Horsemeat scandal not over, says agency boss

The head of Teagasc, the agricultural and food development authority, has said the horsemeat scandal may not be over.

Addressing the Colmcille Winter School in Gartan, Co Donegal, Gerry Boyle described the latest development, in which a plant in Carrick-on-Suir was shut last week after inspectors found it was exporting horsemeat under a Czech label which translated as beef, as “very worrying”.

“This was the first time that horsemeat produced in Ireland was in this case found to have been exported to the Czech Republic,” said Prof Boyle.

“We hope there’s not very many of those situations but I don’t think unfortunately we have seen the end of it and I’m sure that’s what’s keeping the minister and senior administrators and people in the business extremely worried.”

Prof Boyle stressed it was imperative that the ongoing investigation be conducted as thoroughly as possible.

“The worst thing would be if there was an announcement that the investigation was complete and subsequently there was another revelation,” he said. “It would just dig it all back up again.

“Obviously the investigations are very complex. What the administrators have to do is go into factories that are producing the processed meat and check all the documentation.

“A lot of that documentation is going to be in foreign languages; it is going to have to be translated. It is about time and detail.”

Prof Boyle praised the “courageousness” of the Food Safety Authority of bringing the matter to public attention.

Fianna Fáil leader Micheal Martin has called on Agriculture Minister Simon Coveney to step aside from the horsemeat crisis.

“From day one, I think the minister has misread the gravity and scale of the issue,” said Mr Martin.

Mr Coveney replied: “The issue needs strong political leadership as well as a detailed investigation and a strong policy response at both a national and European level. Ireland is leading that response and will continue to do so.”