Almost three tonnes of illegally slaughtered meat that was exported from Poland to 12 EU member states did not pose a threat to human health, according to Polish authorities.

The meat has been withdrawn, but chief veterinary officer Pawel Niemczuk and chief sanitary inspector Jaroslaw Pinkas insisted that the meat had been tested for biological hazards and was safe for consumption.

They stressed that the main issue with the meat was that it had been slaughtered illegally at night, without veterinary supervision.

Impact

The meat in question came from cows which were secretly filmed in an abattoir during slaughter in Poland.

The footage showed that animals were unable to walk and looked unwell.

The revelations of animal cruelty have rocked the meat industry in Poland and created a backlash from the public.

Monitoring

The slaughterhouse in question, Ostrów Mazowiecka, has been closed and meat that was on the market has been withdrawn.

Polish authorities also said that State Sanitary Inspection was conducting ongoing monitoring and its prosecutor’s office would place charges against those who were culpable.

Authorities added that they had increased the number of announced and unannounced inspections on slaughterhouses.

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Meat from Polish abattoir withdrawn from food chain

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