BVA issues statement on horse meat
In the wake of the latest concerns over the presence of phenylbutazone in horses entering the food chain, the BVA has issued a statement regarding the situation. Speaking on the current investigations of the FSA and Defra, president of the BVA Peter Jones said:
"These incidents are understandably causing concern about the integrity of the food chain and so it is vital that the FSA and Defra carry out their investigations as quickly as possible. Consumers must be able to have confidence in the provenance of their food."
Mr Jones added that the association are "pleased to see that testing of beef products has been stepped up and that Defra has announced that all horses slaughtered for human consumption will be sampled for the presence of phenylbutazone (bute).
"A Maximum Residue (MRL) in meat has not been established for the use of phenylbutazone in food-producing animals because of concerns regarding the toxicity of the drug and its metabolites, which can be harmful to human health over a lifetime exposure," he explained.
Mr Jones' words echoed a recent letter issued by the FSA and Defra, which advised veterinary professionals of the importance of strict adherence to the responsibilities set out in the Horse Passport Regulations 2009.
"A horse passport system was introduced because of a shortage of licensed medicines for horses considered safe for human consumption," he said. "Any medicine administered to a horse not having an MRL established, must be entered into the passport by the veterinary surgeon at the time of treatment. This enables the use of such medicines whilst preventing the horse from entering the food chain.
"However, if there is evidence of illegal activity in which unregulated horse meat of unknown provenance is entering the food chain then, of course, there will be an increased risk of phenylbutazone entering the food chain as it is a commonly used drug in horses."
In light of the recent concerns Defra and the FSA have indicated their intention to prosecute those who do not abide by the Horse Passport Regulations. The British Equine Veterinary Association (a division of the BVA), has advised vets to keep blank copies of the form required for emergency cases where the passport is unavailable.
Defra has published guidance for the vet sector ahead of a proposed UK-EU Sanitary and Phytosanitary agreement.
