Australian authorities hit back over claims of horse meat found in food

A report, which cited documents obtained by an Australian MP in New South Wales parliament, claimed that horse meat was found in food products intended for human consumption.

The report carried by ABC News suggested that some consumers may have unknowingly eaten horse meat sold as beef or lamb. It accused Australia’s food regulator of not being transparent enough about food safety breaches.

The controversial claim was made in an ABC News Four Corners investigation that cited confidential NSW Food Authority documents obtained by Greens MP Abigail Boyd through parliamentary powers.

In a statement released on Tuesday, the New South Wales (NSW) Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) disputed the allegations.

“The NSW Food Authority has not found horse meat in beef, lamb or any food for human consumption,” DPIRD said.

“This claim is misleading and not correct.”

The department also said it “rejects allegations that horse meat has been found in products for human consumption”.

The documents reportedly revealed a range of food safety issues, including incidents involving mouse fur, metal shavings and other contaminants in food products.

Ms Boyd told the outlet she had reviewed confidential files that could not be publicly released but could be discussed in general terms.

“There were a lot of instances of things being found in food that shouldn’t be there. For example, mouse fur,” she said.

“There were metal shavings found in bread products … products that were supposed to be dairy-free, that were not dairy-free, [which] were only caught by accident because somebody happened to put it together after their child or they themselves got sick, not because the company had worked it out.”

Ms Boyd even claimed that there were cases of needles being found in food.

“We all walk around thinking that in modern Australia, we have food safety standards and enforcement to back that trust up,” Ms Boyd said.

“And what we’re seeing now is that trust is probably misplaced.

“You could be eating a minced horse when you think you’re eating your mince … that’s pretty shocking for the average person.”

However, the NSW department said those claims did not reflect the findings of its investigations.

“The NSW Food Authority conducts random surveillance testing on meat products for species identification,” the statement said. “There has been no incident of horse meat being found in products for human consumption.”

It noted that horse meat can legally be sold as food if processed in a licensed abattoir, but added that “there are no abattoirs in NSW licensed to process horse meat for human consumption”.

The department said the compliance project referred to by Ms Boyd focused on illegal knackeries, which process animals for pet food rather than human consumption.

It said one recent investigation involved an illegal knackery operating in Wagga Wagga.

According to the statement, meat processed at the site “was being used for pet food, predominantly for the greyhound industry”.

The operator, Adrian Talbot, was convicted in June of operating an unlicensed knackery and an unlicensed animal food van, the statement said.

He was fined A$12,000 and ordered to pay A$30,000 in costs.

In a statement shared with The Independent, Ms Boyd said: “What is misleading is for the food authority to claim they have conducted random testing. What is correct is that there have been a string of cases in NSW of illegal slaughtering of horses, particularly of brumbies and ex-racehorses. These illegal knackeries exist for a purpose, and that is to supply cheap meat into the processed meat industry. The Food Authority has not, to my knowledge, conducted a single meat speciation test.”

She added: “The NSW Food Authority continues to withhold regulatory documents and fight the public release of those documents they have provided under privilege. These are not the actions of an agency with nothing to hide.”

In 2013, a Europe-wide food fraud investigation was launched after DNA testing found undeclared horse meat in products marketed as beef, including burgers and frozen lasagne sold in the UK.