Last week, UK processor ABP accused the Polish company Food Service of supplying equine-tainted beef and launched High Court action. However, Food Service has vowed to clear its name.
ABP claimed Food Service had supplied its Irish operation, Silvercrest Foods, with horse-contaminated beef. Yet the Polish company has told the media it did not process equine meat or equine by-products in any form whatsoever.
Food Service’s co-founder Marek Czerniej told Globalmeatnews.com’s sister title The Grocer: “Once our innocence has been established beyond all reasonable doubt, we will seek punitive damages to our good name, reputation and consequential losses.”
Norwest settlement
In a separate incident, ABP accepted a financial settlement from the UK-based company Norwest Foods for Norwest’s supply of horse-contaminated beef to its Silvercrest operation.
A statement from ABP said: “Norwest acknowledges that it may have unknowingly and unwittingly supplied contaminated beef products contrary to the terms of Norwest’s contract with ABP. Norwest wishes to apologise to ABP for any inconvenience or concerns caused by this supply.”
Meanwhile, a Norwest statement to Globalmeatnews.com said: “Norwest Foods International has today agreed a settlement with ABP relating to the supply by Norwest to ABP of certain beef products found to contain equine DNA. Norwest acknowledges that it may have unknowingly and unwittingly supplied contaminated beef products contrary to the terms of Norwest’s contract with ABP.
“Norwest wishes to apologise to ABP for any inconvenience or concerns caused by this matter.”
Chief executive of ABP Paul Finnerty said ABP had consistently insisted it never knowingly provided equine-contaminated beef to any of its customers.
“This was confirmed in the findings of the Department of Agriculture, Food & the Marine’s report of March 2013. ABP’s initial focus was to implement systems to ensure this cannot reoccur and establish the source of certain contaminated products.
"We have done that now and our current focus is on seeking redress against certain suppliers. We have already resolved matters with Norwest and will now pursue our claim against Food Service through the courts”.
Details of the financial settlement are subject to a confidentiality agreement and were not revealed.