Opposition Day — Horsemeat — 12 Feb 2013 at 15:52

The majority of MPs voted against ensuring police and fraud specialists investigate the criminal networks involved in horsemeat adulteration; against speeding up offical meat tests; and against new testing, labelling and traceability standards for the meat industry.

The motion rejected in this vote was:

• That this House
• notes that up to 100 per cent horsemeat has been found in supermarket and branded processed meat products and that horsemeat has been found at the premises of a UK meat processing plant;
• notes with concern that seven horses which tested positive for phenylbutazone (bute) contamination have entered the human food chain, including one in England;
• further notes that meat supplied to UK prisons, labelled Halal, has tested positive for pork DNA;
• recognises that the Irish government and Northern Irish Executive have called in the police and specialist fraud units to tackle the problem of horsemeat adulteration;
• further recognises that thousands of jobs depend on consumer confidence in the UK and Irish meat industries; and
• calls on the Government to ensure that police and fraud specialists investigate the criminal networks involved in horsemeat adulteration, to speed up the Food Standards Agency official tests so that results are back in 14 days and restore consumer confidence in the meat industry by working with the food industry and other EU member states and EU institutions to define new testing, labelling and traceability standards for the meat industry to protect consumers from fraud.

Debate in Parliament | Source |