Farming groups in the UK have reacted strongly to the latest revelations to emerge from the 'horse meat' debacle. Over the past few weeks, several meat processors and suppliers have been discovered to be using meat labelled as beef, but contaminated with high quantities of pig and horse meat, in the UK and Ireland.

In one case, pies and pasties sold by a supplier in Northern Ireland and labelled as Halal were found to contain pig meat. 

As news emerged that Findus has removed products labelled as beef lasagne, but which were found to be up to 100 per cent horse meat rather than beef, the NFU complained that the food processing industry risks undermining and damaging the reputation of farming in the UK. The horse meat in question was traced to a supplier in France. However, the UK Food Standards Agency revealed last week that horse meat exported from the UK to France in 2012 was unfit for human consumption due to contamination with a drug used to treat lameness.  

The NFU said, "It is vital that the high welfare standards and traceability that UK farmers meet are replicated further down the supply chain as the horse meat and DNA revelations continue to undermine consumer confidence in the food they eat."

NFU is using the scandal to promote British farming, by encouraging consumers to buy British. However, food policy experts maintain that the current scandal could be the tip of the iceberg and the problem is a culture of artificially 'cheap food' and corporate food governance, in which the FSA's relationship is too close to the very industry it is supposed to regulate.  

NFU President Peter Kendall said on Friday, "Our members are rightly angry and concerned with the recent developments relating to contaminated processed meat products. The contamination took place post farm gate which farmers have no control over. This has never been a farming issue but it is certainly an issue that farmers will be taking extremely seriously. The NFU is working with the industry to uphold the reputation of British farmers who are committed to producing world class raw ingredients in to the supply chain."