Advertisement

France traces all suspect Polish beef, says some already sold

AFP
AFP - [email protected]
France traces all suspect Polish beef, says some already sold
The Elkopol slaughterhouse in Kalinowo, western Poland. Photo: AFP

France's agriculture ministry said Saturday it had traced the remainder of suspect Polish beef imported into the country, adding that some of it had been sold to consumers.

Advertisement

"The remaining 145 kilos have been identified in lots prepared by wholesalers, butchers or restaurants," a statement said. 

In total, France imported 795 kg of meat from a Polish slaughterhouse where allegedly sick cows were butchered. Five hundred kilos were found and destroyed earlier and 150 kilos sold to consumers with the remaining 145 kilos unaccounted for until Saturday.

A ministry official told AFP that some of the remaining 145 kilos had already been sold.

"What is complicated is that the 145 kilos were mixed with meat of other origin" by a wholesaler.

"At this stage a few dozen restaurants and butchers' shops are concerned, mainly in the Paris region," a statement said.

French Agriculture Minister Didier Guillaume has said nine French companies had been "duped" into importing beef from the Elkopol abattoir in Kalinowo, a village some 100 kilometres northeast of Warsaw.

Poland's chief veterinarian Pawel Niemczuk has confirmed that 2.7 tonnes of the suspect beef was exported to 13 EU countries. But Polish authorities have said the meat does not pose a health risk.

The slaughterhouse has been closed and a probe launched.

READ ALSO: France hunts for 800kg of suspect beef from sick cows

More

Join the conversation in our comments section below. Share your own views and experience and if you have a question or suggestion for our journalists then email us at [email protected].
Please keep comments civil, constructive and on topic – and make sure to read our terms of use before getting involved.

Please log in to leave a comment.

See Also