Bute in the food chain & useless passportation

[indie999]

I mean how many of you really find this quite shocking? Are we suprised? I am not.

What annoys me is the word CONTAMINATION.
UR NO ITS HORSE!

Glad I use my local butcher and had this same conversation with him today. Cattle farmers must have been losing out too over this?

Told you so...........but who would not listen to the horse world...........um

 

[Penny Less]

Wonder how long before Elf and Safety ban Bute now.

Also on the passport front, the proposed microchipping of dogs and central database. Would that be something like NED which has just been scrapped !

 

[indie999]

Yep I wonder what other animals have gone in too?

 

[Orchardbeck]

My husband is a beef farmer- he is furious over this, plus the potential loss of earnings. But where does it end? Do we have other meats masquerading as chicken for example? Are they going to start testing all meat products?

There are serious implications for the beef industry in the Uk if this isn't handled properly, or if they don't smarten up the current horse passport regulations.

 

[Luci07]

Talking to someone who knows a lot more about this than I do last night... and they said this is only the tip of the iceberg. Its rife and massively organised. And, lets just leave it at, strong suspicions that "pets" from the UK have entered the food chain, despite our useless passports.

And yes, If I was a beef farmer I would be furious as well. Massively. My local village butcher is always busy and full. I suspect this will increase even further now.

 

[FfionWinnie]

I agree this is just the tip of a massive scandal. I bet its gone on forever.

I am in agriculture and the amount of record keeping I have to do is ludicrous when you consider what these shysters are up to and have been getting away with!!

 

[tallyho!]

A mass boycott of the processed food industry would be the only way and its happening already. The queue for our butcher this morning went all the way along the street blocking every other shop! He'll run out before it gets halfway.

Bring back local abattoirs!!

 

[Suzie G]

As a consumer I thought that all meat in Britain had to come from traceable sources, especially after the BSE crisis.

Obviously not, I may be wrong but as usual our British farmers seem to have to jump through hoops of Bureaucracy whilst cheap meat from other countries get brought in over our borders and put into our food chain.

Close our borders to this untested meat (as France would do to us!) and BUY BRITISH at your local butcher!!

 

[sywell]

If you heard David Heath at the select committee when he told the Chairman that DEFRA is responsible for the policy of what it says on the packet not the implementation of enforcing that policy. They dump that on the local authorities and say that local authorities have to act on the asessment of risk(I have that in writing from D.Heath) but the LAs do not have the funding to do that assesment. There is nothing wrong with horse passports its just that DEFRA has never enforced the legislation in any way and up to 20% of horses have no passport and to save £160000 they closed the National Equine Database and now they have no electronic database to find out anything.

 

[FfionWinnie]

As a consumer I thought that all meat in Britain had to come from traceable sources, especially after the BSE crisis.

Obviously not, I may be wrong but as usual our British farmers seem to have to jump through hoops of Bureaucracy whilst cheap meat from other countries get brought in over our borders and put into our food chain.

Close our borders to this untested meat (as France would do to us!) and BUY BRITISH at your local butcher!!

Spot on!

Cheap imported meat doesn't benefit from our high standards of animal welfare either.

 

[Polos Mum]

This is too big now to be just a few rogue people, if it was one processor or one line of food maybe but such a wide range of products from a wide range of sources - clearly this is something that is common place in the industry and either lots of people have turned a very blind eye for a long time or there are totally inadequate people employed in senior positions!!!

It's not the fact it's horse that bothers me it's the fact that if they don't know what species it is how can they know it's fit for human consumption in any way!!

Maddnes for the government to say it's fine to eat - they have no records of where it's come from and hence they can't possibly know whether it's fit to eat or not.

 

[LynH]

I have a potentially life threatening allergy to various medications and the doctors have always told me not to eat meat as traces of drugs could be found in meat. A young boy with the same condition as me died from eating chicken. They believe the chicken contained traces of antibiotics that he was allergic to.
I haven't eaten meat for 25yrs but a couple of years ago asked the doctor if I could start eating it seeing as food regulations had improved so much over the years but was still told not to as it wasn't guaranteed safe. It has always made me wonder what drugs beef cattle or chickens are allowed to be fed if entering the food chain but now with all this going on I'm so relieved my doctors have erred on the side of caution.

 

[CorvusCorax]

Agree it's probably only the tip of the iceberg. I bet my dad is so happy he spent all those long lonely nights filling out forms and inputting data into a computer at the livestock mart.

And as mentioned on another thread, we've been dying for years at the hands of legal drugs like alcohol, nicotine, sugar and salt, no wonder we're dropping like flies because of the stuff we never knew was in our food.

 

[fizzer]

When we had BSE other countries banned our meat, they should stop all imports of meat and support local businesses so we can supple our own.

 

[indie999]

My husband is a beef farmer- he is furious over this, plus the potential loss of earnings. But where does it end? Do we have other meats masquerading as chicken for example? Are they going to start testing all meat products?

There are serious implications for the beef industry in the Uk if this isn't handled properly, or if they don't smarten up the current horse passport regulations.

I was saying exactly the same to my butcher(my relative WAS a beef farmer lost a lot via BSE and that was due to feeding advice and doing things properly ie not farmers fault) Anyway yes your OH will have lost money as clearly instead of beef good old cheap bute fed equines have gone into the pot. Shameful. The owners of these companies should be heavily fined and stripped of ever setting up new companies again.
Useless bureaucratic EU/UK etc I agree tip of iceberg. Here we are in the UK frequently complaining about standards of other countries as if we are all high and mighty and then feeding the nation is an utter joke. I can only say its GREED. The old saying where theres muck theres money.
My local butcher thinks he will be busy, visiting Supermarket yesterday I looked at all the pre-made foods and it actually made me feel ill as what else goes into their foods

 

[FfionWinnie]

I have a couple of co-op ready meals in the freezer a neighbour bought when we were snowed in. I am just waiting to hear they contain horse!

I usually buy a couple a week and have stopped now.

 

[PucciNPoni]

I'm not sure why British beef farmers are worried about loss of business? It's not them that's under scruitiny, and in fact I would think that there will perhaps be a shift on to more locally produced beef rather than sourced abroad?

All this news should be good news for those farmers in the UK - I would hope so. But if someone would enlighten me how it will negatively impact British farmers, I'm all ears

 

[FfionWinnie]

I'm not sure why British beef farmers are worried about loss of business? It's not them that's under scruitiny, and in fact I would think that there will perhaps be a shift on to more locally produced beef rather than sourced abroad?

All this news should be good news for those farmers in the UK - I would hope so. But if someone would enlighten me how it will negatively impact British farmers, I'm all ears

Because people will probably eat less meat or switch to chicken or fish. Several times I have gone to buy something pre prepared recently and then changed my mind.

It really depends how the media handle it. People don't think too deeply and WILL blame farmers which is obviously wrong as most farmers hate horses

 

[Goldenstar]

In the Findus thing horse meat came from Rumania they will have no passports no health checks no anything before entering the food chain .
All this shows one thing is with out doult true buy your meat from your local butcher or farm shop.
Don't buy processed foods , eat meat pies etc unless you know they are from small local suppliers.

There is little point in the farmers round here spending hours on paperwork so that their "product " is traceable if any old horse from eastern Europe can end up in a beef ready meal and no one knows .
This all shines light in what can be in that quick and easy supper you pick up at the supper market / garage shop.
I am not surprised the farmers are furious it makes everything a joke.
And we horse owners have to be ready to vigorously fight and attempt to interfere with the aviability of leisure / competion horse drugs.

 

[PucciNPoni]

Because people will probably eat less meat or switch to chicken or fish. Several times I have gone to buy something pre prepared recently and then changed my mind.

It really depends how the media handle it. People don't think too deeply and WILL blame farmers which is obviously wrong as most farmers hate horses

From what I've been hearing people say in my circles is that they'll no longer support buying meat which isn't locally produced! I don't think beef is off the menu so to speak. I think perhaps it'll just be more carefully selected! I reckon the likes of Tesco and Sainsburys et al will start putting stickers on everything saying "BRITISH BEEF"! (and hopefully it'll be true! )

Meanwhile, I don't think it's just beef under scruitiny - I reckon it's just hte tip of the iceberg. I am willing to bet we're getting more than just horse in our foreign products!

 

[FfionWinnie]

I am not surprised the farmers are furious it makes everything a joke.
And we horse owners have to be ready to vigorously fight any attempt to interfere with the aviability of leisure / competion horse drugs.

Exactly. And this is what will happen, increased regulation in keeping of horses and drug regulations WE will have to pay for!

 

[lachlanandmarcus]

I'm not sure why British beef farmers are worried about loss of business? It's not them that's under scruitiny, and in fact I would think that there will perhaps be a shift on to more locally produced beef rather than sourced abroad?

All this news should be good news for those farmers in the UK - I would hope so. But if someone would enlighten me how it will negatively impact British farmers, I'm all ears

Have a look at the farming forums. Because the original company abp is so huge, some supermarkets canNot replace the volume (they claim) of abps output with british supply so instead they are sourcing it ALL from outside the uk and ireland. Presumably on the basis that there is loads of cheap crap beef there and also as bute is banned in most of Europe as horses are eaten routinely there, then any horse in it would be more likely to be free of bute. This doesn't take account of all the horses shipped out from Eire to Europe however.....nor is it anything less than a kick in the teeth for the poor uk farmers who have been following the rules all along only for their product to be adulterated by suppliers to greedy supermarkets.

 

[PucciNPoni]

Have a look at the farming forums. Because the original company abp is so huge, some supermarkets canNot replace the volume (they claim) of abps output with british supply so instead they are sourcing it ALL from outside the uk and ireland. Presumably on the basis that there is loads of cheap crap beef there and also as bute is banned in most of Europe as horses are eaten routinely there, then any horse in it would be more likely to be free of bute. This doesn't take account of all the horses shipped out from Eire to Europe however.....nor is it anything less than a kick in the teeth for the poor uk farmers who have been following the rules all along only for their product to be adulterated by suppliers to greedy supermarkets.

Hmmm, that is disturbing. I suppose they wont' want several hundred/thousand small suppliers but instead will want one or two very large ones?

So maybe the way to go is to petition supermarkets to use only locally produced beef etc - and / or only buy those that are locally produced - if not from Tesco or whatever, but from local butchers?

 

[PucciNPoni]

Have to wonder too - will this news lead to an increase in large freezer sales - people going out and buying a half a cow to store so they know what they'er getting?

 

[Aru]

Its a complete kick in the teeth for the English and Irish beef producers...for the last few years we have spent thousands inforcing traceability and here in Ireland promoting a "farm to fork" fully traceable industry in cattle, to the point that some local supermarkets have the farm the cattle were from on the packet! and selling this way of production to a growing export market as well...Farming is now its full of paper work and rules and regulations in order to produce the safest good quality meats for the public and tbh Imo the cattle getting into the food chain are still 100 percent.....
But after all of that the processors and abbatoir owners screw the farmers over once more by adding additives that were not traceable in order to get a cheaper product!

I hope that they trace it back to the highest guys here and throw the book at them again.The owner of one of the original factory's was involved in one of the first tribunals held in Ireland and had placed our export markets at serious risk with dodgy dealings in the past....if he gets away with this as well there is something seriously wrong with this bleedy country. We jailed someone for over 3 years for labeling garlic as apples to avoid export duty....they better be about to take putting the entire beef industry just as seriously and sent some of these jokers down. But being relatively rich and in with those in power it will be interesting to see what influences get pulled in to save them

Mind you when your meat burger costs less than a packet of gum you have to wonder if its right at all?? Makes me glad to have been a supporter of the local butchers now as well!

Its not even the fact that horses were added thats the galling thing..horse meat itself would be fine to a certain extent....hell if it was from one of the Irish factories at least they may have been following the rules and have been passported as safe to eat etc.... its just this imported meat could have anything in it!

 

[Goldenstar]

No need to store a cow if you are lucky enough to have acess to a local butcher or farm shop , at my butchers you can see them cutting up the whole animals in the back they list the farms the meat has come from .
Support your local producers if you can , plan ahead and cook your own food we know what we need to do to avoid these problems it's just hard to make time sometimes.

 

[Polos Mum]

Hopefully a few more people will use their local butcher who sells local meat and that can only be to the good of UK farmers, Tesco et al. will never want to be supplied by 1000's of small farms (and TBH the farmers wouldn't want them as a nightmare customer either - their reputation for fairness isn't good!). Tesco sales of this stuff will go down and local butcher sales will go up.

If it's more expensive (which I actually dispute if you compare actual meat % age) then people will have to eat a little less meat (as was the case only a generation ago when chicken was something special only eaten on Sundays).

Maybe a great business opportunity for people who could partner with their local butcher to prepare spag boll and lasagna on his premesis (so no set up H&S costs) and with his fully tracable meat. Even I can knock up a spag bol - and this could work well for people who don't have time to cook from scratch (which I do appreciate is the case for lots of people)

I remember the Jimmys farm series when he tried to make sausages etc. from free range animals for the same cost as Tescos value range, even using the 'worst' offal parts he just couldn't get the cost low enough - now we know why !!!!!

 

[tallyho!]

Oopsss!!! Just realised... I was swearing!

 

[indie999]

No need to store a cow if you are lucky enough to have acess to a local butcher or farm shop , at my butchers you can see them cutting up the whole animals in the back they list the farms the meat has come from .
Support your local producers if you can , plan ahead and cook your own food we know what we need to do to avoid these problems it's just hard to make time sometimes.

Yes I have the same kind of butcher I know I drive past the fields where the cattle come from. I buy all my meat from small supplier its good quality, local and we dont waste any. I only go to supermarket to buy other household goods. I hate big supermarkets. But if I shop locally I dont pick up things I dont need need as there is only basic things for sale.

Perhaps we can all squeeze a few cattle in a field or two? I have been thinking of sheep lately(although everyone tells me you onlylook at them and they drop dead)!!

Regulation of the whole industry is pants incl equine.

 

[Emsarr]

As much as the horse meat in our food disgusts me, it was going to happen at some point or another wasn't it? The UK imports so much food stuffs and other things into our country that it was just waiting to happen and probably has been happening for a long, long time. Personally I don't eat beef anyway and I'm quite thankful of that now, but when buying meat I generally do buy from the local butcher.
The thing that worries me in all of this is the bute, although in small amounts it doesn't effect us in many ways but how many horses have been 'buted up' before coming into the food chain?

On a plus note, local farmers and butchers will be doing well again which has been needing to happen for a long time