French government suspects firm sold horsemeat labelled as beef

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2013/feb/14/french-government-suspects-firm-horsemeat

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A French investigation into the meat-labelling scandal suggests that French meat-processing company Spanghero sold on horsemeat labelled as beef, French consumer affairs minister Benoît Hamon said on Thursday.

"The investigation shows that Spanghero knew that the meat labelled as beef could be horse. There was a strong suspicion," Hamon told a news conference, adding that a Romanian supplier named in the affair seemed to have been acting in good faith.

Hamon said the mislabelled meat from Romania was far below the market rate for beef. Spanghero was to be suspended immediately and the results of the investigation have been forwarded to prosecutors, officials said.

Agriculture minister Stéphane Le Foll said the government was considering withdrawing Spanghero's operating licence.

Spanghero rejected the accusations and said it believed that it was selling was beef.

"Spanghero confirms having placed an order for beef, having been led to believe it received beef, and having sold back what it thought was beef, properly labelled as such, in line with European and French regulations," the firm said in an emailed statement.