Finding source of horsemeat ‘vindication’

Agriculture Minister Simon Coveney said the discovery of the source of horsemeat content in Tesco burgers was “vindication” for the Irish food industry, as he signalled serious changes at production firm Silvercrest.

Speaking following the disclosure that a Polish firm was the likely source of the equine DNA — which registered at 29% in one Tesco burger tested last year — Mr Coveney said his counterpart in Poland would now be launching an investigation into how horse content had come to enter the food chain there.

But he also said he had a commitment from ABP Food Group, which owns the Silvercrest facility in Co Monaghan that produced the burgers, that it would now source all beef within Ireland and Britain, introduce a new management structure, destroy existing stock, and allow permanent departmental monitoring.