"Traces of a drug that can cause cancer have entered the human food chain in France from horses slaughtered in Britain, David Heath, the Agriculture Minister, has said.
Answering an urgent question in the Commons, Mr Heath disclosed that the Food Standards Agency's recent tests on horse carcasses slaughtered in the UK found traces of the veterinary drug phenylbutazone, or bute, in eight carcasses.
The minister said that three of those samples may have entered the food chain in France.
Mary Creagh, the shadow environment secretary, said it was "astonishing" given that she had first raised the problem in the Commons last month.
Mr Heath said the Government has instigated the "biggest investigation ever" into criminal activity in Europe over horse meat contamination of beef products.
Owen Paterson, the Environment Secretary, met with European counterparts yesterday to agree plans for random testing of meat products for bute as well as for horse DNA."
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