Burgers and Horsemeat

[IroningMan]

I disagree. To wrap this up as a miss-selling or labelling issue is to brush the real concern under the carpet: that is that we rely on the whole food chain to be watertight - that's why our farmers spend as much time filling-in documentation as they do looking after their stock, with absolute end-to-end traceability - and this affair drives a coach and horses through that whole edifice.

It happens to have been horsemeat that was used: it could have been absolutely anything at all.

[RobDickinson]

Obeying EU rules is something only the UK seems to bother with.

[Sir Fergie]

IroningMan said:

I disagree. To wrap this up as a miss-selling or labelling issue is to brush the real concern under the carpet: that is that we rely on the whole food chain to be watertight - that's why our farmers spend as much time filling-in documentation as they do looking after their stock, with absolute end-to-end traceability - and this affair drives a coach and horses through that whole edifice.

It happens to have been horsemeat that was used: it could have been absolutely anything at all.

As someone from a farm - it now appears that theres been a real game of 2 halfs going on.

On one side youve got farmers who are expected to obay strict rules and regulations - taking on a lot of cost in doing so. Meanwhile the farmer gets told by the people further up the chain what price they get for their animials etc.

Meanwhile - processors seem to be operating to a different set of rules - absolutely fantastic in Ireland we export most of our beef.

Yet meat factories have been fking importing beef - alas as we now know - some of this imported beef has now turned out to have horse DNA/horsemeat in it.

And the latest news - some complete idiot has had the ingenious idea - i know - we will put beef labels on the horsemeat - a meat plant in Ireland has been suspended from operating so the RTE news (RTE is our equvelent of your BBC) tells me .

So essentially - weve got a fabulous product in Irish Beef - but now the reputation is potentially fked due to complete wkers who were only interested in short term profit.

Not a happy bunny

Sir Fergie