriot dealer who had subcontracted the deal to a trader in The Netherlands.

A Romanian food industry official pointed the finger of blame at the French importer, saying it was up to that company to verify the quality of the meat.

French consumer affairs minister Benoit Hamon defended France's food safety checks, saying the system relies on producers and importers to properly identify their meat.

"I can't put an official behind every piece of meat," he said.

He also took a sideswipe at Britain for seeking cuts in the European Union budget, saying reduced spending would affect food safety checks.

"The British are just returning from Brussels where they defended a liberal budget that tends to reduce food safety checks," he said.

Source: ABC News, 11 February 2013