<h1 style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; min-height: 1px; font-size: 1em; color: #000000; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: normal;"><img class=" size-full wp-image-200" src="http://halalnews.info/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/info-halal.jpg" width="634" height="460" alt="info-halal" /></h1> <h1 style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; min-height: 1px; font-size: 1em; color: #000000; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: normal;">The grim reality of our abattoirs: Grisly image from inside Somerset slaughterhouse at centre of danger drug probe shows brutal last seconds of pony's life</h1> <ul style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; min-height: 1px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10px; line-height: normal;"> <li style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; list-style: none; font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-size: 1.4em;">LJ Potter of Taunton kills 63 horses a week&nbsp;<br /></span></li> <li style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; list-style: none; font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-size: 1.4em;">Owner Stephen Potter sells his horsemeat through 50 butchers in Calais&nbsp;<br /></span></li> <li style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; list-style: none;"><span style="font-size: 1.4em; font-weight: bold;">Meat from three of the six horses containing bute have been sold and eaten</span><span style="font-size: 1.2em;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span><br /></span></li> <li style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; list-style: none; font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-size: 1.4em;">The meat from the second three has been recalled</span></li> </ul> <p style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; min-height: 1px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10px; line-height: normal;">&nbsp;</p> <p style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; min-height: 1px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10px; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: 1.2em;">This is the grisly scene played out every day inside the Somerset slaughterhouse which sent six horses containing danger drug bute into the human food chain.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; min-height: 1px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10px; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: 1.2em;">A slaughterman balances a rifle against the pony’s head and pulls the trigger. The animal flails on the ground and is then winched on to the production line where her throat is cut with a razor sharp knife, severing the carotid artery.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; min-height: 1px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10px; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: 1.2em;">The company LJ Potter of Taunton kills 63 horses a week using this method, with the carcasses shipped to France for food.&nbsp;<br /></span></p> <p style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; min-height: 1px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10px; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: 1.2em;"><b>Scroll down for video&nbsp;</b><br /></span></p> <div class="clear" style="margin: 0px; clear: both; width: auto; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">&nbsp;</div> <div class="artSplitter" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; min-height: 1px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10px; line-height: normal;"><br /> <p class="imageCaption" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; min-height: 1px;">Last seconds: This is the grisly scene played out every day inside the Somerset slaughterhouse which sent six horses containing danger drug bute into the human food chain</p> </div> <p style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; min-height: 1px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10px; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: 1.2em;">The business is run by Stephen Potter, who said he sells his horsemeat through 50 butchers in the Calais area.&nbsp;<br /></span></p> <p style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; min-height: 1px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10px; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: 1.2em;">Meat from three of the six horses found to contain the anti-inflammatory drug phenylbutazone, known as bute, has been sold and eaten, while meat from the second three has been recalled.&nbsp;<br /></span></p> <p style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; min-height: 1px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10px; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: 1.2em;">Mr Potter said he bought ponies, thoroughbreds and riding stable horses that are old or injured.&nbsp;<br /></span></p> <p style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; min-height: 1px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10px; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: 1.2em;">‘People come to us to dispose of their horses because they feel we do it very well,’ he said.</span></p> <div class="relatedItemsTopBorder" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; min-height: 1px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10px; line-height: normal;">&nbsp;</div> <div class="relatedItems" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; min-height: 1px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10px; line-height: normal;"> <h4 style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; min-height: 1px;">More...</h4> <ul style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; min-height: 1px;"> <li style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; list-style: none;"><a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2278752/Horsemeat-scandal-Asda-clears-shelves-sauces-soups-horsemeat-fears-police-arrest-men-including-Welsh-factory-owner-food-scandal-probe.html" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; min-height: 1px; cursor: pointer; color: #003580;">Police arrest three men including Welsh factory owner in horse meat probe as Asda withdraws pasta sauces and soup over new contamination fears</a></li> <li style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; list-style: none;"><a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2278692/The-great-horsemeat-scandal--1948-Archive-newsreel-shows-UK-food-chain-rocked-crisis-65-years-ago.html" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; min-height: 1px; cursor: pointer; color: #003580;">The great horsemeat scandal... of 1948: Archive newsreel shows UK food chain was rocked by the same crisis 65 years ago</a></li> <li style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; list-style: none;"><a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2277380/Horsemeat-scandal-Police-raid-UK-abattoir-Environment-Secretary-heads-crisis-talks.html" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; min-height: 1px; cursor: pointer; color: #003580;">Welsh factory at centre of 'horse kebabs' scandal was accused of selling illegal meat 10 years ago</a></li> </ul> </div> <p style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; min-height: 1px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10px; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: 1.2em;">‘We wish to produce meat that is wholesome, nutritious, good value and, most importantly, safe.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; min-height: 1px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10px; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: 1.2em;">‘We firmly believe that the humane destruction of horses for the human food chain has an important role to play in ensuring horse welfare, as otherwise unwanted horses would be left to enter a downward spiral to neglect.’&nbsp;<br /></span></p> <p style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; min-height: 1px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10px; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: 1.2em;">The details have triggered a fierce political row, with Labour accusing the government of ‘catastrophic complacency’ in its handling of the horsemeat scandal.</span></p> <div class="clear" style="margin: 0px; clear: both; width: auto; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">&nbsp;</div> <div class="artSplitter" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; min-height: 1px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10px; line-height: normal;"><img src="http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/02/14/article-2278889-17958B71000005DC-424_634x422.jpg" width="634" height="422" alt="Grisly: LJ Potter of Taunton kills 63 horses a week using this method, with the carcasses shipped to France for food." class="blkBorder" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 1px solid black;" /> <p class="imageCaption" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; min-height: 1px;">Grisly: LJ Potter of Taunton kills 63 horses a week using this method, with the carcasses shipped to France for food. The business is run by Stephen Potter, pictured. This is a file picture</p> </div> <p style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; min-height: 1px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10px; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: 1.2em;">Labour’s Shadow Environment Secretary, Mary Creagh, warned ministers of the danger of bute contamination on January&nbsp; 24, however horses containing the drug continued to be slaughtered and exported for food.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; min-height: 1px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10px; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: 1.2em;">It was not until this week that a new regime, which stops horsemeat being sold until tests show it is negative for bute, was introduced.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; min-height: 1px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10px; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: 1.2em;">She challenged food minister David Heath in the Commons yesterday, saying: ‘We must make sure horsemeat intended for humans is not contaminated with bute, it really is as simple as that.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; min-height: 1px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10px; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: 1.2em;">‘So why did you not act immediately when I raised this issue three weeks ago in this House?’</span></p> <p style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; min-height: 1px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10px; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: 1.2em;">She added: ‘It’s astonishing. We were in the middle of a horsemeat adulteration scandal, this is just catastrophic complacency from you.’</span></p> <p style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; min-height: 1px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10px; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: 1.2em;">Mr Heath said the government is working with the French authorities to track the British horse carcasses killed at Mr Potter’s abattoir.</span></p> <div class="clear" style="margin: 0px; clear: both; width: auto; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">&nbsp;</div> <p style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; min-height: 1px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10px; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: 1.2em;">He also insisted that Britain is leading the way in getting European co-operation to track down the criminals responsible for the scandal.</span></p> <div class="clear" style="margin: 0px; clear: both; width: auto; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">&nbsp;</div> <div class="artSplitter" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; min-height: 1px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10px; line-height: normal;"><img src="http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/02/14/article-2278889-17958B82000005DC-136_634x530.jpg" width="634" height="530" alt="Slaughterer: Mr Potter, pictured, said he sells his horsemeat through 50 butchers in the Calais area. This is a file picture" class="blkBorder" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 1px solid black;" /> <p class="imageCaption" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; min-height: 1px;">Slaughterer: Mr Potter, pictured, said he sells his horsemeat through 50 butchers in the Calais area. This is a file picture</p> </div> <p style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; min-height: 1px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10px; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: 1.2em;">‘We have probably the biggest investigation that has ever been conducted across Europe into criminal behaviour, going on at the instigation of this Government,’ said Mr Heath.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; min-height: 1px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10px; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: 1.2em;">He described Britain’s role as a ‘quite remarkable achievement in a very short time’.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; min-height: 1px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10px; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: 1.2em;">Throughout the crisis, ministers have argued the horsemeat contamination is a matter of food fraud rather than a health risk.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; min-height: 1px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10px; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: 1.2em;">News that British horses containing bute have entered the food chain suggests these were premature.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; min-height: 1px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10px; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: 1.2em;">In theory, high doses, far more than would be present in a horsemeat burger, can induce blood disorders, including aplastic anaemia.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; min-height: 1px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10px; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: 1.2em;">This means the bone marrow stops making enough red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets for the body, putting people at risk of life-threatening infections.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; min-height: 1px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10px; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: 1.2em;">However, the Government’s chief medical officer, Dame Sally Davies, yesterday insisted any risk to consumers is small.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; min-height: 1px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10px; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: 1.2em;">‘Horsemeat containing phenylbutazone – bute- presents a very low risk to human health,’ she said.</span></p> <div class="clear" style="margin: 0px; clear: both; width: auto; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">&nbsp;</div> <div class="artSplitter" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; min-height: 1px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10px; line-height: normal;"> <div class="splitLeft" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; min-height: 1px;"><img src="http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/02/14/article-2278889-1792F304000005DC-53_306x423.jpg" width="306" height="423" alt="Agriculture minister David Heath" class="blkBorder" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 1px solid black;" /></div> <div class="splitRight" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; min-height: 1px;"><img src="http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/02/14/article-2278889-1792F2F6000005DC-393_306x423.jpg" width="306" height="423" alt="Shadow environment secretary Mary Creagh " class="blkBorder" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 1px solid black;" /></div> <div class="clear" style="margin: 0px; clear: both; width: auto;">&nbsp;</div> <p class="imageCaption" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; min-height: 1px;">Row: Labour’s Shadow Environment Secretary, Mary Creagh, right, warned ministers of the danger of bute contamination on January&nbsp; 24. She challenged food minister David Heath, left, in the Commons yesterday</p> </div> <p style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; min-height: 1px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10px; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: 1.2em;">‘At the levels of bute that have been found, a person would have to eat 500 - 600 one hundred per cent horsemeat burgers a day to get close to consuming a human’s daily dose.&nbsp;<br /></span></p> <p style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; min-height: 1px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10px; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: 1.2em;">And it passes through the system fairly quickly, so it is unlikely to build up in our bodies.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; min-height: 1px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10px; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: 1.2em;">‘In patients who have been taking phenylbutazone as a medicine there can be serious side effects but these are rare. It is extremely unlikely that anyone who has eaten horse meat containing bute will experience one of these side effects.’&nbsp;<br /></span></p> <p style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; min-height: 1px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10px; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: 1.2em;">Mr Potter did not respond to calls asking about his methods and where the six horses were sent in France.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; min-height: 1px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10px; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: 1.2em;">Speaking in 2007, he defended what he does, saying: ‘We will all be old at some point and may spend our later years in great discomfort, horses are the same.&nbsp;<br /></span></p> <p style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; min-height: 1px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10px; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: 1.2em;">‘The horses are handled in a stress-free manner, by professional people and despatched with the minimum of fuss. None of us could ask for anything better than that.’&nbsp;<br /></span></p> <p style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; min-height: 1px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10px; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: 1.2em;">A Yorkshire abattoir owner, Peter Boddy, has been accused of providing horses to a factory in Wales where they were passed off a beef and turned into burgers and kebabs.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; min-height: 1px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10px; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: 1.2em;">Mr Boddy is contracted to remove fatally injured horses from racecourses, including Aintree and the Grand National.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; min-height: 1px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10px; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: 1.2em;">Yesterday, the racing authorities said measures are in place to ensure horses killed on the track cannot be sold for food.</span></p> <p>Read more:&nbsp;<a href="#ixzz2Ky3vGIJa" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; min-height: 1px; cursor: pointer; color: #003399;"></a><a href="#ixzz2Ky3vGIJa">http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2278889/The-grim-reality-abattoirs-Grisly-image-inside-Somerset-slaughterhouse-centre-danger-drug-probe-shows-brutal-seconds-ponys-life.html#ixzz2Ky3vGIJa</a>&nbsp;<br /><br /></p> <p>&nbsp;</p>