ABP chief executive Paul Finnerty — whose company supplied Tesco with beef burgers that turned out to be 29% horsemeat — has told Britain’s food committee it became clear on Jan 14 to 15 that the firm was “out of specification” because product was coming in from a combination of suppliers that were not approved.

Birds Eye says an Irish processor supplied the meat used in two of its products which were found to have horse DNA in them.

ANGRY livestock farmers who occupied the offices of a meat plant in Naas, Co Kildare, yesterday in protest over Brazilian beef imports and dropping cattle prices, withdrew pending immediate talks with the company.