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| Horsemeat scandal: FSA inquiry 'will be relentless' | Horsemeat scandal: FSA inquiry 'will be relentless' |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| The inquiry into claims of horsemeat mislabelling will be "relentless", the Food Standards Agency (FSA) says. | The inquiry into claims of horsemeat mislabelling will be "relentless", the Food Standards Agency (FSA) says. |
| It comes after a slaughterhouse in Todmorden, West Yorkshire and a meat firm near Aberystwyth were raided by FSA officials supported by police. | It comes after a slaughterhouse in Todmorden, West Yorkshire and a meat firm near Aberystwyth were raided by FSA officials supported by police. |
| FSA director of operations Andrew Rhodes told the BBC that the agency's investigations would continue until "there was nothing left to find". | FSA director of operations Andrew Rhodes told the BBC that the agency's investigations would continue until "there was nothing left to find". |
| The FSA suspended operations at both raided premises and seized paperwork. | The FSA suspended operations at both raided premises and seized paperwork. |
| 'No risk' | 'No risk' |
| The horsemeat scandal began last month when Irish authorities discovered horsemeat in some burgers stocked by a number of UK supermarket chains. | The horsemeat scandal began last month when Irish authorities discovered horsemeat in some burgers stocked by a number of UK supermarket chains. |
| Horsemeat has also been found in branded and supermarket-own ready meals, including lasagne and spaghetti bolognese. Some Findus frozen beef lasagne, made by a French food processing company, were found to have up to 100% horsemeat in them. | Horsemeat has also been found in branded and supermarket-own ready meals, including lasagne and spaghetti bolognese. Some Findus frozen beef lasagne, made by a French food processing company, were found to have up to 100% horsemeat in them. |
| The crisis has spread across Europe as details of the convoluted supply chain in the meat industry emerged. | The crisis has spread across Europe as details of the convoluted supply chain in the meat industry emerged. |
| The FSA in the UK has ordered food businesses to carry out tests on all processed beef products and the first results are expected on Friday. They are testing for the presence of horsemeat and pork. | The FSA in the UK has ordered food businesses to carry out tests on all processed beef products and the first results are expected on Friday. They are testing for the presence of horsemeat and pork. |
| The FSA also ordered an audit of all horse-producing abattoirs in the UK. | The FSA also ordered an audit of all horse-producing abattoirs in the UK. |
| Mr Rhodes told the BBC the raids on Tuesday were a result of those investigations, and his officers had returned to the premises on Wednesday morning. | Mr Rhodes told the BBC the raids on Tuesday were a result of those investigations, and his officers had returned to the premises on Wednesday morning. |
| "What we found was a quantity of horsemeat sent to a factory in west Wales and used in beef products when it shouldn't have been," he said. | "What we found was a quantity of horsemeat sent to a factory in west Wales and used in beef products when it shouldn't have been," he said. |
| What is not known is whether it was deliberate or a mistake, he said. | What is not known is whether it was deliberate or a mistake, he said. |
| "We've been very relentless in this," he added. "We'll continue following it through until there is nothing left to find." | "We've been very relentless in this," he added. "We'll continue following it through until there is nothing left to find." |
| Mr Rhodes said consumers had every right to expect a product to be exactly what it said on the label, but no evidence of a food safety risk had been found so far. | Mr Rhodes said consumers had every right to expect a product to be exactly what it said on the label, but no evidence of a food safety risk had been found so far. |
| The FSA regularly tested a broad change of facilities, he added, and retailers and manufacturers were now being asked to routinely send their test results to the agency for assessment. | The FSA regularly tested a broad change of facilities, he added, and retailers and manufacturers were now being asked to routinely send their test results to the agency for assessment. |
| 'Never knowingly' | 'Never knowingly' |
| The raided premises were Peter Boddy Licensed Slaughterhouse, in Todmorden, West Yorkshire, and Farmbox Meats Ltd, of Llandre near Aberystwyth. | The raided premises were Peter Boddy Licensed Slaughterhouse, in Todmorden, West Yorkshire, and Farmbox Meats Ltd, of Llandre near Aberystwyth. |
| The West Yorkshire plant is thought to have supplied horse carcasses to the Aberystwyth firm, which were then allegedly sold on as beef for kebabs and burgers. | |
| Mr Boddy said he was co-operating with the FSA and officials were "welcome to visit" his premises whenever they wanted. | Mr Boddy said he was co-operating with the FSA and officials were "welcome to visit" his premises whenever they wanted. |
| Dafydd Raw Rees, of Farmbox Meats, said the firm was licensed to deal with horses and it had been cutting horsemeat, from the Republic of Ireland, for the last three weeks. | Dafydd Raw Rees, of Farmbox Meats, said the firm was licensed to deal with horses and it had been cutting horsemeat, from the Republic of Ireland, for the last three weeks. |
| "As far as I am concerned I know nothing about the plant in West Yorkshire. I have never knowingly processed horsemeat until three weeks ago," he said. | "As far as I am concerned I know nothing about the plant in West Yorkshire. I have never knowingly processed horsemeat until three weeks ago," he said. |
| "There is nothing we have done here which is not totally permissible." | "There is nothing we have done here which is not totally permissible." |
| Environment Secretary Owen Paterson will travel to Brussels on Wednesday for a meeting of European countries caught up in the horsemeat scandal. | Environment Secretary Owen Paterson will travel to Brussels on Wednesday for a meeting of European countries caught up in the horsemeat scandal. |
| Ministers from the Irish Republic, France, Romania, Luxembourg, Sweden and Poland will attend. | Ministers from the Irish Republic, France, Romania, Luxembourg, Sweden and Poland will attend. |
| Mr Paterson has said it would be "totally unacceptable" if any UK business was "defrauding the public" by passing off horsemeat as beef. | Mr Paterson has said it would be "totally unacceptable" if any UK business was "defrauding the public" by passing off horsemeat as beef. |
| Shadow environment secretary Mary Creagh said she wanted Mr Paterson to come back from Brussels having secured a European-wide testing regime. | Shadow environment secretary Mary Creagh said she wanted Mr Paterson to come back from Brussels having secured a European-wide testing regime. |
| "It's clear this is not just a UK problem or an Irish problem," she said. "About 16 countries have received defective products from Findus and are recalling them. | "It's clear this is not just a UK problem or an Irish problem," she said. "About 16 countries have received defective products from Findus and are recalling them. |
| "In order to build a true picture of how far the adulteration has gone, other European countries have to start the testing we have done here." | "In order to build a true picture of how far the adulteration has gone, other European countries have to start the testing we have done here." |
| She also said testing in the UK needed to be reinforced. Councils have had their budgets cut, so trading standards staff had to prioritise food safety and checking takeaways, she added. | She also said testing in the UK needed to be reinforced. Councils have had their budgets cut, so trading standards staff had to prioritise food safety and checking takeaways, she added. |
| In a separate development, Waitrose's Essential British Frozen Beef Meatballs has become the latest product to be withdrawn from UK supermarket shelves after pork was detected in two batches. | In a separate development, Waitrose's Essential British Frozen Beef Meatballs has become the latest product to be withdrawn from UK supermarket shelves after pork was detected in two batches. |