Chinese police break up crime ring selling rat meat as mutton

Chinese police have broken a crime ring that passed off over $1m (€762,380) in rat and small mammal meat as mutton, authorities said, in a food safety crackdown that coincides with a bird flu outbreak and other environmental pressures.

Authorities have arrested 904 suspects since the end of January for selling and producing fake or tainted meat products, the Ministry of Public Security said in a statement posted on its website.

During the crackdown, police discovered one suspect surnamed Wei who had used additives to spice up and sell rat, fox, and mink meat at markets in Shanghai and Jiangsu province. Police arrested 63 suspects connected to the crime ring in a case valued at more than 10m yuan in sales since 2009.