Horsemeat scandal: FSA inquiry ‘will be relentless’
It is certainly a difficult time for many farmers trying to make a success of their farm businesses. While the ‘horseburger scandal’ continues to intensify it is farmers who both risk paying the price for the contamination and any collapse in farmgate prices should consumer confidence dwindle in meat products (at least in the short term) as people change their shopping habits. This piece on the BBC sets out how the crisis has spread across Europe. The Defra website now hosts a feature on ‘processed beef products and horse meat’. which contains the latest news and information on nationwide testing.
When updating Parliament on 13 February, Environment Secretary Owen Paterson described how it is “totally unacceptable if any business in the UK is found to be defrauding the public by passing off horsemeat as beef. The FSA will continue to work closely with the police and if there is any evidence of criminal activity, I will expect the full force of the law to be brought down on anyone involved”. Subsequently, the Food Standards Agency (FSA) lists various food recalls and the raids it has carried out on two meat premises, one in West Yorkshire and the other in West Wales, involved in the alleged supply of horse meat.
There are all sorts of farming organisations and groups that support farmers and for many they provide them with a lifeline in coping with such a critical state of affairs. Jessica and I are working on a project for a group of organisations including The Farmer Network and RASE looking for examples of farmers working together to help each other (Farmer Networks) and for examples of organisations that provide services to them (Networks for Farmers). If you know of a network you can respond to our information call here.