Britain ‘could ban meat imports if there is a health risk’

Horsemeat found in some supermarket beef products has so far found to pose no danger to humans, according to the Food Standards Agency (FSA).

But Owen Paterson said he would “take the necessary action” if further tests point to health risks.

Tests have been ordered on products for phenylbutazone, known as bute, as animals treated with the veterinary drug are not allowed to enter the food chain.

Mr Paterson has suggested the presence of horsemeat in some processed beef products is the result of an international criminal conspiracy.

If they find there is a product which could potentially be injurious to public health, emphatically, I will take the necessary action. Owen Paterson

Asked if there should be a ban on meat imports in the EU, he said: “That is not allowed within the European common market.

“If they find there is a product which could potentially be injurious to public health, emphatically, I will take the necessary action.”

Asked if he would consider a ban if tests proved there was a food safety risk, he said: “If there is a threat to public health that is allowed within the rules of the European market.”

Mr Paterson warned yesterday that ongoing tests on retailers’ and manufacturers’ processed beef products could reveal further traces of horsemeat.

He said retailers have agreed plans to improve their food testing, adding that they hold the “ultimate responsibility” for making sure their products do not contain horsemeat.

Frozen foods firm Findus, which has taken its beef lasagnes off supermarket shelves after some were found contain up to 100 per cent horse, said it was considering legal action against its suppliers, after an internal investigation suggested the contamination “was not accidental”.

The chair of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Select Committee, Conservative MP Anne McIntosh, has backed a ban on imports from the EU and urged the public to buy their meat locally.

But shadow environment secretary Mary Creagh said she thought a moratorium on meat imports was a “knee-jerk reaction”.