Fifty Members of the European Parliament have urged the European Commission to immediately halt imports of Argentine horsemeat.
Meat from stolen and unbranded horses is reportedly entering the food chain on a large scale through Argentine slaughterhouses, according to new research by the Animal Welfare Foundation and the Swiss Tierschutzbund ZĆ¼rich.
Official EU inspections confirm a lack of traceability regarding origin and food safety. Europe imports around ten million kilos of horsemeat from Argentina annually. Most of this goes to the Netherlands. Horsemeat is often used in minced meat snacks, goulash, and other ready-made products.
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The fifty MEPs emphasize that Europe stopped importing Mexican horsemeat in 2014 following similar findings. The European Commission is acting inconsistently and must also halt imports of Argentine horsemeat, as they believe similar conditions apply.
āHorsemeat is really hidden in a huge number of snacks. Often consumers do not even realize that frikandellen or bitterballen found in supermarkets or snack bars are filled with horsemeat until they examine all the ingredients,ā said Dutch MEP Anja Hazekamp.
āIt is irresponsible to allow horsemeat from stolen and untraceable animals. This poses risks to food safety. Furthermore, horses are regularly stolen, even from private owners and shelters, and then sold to slaughterhouses with false paperwork. Europe must not cooperate with this organized crime.ā