Dutch meat wholesale group Selten is going to court in an effort to halt food safety inspectors from forcing the recall of an estimated 50,000 tonnes of meat which may be contaminated with horse.

On Wednesday, the watchdog said it was ordering the recall of thousands of tonnes of beef because the origins of the meat are not clear and its safety cannot be guaranteed.

The meat was distributed to hundreds of companies throughout Europe between January 1, 2011 and January 15 this year, which means much of it will already have been eaten. However, there is no evidence the meat poses a danger to health, the NVWA said.

Unrest

Willy Selten, the Oss-based trader at the centre of the scandal, says the recall is ‘too crazy for words’ and will create a lot more unrest.

The meat was always checked and certified and the problems relate to one period in May 2012 when horse containing a painkiller was mixed in with the beef, he told Nos television.

The NVWA has also implemented European regulations to alert other EU countries to the possible contamination, in particular Germany, France, Spain and Portugal.

Germany

According to Nos television, some 124 German firms have bought meat from the Dutch firm since the beginning of 2011.

Farm minister Sharon Dijksma, who says she is shocked by the latest revelations, is preparing a statement on the latest scandal for parliament.