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Slaughterhouse boss admits charges over UK horsemeat scandal

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Peter Boddy, 65, admits to failing to abide by EU regulations concerning more than 17 horse carcasses

Abattoir owner Peter Boddy (right), who is the first person to face jail after admitting criminal charges connected to the horsemeat scandal. Photograph: Justin Tallis/PA

A slaughterhouse boss is the first person to face jail after admitting criminal charges connected to the horsemeat scandal which rocked British supermarkets in 2013.

Peter Boddy, 65, admitted one count of failing to abide by EU meat traceability regulations concerning more than 17 horse carcasses. The charge carries a maximum sentence of two years’ imprisonment.

At an earlier hearing, Boddy – who runs a slaughterhouse in Todmorden, West Yorkshire – pleaded guilty to failing to comply with food-traceability regulations which state the source of meat should be traceable from field to fork.

He admitted selling 50 horses for meat but failing to keep proper records to show who bought them.

There is no suggestion that buyers did not know they were purchasing horse meat. Prosecutors said they did not know where the meat might have ended up.

Wearing a khaki hunting jacket and clutching a deer-stalker, Boddy stood in the dock at London’s Southwark crown court on Wednesday and pleaded guilty to the second count.

The slaughterhouse’s 54-year-old manager David Moss, admitted forging an invoice concerning the number of horses sold in a transaction on 12 February 2013.

But he denied failing to comply with food-traceability requirements for more than 17 horse carcasses between July 2012 and February 2013, and the charge was left to lie on file, as well as a charge of failing to comply with EU meat-traceability regulations. The pair will be sentenced on 23 March at Southwark.

Judge Alistair McCreath released them both on unconditional bail, saying: “I tell you now that I have reached no view whatever as to the right sentence, no preliminary view, no settled view, nothing.

“I say that so that you understand that by granting you bail and ordering reports, I don’t give you any indication.

“So don’t run away with the idea that I have given you any kind of hint, any kind of indication or promise, what is going to happen.”

In a separate prosecution, slaughterhouse bosses Dafydd Raw-Rees and Colin Patterson, from Wales, will stand trial on charges arising from the horsemeat scandal.

They both deny 19 counts of selling goat falsely labelled as lamb shanks, lamb trim and mutton.

The pair, who worked at Tyne Parc, Llandre, in Dyfed, Wales, also deny failing to comply with food-traceability requirements.

Their company, Farmbox Meats Limited, is believed to have gone into administration and stopped operating.

The pair will stand trial at Southwark crown court on 18 May.

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13 replies »

  1. I’m glad to see someone is going to jail. They need to clearly start enforcing the regulations here. The attitude here is that the “Killers” will still be able to operate as usual. One can only hope that the regulations will be followed exactly as they were written so that there is no chance our horses will end up in Canada or Mexico. Again, our breed associations need to get their heads out of their asses and come up with a solution. If the regulations are enforced, I can see the supporters of slaughter crying about over population and starving horses. Perhaps the tables maybe turning in favor of our equine friends.

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  3. Nice little piece about 10 forgotten horses in history–”but we are now finally remembering our Sgt. Reckless.

    “http://listverse.com/2014/08/27/10-forgotten-horses-in-history

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  5. If the people in the UK don’t sit up and take notice that their being poisoned by Horse meat that’s contaminated with Horse meat load with carcinogens such as Bute and Banamine, not to mention all the other wormers and medicines that are given to these Horses over the course of their lives, your being poisoned and more than likely will pay for eating these beautiful creatures, Cancers, this is what will most likely happen in the future for those who want to eat Horse Meat, Your being lied to and you have no one to blame but yourself for not doing research on the Horses your consuming. For most Americans the idea of eating one of God’s most Gentle and Beautiful creatures is Barbaric, we don’t associate them as a food source, we look at them as a blessing and for those who love Horses we treat them like family. I’m not here to slander anyone’s rights, but in the end it’s the Horses who will win, even in death their will be consequences for those who choose to take part in this practice and as I believe in Karma and that all things good or bad will be accountable in this world and this eases my anger towards our Government that allows the shipping of our Wild Horses to Slaughter Houses of Horror and the People at the BLM who do not Honor the rights that were given to the Horses and Burros protection act or the Ranchers who’s Cattle are on Land that belongs to the Wild Horses and Burros or the Heartless people who line their pockets when rounding up Horses, they don’t care what suffering they bring on babies, Mares in Foal, they don’t care, they only care about the Money, as with most evil in our world, GREED is behind suffering and sorrow, people without a conscience or empathy for the Harm they do, but their will be a day of accountability, if not by man’s law but by God’s law and I have faith in Gods judgement for those who go against his will, we are all charged with the care of Gods creatures and these heartless greedy people will know a wrath far greater than the torture they bring to the helpless animals they should be protecting.

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    • very well said Bella You have to be pretty stupid to eat horse meat with all the medication that has been given them through out the yrs especially wormers ect. which is giving every 8 weeks by most responsible horse owners and or vaccines

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