Question concerning food safety risks of imported meat from stolen and uniden­tified horses from Argentina.

Indiendatum: 26 nov. 2020

A new documentary and investigation by AWF|TSB has revealed that the food safety of horsemeat imported from Argentina is at serious risk, as unidentified/untagged horses and stolen horses with forged documents are structurally entering the food chain through assembly centers and slaughterhouses.

SPS-standards applied are worrying, as sick and injured horses, mares and horses with unknown drug history are entering the food chain uncontrolled. Official EU audits have confirmed traceability issues.

Recent investigations, included in this documentary, prove that updated Argentinian legislations on traceability and animal welfare have not changed this situation.

1) How does the Commission assess the food safety risks of meat from unidentified, stolen, sick and injured horses, that is entering the food chain and is being imported to the EU, and how does it assess the risks of contamination, that arise from keeping horses near to piles of carcasses at the assembly centers?

2) Is the Commission able to dispute the information presented in the documentary and in the attached dossier, and if not, is the Commission ready to suspend horsemeat imports from Argentina immediately?

3) Why have the Commissions’ actions regarding Argentinian and Mexican horsemeat been so different, with very similar findings of EU audits in both countries?