AN investigation into how suspect horsemeat, which originated in Ireland, found its way into the human food chain for European consumers is ongoing by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine and the Food Safety Authority of Ireland.

The Irish Field understands that a scam was uncovered whereby a second microchip had been fraudulently inserted into some horses bound for slaughter that were matched with clean passports.

The investigation was triggered when the original microchips were traced back to animals that had received medicines such as bute, which would exclude them from the human food chain.

The ongoing investigation involves the Special Investigations Unit of the Department of Agriculture and FSAI officials.

The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine declined to confirm details of the ongoing investigation which The Irish Field understands involves checks on hundreds of slaughtered horses and a possible recall on 30 carcasses exported from Ireland to Belgium and France.

A spokesperson for the FSAI said: “The Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) is liaising with the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine in relation to its ongoing investigation and is awaiting further information as it becomes available.”

Chairman of Horse Care Ireland John Joe Fitzpatrick, who also operates the purpose-built horse abbatoir Shannonside Foods at Straffan, Co Kildare, said yesterday (Friday): “I want to say clearly that this investigation does not involve Shannonside Foods and we received written confirmation of that fact from the Department this week.

“We are open for business and it’s business as usual for us. We comply with everything, we check and double check everything.”

Fitzpatrick echoed his earlier public call for all equines bound for slaughter to undergo an ante mortem blood test. “If there’s drugs found, then that horse should be automatically excluded from the food chain,” he said.

Efforts to contact the operators of other horse abbatoirs for comment went unanswered by time of going to press.

APPROVAL

Meanwhile, it emerged that unusually, 24 horses were slaughtered, on animal welfare grounds, in an equine processing plant.

In response, a Department spokesperson said: “The matter you refer to, which related to animal welfare concerns, took place with the approval of and under the control of the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine. It has no relationship with an ongoing investigation about which the Department has no further comment to make at this time.”