Although European authorities have taken measures and issued new rules since the horse meat scandal in 2013, they are not enough. More controls and strict sanctions are needed with a European database for standardised information in all EU countries.
More than a decade after the so-called "horse meat scandal", an in-depth investigation by Irish public television channel RTÉ has revealed that many racehorses in Ireland are having their passports or electronic chips tampered with so that they can be sent to slaughter. A two-part documentary, to which Foodwatch also contributed, reveals a massive fraud in which the traceability of meat is blurred and meat unfit for consumption still enters our food chain. The weakness of the current system allows criminal networks to operate in Ireland, Spain, Germany, the Netherlands, the UK and France.
"Horse meat not approved for human consumption enters our food chain - but consumers do not know where. This fraud is possible because it makes a lot of money with little risk of getting caught. Across Europe, control authorities are understaffed and food fraud is not high on the political agenda. Criminals do not hesitate to exploit weaknesses in the system: few controls, national databases that do not necessarily communicate with each other and very low penalties if convicted at all," said Ingrid Kragl of Foodwatch, who collaborated with RTÉ on the study.
"For us, the scale of the problem is worrying and poses a potential health risk to consumers. Over the past five years, the European Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF), which allows member states to share information on health risks, has received almost 20 RASFF alerts on problems with the labelling or passports of horses entering the European market. In each case, several countries were involved."
Since the horse meat scandal in 2013, horse meat consumption has declined - in France, for instance, from 17% to 5% now. Despite this, France imported around 2,500 tonnes of horsemeat in 2023, including 400 tonnes from Ireland, equivalent to 1.6 million 250-gram steaks. Their traceability is now being seriously questioned. The RTÉ documentary shows that the trade involves many European countries. See www.rte.ie/player/movie/rt%C3%A9-investigates-horses-making-a-killing/525555751982
