“The slaughterhouse which had conducted the illegal slaughter has been closed and its owner will take criminal responsibility,” Niemczuk explained. “The police and the prosecutor’s office are on the case.” The infected meat will be taken to utilization.
The issue concerns a slaughter of sick cows which was shown on a TVN news report. It had been conducted overnight without veterinary supervision in Ostrów Mazowiecka, North-East Poland.
The meat amounted to 9.5 tons, 2.7 of which was sold abroad
The meat amounted to 9.5 tons of beef, 2.7 of which was sold abroad. This includes: Finland, Hungary, Romania, Sweden, France, Spain, Lithuania, Portugal, Estonia and Slovakia. The rest was sold to “20 locations throughout Poland,” Niemczuk stated.
The meat has also been reported to the European Food and Feed Safety Alerts (RASFF). The Inspector assured his counterparts in Brussels that it was an isolated incident and that Polish food is safe to consume.
Both the Polish Veterinary and Sanitary Inspectorates guarantee the safety of meat on Polish shelves. The Chief Sanitary Inspector Jarosław Pinkas informed that “there is no threat to human health, since there are no biological hazards. We can safely consume beef and other meat preserves.”