Dog Food Meat Found In Human Food Chain

A government report has revealed that meat meant for dog food is thought to have ended up in the human food chain.

The discovery was made in an "industrial-scale" fraud carried out in the region.

According to the Elliot Review, it is understood the fraud was first discovered in 2005, but due to a lack of "investigative resource", it was not pursued.

The case formed part of a report published on Thursday which was written by Queen's University academic Professor Chris Elliott and makes a series of recommendations about ways to prevent food fraud. Among the proposals, it said the government should consider a new food crime unit to help prevent such repeats of the horsemeat scandal earlier this year.

The report did not reveal where the so-called "Category 3 meat" was found in Northern Ireland, but it was discovered after officials traced a suspicious container that had arrived in the region from Asia. A follow-up operation at an also unnamed cold store led to the location of an industrial shrink-wrapping machine and forged veterinary documents raised concerns for officers involved in the search.

The findings said it became evident "that the primary business of the cold store was repacking and re-labelling as fit for human consumption Cat 3 ABP meat."

Category 3 ABP meat is defined by the government as meat that has been passed fit for human consumption, but which is not intended to be eaten.

It can include hides, hair, feathers and bones.

Furthermore, the Elliott Report found that there was evidence of "extensive criminal planning" at the cold store. The meat was seized and condemned by a magistrates court, but the "many leads that were opened up into food crime networks at the time were not followed up", it concluded.

(JP/MH)