horse meat

More than three and a half years after Horsegate rocked the food industry, three men have been charged in connection with the scandal in the UK.

City of London Police said today they were charging the three men (Alex Ostler-Beech from Hull, Ulrik Nielsen from Denmark and Andronicos Sideras from Southgate) with conspiracy to defraud following a “complex international criminal investigation” involving agencies in the UK and Europe.

All three will appear on bail at City of London Magistrates’ Court on 27 September.

The Food Standards Agency said it would not be commenting while the trial was pending.

Kristin Jones, head of specialist fraud for the Crown Prosecution Service, said:  “The CPS has today authorised charges against three men, relating to the sale of mixed beef and horsemeat products which were sold as beef. After carefully considering evidence from the UK and overseas, the CPS has decided that there is sufficient evidence to provide a realistic prospect of conviction and it is in the public interest to charge these three men. This decision comes after a thorough investigation conducted by the City of London Police in liaison with partner agencies.”

Perhaps the true scale of criminal activity in the UK food supply system is starting to emerge

Professor Chris Elliott

Professor Chris Elliott, who led a review into the integrity of food supply chains for the government in the wake of the scandal, said: ”It is excellent news that a number of individuals have finally been charged in connection with the horsemeat scandal. I can only assume it has been a long and complex investigation as many forms of fraud tend to be. It will be interesting to see if organised crime is linked to these charges or if they are more related to one-off opportunistic activities. Perhaps the true scale of criminal activity in the UK food supply system is starting to emerge.” 

A huge scandal

Horsegate rocked the food industry across Europe when, in January 2013, it emerged horsemeat had found its way into the products of several major retailers and brands.

Companies affected in the UK included Tesco, Asda, Aldi, the Co-op and Birds Eye as well as beef supplier ABP.

The scandal primarily affected frozen lines such as burgers and ready meals, and prompted a major reappraisal of supply chains and risk management procedures in the meat industry and beyond.