logo
episode-header-image
Jan 2023
9m 2s

Europe's horse meat scandal

Bbc World Service
About this episode

In 2013, horse meat was discovered in Irish beef burgers. The scandal snowballed and within six weeks horse meat was found in beef products in more than a dozen European countries.

The story revealed how complex and unregulated Europe’s meat industry was, making it a target for fraudsters.

Ben Henderson speaks to Alan Reilly, former Chief Executive of the Irish Food Safety Authority, who uncovered the scandal.

(Photo: Meat inspection in a French supermarket. Credit: Sebastien Bozon via Getty Images)

Up next
Today
Creating CAPTCHA
In 2000, as the internet expanded, websites faced a growing challenge to stop spam bots from flooding their systems.To separate humans from machines, researchers at the United States’ Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, created the Completely Automated Public ... Show More
10m 7s
Yesterday
The creation of the International Criminal Court
In 1998, at a conference organised by the United Nations, a blueprint was devised for what would be the world's first permanent International Criminal Court.Judge Phillipe Kirsch chaired the Rome conference that led to the formation of the court. He tells Gill Kearsley about the ... Show More
10m 23s
Aug 22
Geneva Conventions
In 1859, Swiss businessman Henry Dunant witnessed the Battle of Solferino, in Italy. He couldn’t believe the lack of aid for the wounded soldiers and came up with two ideas – a voluntary aid organisation and an international treaty to protect those injured in wartime. They went o ... Show More
10m 2s
Recommended Episodes
Feb 2023
The Spectacular Rise and Fall of Fake Meat in America
For the past 50 years, Americans have basically responded to the case against eating animals by eating more animals. The share of Americans who call themselves vegan or vegetarian hasn’t increased in the past 20 years. But a few years ago, I was certain that we were near peak mea ... Show More
40m 25s
Mar 2023
Britain's Rotten Meat Scandal
Ten years on from the horse meat crisis, a new scandal has engulfed almost the entire food retail sector. Huge quantities of foreign pork - sometimes tens of thousands of tonnes a week - has been passed off, fraudulently as British. One meat processor - who can't be named for leg ... Show More
37m 51s
Sep 2022
How to get people eating less meat
Farming animals for meat has a massive environmental impact, both in terms of land use and carbon emissions. But in order for people to eat less meat, they need to be excited about the alternatives. Around the world, people are coming up with ingenious meat replacements that look ... Show More
24m 28s
Feb 2024
Meat
UK consumers are eating less meat than at any point since records began 50 years ago, according to the latest government figures, so how are farmers, processors and retailers responding?The cost of living crisis is part of the reason for a recent drop-off in demand, but warnings ... Show More
33m 55s
Mar 2022
244: Where's the Beef?
Celebrity fitness trainer and unapologetic carnivore, Vinnie Tortorich talks diet, hormones, and why he has a beef with the fake-meat industry. 
1h 28m
Jun 2018
Pony Tales
Should we eat more horse meat? In some parts of the world it is a food taboo, while in others people think little of munching an equine burger. Would it be better for our health and that of the planet if we ate more of it? We’re at a pony auction in the English countryside where ... Show More
27m 48s
Apr 2023
Argentina: Still a nation of beef lovers?
The South American country is famous for its steaks, ribs, and milanesa. It is the second largest home market for beef in the world, and the fifth biggest exporter. But with soaring inflation, this much loved staple is becoming unaffordable for ordinary people.We look at the coun ... Show More
18m 11s
Jun 2019
“The Pig Farmer” - Robert "Willie" Pickton
This Canadian grew up on a pig farm in the 1970s, so slaughtering livestock became second nature. His pig meat was the most sought-after in the county... until the meat started arriving dark, blackened and stringy. Sponsors!The Farmer’s Dog - Get 50% off your two week trial of fr ... Show More
57m 11s