Passports abused as horses go for meat
Competition horses are ending up in the food chain with forged documents
A EUROPOL investigation that found competition horses with forged passports are making their way into the food chain has only uncovered “the tip of the iceberg”.
The six-month Opson IX operation, targeting slaughterhouses in Ireland, Belgium, Italy, Spain and the Netherlands, found some 20% of foreign horse passports showed signs of forgery. The investigation led to live horses and more than 17 tonnes of horsemeat being seized.
World Horse Welfare chief executive Roly Owers told H&H the findings came as no surprise, as there is a “huge” black market in forged equine passports.
“We’ve seen lorries returning from Europe with horse passports and cash on board – it’s no great leap to imagine the passports making the journey multiple times with different horses,” he said.
“A slack identification system allows horses to be traded in a murky underground world. Many will be retired sport and pleasure horses, but there’s little doubt some will be stolen.”
Most competition, leisure and racehorse owners sign horses out of the food chain to allow vets to administer a full range of drug treatments. Demand for horsemeat in Europe, and the “chronic shortage” of meat declared safe for consumption, is thought to drive this illegal trade.
But Mr Owers said trafficking of horses with forged documents is only “the tip of the iceberg”, with the activity also linked to other illicit trades. Lorries with livestock are less likely to be searched as rules discourage their being held, so criminals can take advantage; there is anecdotal evidence that horse urine masks the smell of drugs against sniffer dogs, he said.
The Opson IX operation was co-ordinated between Europol and Interpol.
Despite interruption from the pandemic, authorities were able to check documents from more than 157,000 horses, and inspect around 117 tonnes of horsemeat.
Europol executive director Catherine De Bolle said: “In times of crisis, criminals always look for new ways to abuse consumers.
“Counterfeit and sub-standard food is not only deceitful to consumers but can also pose a significant threat to their health.”