French firm denies horsemeat accusations

Police made the arrests over allegations that hundreds of horses with falsified veterinary papers had been sold into the food chain between 2010 and 2012. At least 60 of these were thought to have come from Sanofi, which used the horses for developing serums against rabies, tetanus and poisons.

However, Sanofi has denied any involvement, and claimed it was itself a victim of fraud. In a statement to the media, the company admitted it had sold around 200 horses over the last three years, but said it always told buyers the animals were not fit for human consumption. “It is specified on their sales certificates that these horses are not to be introduced to the food chain,”​ it said.

Human health risk​

French Consumer Affairs Minister Benoit Hamon told RTL Radio this latest scandal was even more worrying than horsemeat being sold as beef, because of the potential food safety risk. “They were selling horsemeat in place of beef, which is commercial fraud. Here, we could be talking about a health problem, which is different,”​ he explained.

However, Marseilles prosecutor Brice Robin said there was no proof so far of any health risk from eating the affected horsemeat.

Sanofi also played down the potential risk to human health, stating the horses had been used to provide blood for the manufacture of serums, and had not been used for drugs testing. “They do not present any danger in the event of human consumption,”​ said a spokesperson.

Meat fraud​

Authorities said meat dealers, butchers and even veterinarians were among those arrested in connection with the suspected fraud.

French Agriculture Minister Stéphane Le Foll said that any attempt to undermine the security of the French supply chain was “unacceptable”​, and promised those found responsible would be punished “severely”.​

“The government is committed to implementing all means necessary to ensure this type of trafficking stops,”​ he said.