Horse trading

The Irish food industry has been rocked by news that horse meat has made its way into the human food chain. According to the Irish Times 'a study by the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) found the presence of horse DNA in more than a third of the beef burger products it tested.'

Contaminated burgers have been on sale available to unwitting consumers in Tesco, Dunnes Stores, Lidl, Aldi and Iceland.

Nevertheless the government continued to hold firm in its stance that the problem posed no threat to human health. Tanaiste Eamonn Gilmore told the Dail that people had nothing to fear. Clearly uneasy the government has moved to allay fears about the wellbeing of the Irish food industry. Agriculture Simon Coveney has blamed the contamination on imported products, while the The Taoiseach Enda Kenny insisted from Europe that 'this is very important for Ireland’s reputation ... We pride ourselves on having world class beef.'

The British Prime Minister David Cameron has ordered an investigation into the food crisis.

The food industry is a majors source of employment in Ireland and it is the governments' hope that the crisis passes quickly and that horses will once again be associated in the public mind with with matters other than burgers.

The 1964 Epsom Derby winner

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