Horse sold as beef in 16 EU states

Thousands of samples of processed meats are to be tested across the EU for traces of horsemeat.

However, results due from France today are expected to show the fraud occurred on a massive scale.

Agriculture ministers held an emergency meeting in Brussels chaired by Ireland’s Simon Coveney as the number of countries where horsemeat was sold as beef extended to 16, with Germany the latest to discover equine DNA in products.