Economic Repercussions of Europe’s Horse Meat Scandal

By ⋅ February 11, 2013 ⋅ Post a comment
Some 'Everyday Value' meals of the British TESCO chain were found to contain 60% horsemeat. (Photo: BBC)

Some 'Everyday Value' meals of the British TESCO chain were found to contain 60% horsemeat. (Photo: BBC)

It began with burgers in Ireland and frozen lasagna in Britain.

Horse meat was found to be passed off as beef in fast food burgers and frozen products across the United Kingdom and France.

British and French governments are promising to punish those involved. And fingers have been pointing to suppliers in Romania, Poland and Sweden.

Consumer confidence in Europe’s food industry has hit a low.

But there is another side to this scandal.

It seems the demand for horse meat has actually increased. So says, Paul Webb of the website Exotic Meats.




Discussion

2 comments for “Economic Repercussions of Europe’s Horse Meat Scandal”

  • Susan Rudnicki

    Mr Werman—I may not know everything about the stories you broadcast, but you clearly do NOT understand the public health repercussions of this horse meat scandal.   This puff piece/counter intuitive slant on the “exotic meat” trade is a story in search of a little background.   For your information, MOST domestic horses are treated with drugs BANNED for use in food animals, and even one dose of phenylbutazone has no allowable withdrawal period, making that animal illegal for EVER being used as human food.  About 98% of racehorses, which constitute the majority of horses going to slaughter after they are no longer worth their keep to their ‘investor’, are treated with a raft of anti-inflammatories, pain meds, wormers, performance enhancers, etc.  uniformly labeled “not for use in food animals”  
    Phenylbutazone was a experimental anti-inflammatory used for humans until it was found to cause blood dyscrasias—or CANCER, in street language.  
         Showhorses, backyard pet horses, and the over breeding detritus of a out-of-control breeding industry pumps hundreds of thousands of horses into the slaughter pipeline per year in Europe and America.   Most of these animals are treated with drugs banned for use in food animals.   Your interviewee touched on the issue very peripherally, and you failed to follow his clue.   He mentioned the oversight agencies issuing “passports” and papers on European horses to verify their slaughter potential, but he is sorely mistaken.   Even now, the media and investigative agencies have shown the “passport” traceability system to be corrupted and trading in illegal sale of “authenticated” identification numbers is a fact.  
        You deserve to be excoriated for doing such a poor job of investigation and reporting.   This is not some frivolous “exotic comestible” issue, but a public health menace—even if you find the slaughter of horses of no interest from a welfare standpoint.  There is a whole other story there.      By the way, in South Korea, there is a thriving dog meat trade, sold in dog meat markets, where you can choose your dinner.   How about a story on that?  

  • Susan Rudnicki

    From a story that ran in the Independent —Veterinarians in the UK have been warning repeatedly about phenylbutazone residues in tested slaughter horses.   Have a look, Mr Werman.   You need a little education here—http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-21383362