Three released on bail in horsemeat scandal (From Evesham Journal)
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Three released on bail in horsemeat scandal
11:25am Saturday 16th February 2013 in News By Neil Watts
Three released on bail in horsemeat scandal
THREE men arrested in connection with the horsemeat mis-labelling scandal have been released on bail as the investigation continues.
The Food Standards Agency said it passed on evidence from two premises in Tottenham and one in Hull to Europol - the European Union's law enforcement agency - after investigators removed meat samples for testing.
The move comes after Dafydd Raw-Rees, 64, owner of Farmbox Meats near Aberystwyth, and a 42-year-old man, were arrested in Wales on Thursday on suspicion of offences under the Fraud Act.
A 63-year-old man was also arrested on suspicion of the same offence at Peter Boddy Slaughterhouse in Todmorden, West Yorkshire.
The men have been released pending further inquiries and will return to answer bail in Aberystwyth at a later date, Dyfed Powys Police said.
Evidence is being examined from three more plants.
The chief executive of the Food Standards Agency has admitted it is unlikely the exact number of people in the UK who have unwittingly eaten horsemeat will ever be known.
Catherine Brown said testing was the right way to address the issue and said the focus would be on areas of higher risk, but she admitted that how many people who had unknowingly eaten horsemeat was likely to be impossible to ascertain.
"I don't think that we ever will (know how many), because these tests are a snapshot, so even where we find things it is very hard to work out how long, what number of batches, so I think it is unlikely that we will ever know that.
"It is shocking.”
Comments(3)
Ubique5740
says...
7:50am Sun 17 Feb 13
Unbelievable , Refused - typical of this Council , who the hell do they think are.
That's no reassurance for parents etc. Begs the question , where is the meat from , would appear not from the County otherwise , one hopes they would be shouting it from the top of the flag pole on Shire Hall.
Allan Whitehead
says...
9:07am Sun 17 Feb 13
Sir/Madam, I presume that HCC is Herford County Council.
Well this looks like one of those Councils who’s make up is a Majority of Conservative Councillors. It would be interesting to know if those who Independent. Were elected as independent or after being elected, changed their allegiance.
I think that when council are seeking a supplier to provide them with any type of service, they are duty bound to accept the lowest tender. Unless there is a valid reason for not doing so. EG. Say the abattoir in Todmorden (pronounced Todmidden) had tendered the lowest, and an abattoir from Hereford had placed a tender but was 10% higher than I think the council can elect to use the home County.
When Council will not say whether something is being tested or not. We either have to force the answer from the Council by using the means of requesting this in formation under the freedom of information act. I would suggest that a letter is sent to the Chief Education Officer requesting the information required under “The Freedom of Information Act. With copies to the leader of the Council, and all three of your ward Councillors.
Allan Whitehead says...
1:24pm Sat 16 Feb 13
Now the problem of deceit is within the UK and the perpetrators have been released on bail. People who break the law for profit should be denied bail, and sentenced to serve a minimum term of some 10/15 years.
Now those who are guilty of the very same crime in the European Community are at liberty to carry on producing horsemeat and labelling it as beef and our Minister cannot do anything to prevent it being sent to the UK.
Why do we the public even bother to vote for any of the main parties.