Polish companies at the heart of a food safety scandal sold nearly 10 tonnes of suspect meat to food processing plants, with around a third exported to European Union countries, Poland's chief veterinarian Pawel Niemczuk said on Thursday.
Niemczuk said police have launched a criminal investigation into two companies after an undercover reporter filmed sick cows being taken for slaughter. The police were not immediately available for comment.
Members of Poland's opposition party Civic Platform said consumer and trading partners had lost trust in Polish beef.
Authorities launched food safety inspections in the wake of the report which was shown by private broadcaster TVN.
Suspect meat exports also reached Romania, Hungary, Estonia, Finland, Spain, Lithuania and Slovakia, he said.
Poland produces about 560,000 tonnes of beef a year, with 85 percent exported.
Autor: gf / Źródło: TVN24 News in English
Źródło zdjęcia głównego: "Superwizjer" TVN