Poland’s Chief Veterinarian Officer issued a statement on Monday in regard to "Superwizjer" TVN’s report entitled "I’ll buy sick meat", aired on Saturday. In his statement, he underscored that "the revealed operations bore signs of an illegal conduct". "We may be talking about putting people’s health and lives at risk," said the spokesperson for the Chief of Police, Mariusz Ciarka.
"Superwizjer" TVN journalists have revealed Poland’s flourishing, sick and dead meat business. One of the journalists has gone undercover and has been hired in a slaughterhouse where sick cattle was being processed.
Chief Veterinarian Officer’s statement
Poland’s Chief Veterinarian Officer (GLW), Paweł Niemczuk issued a statement on Monday in regard to "Superwizjer" TVN’s report. In the statement, he reminds that "the responsibility for food's safety and humane slaughter of animals lies on the food sector businesses".
"Since the 1st of January 2013, in every slaughterhouse operating in the EU, there's an Animal Welfare Officer whose chief responsibility is to supervise compliance with the rules of humane slaughter of animals," the GLW stressed.
He assessed that "all the material included in the report aired on TVN, regarding the situation in one of the meat processing facilities in the Masovian Voivodeship, shows a blatant violation of animal protection law, that led to deliberate and extreme cruelty to farm animals".
According to the Chief Veterinarian Officer, the presented evidence "proves beyond any doubt that he revealed operations bore signs of an illegal conduct, as the slaughter was carried out at night, to avoid official inspection".
"Immediate inspections"
"The police have been asked to determine the locations and addresses provided by the veterinary services, as well as the telephone numbers of people offering to buy or sell sick cattle. Regardless of police actions, the veterinary services have launched an official inquiry of the above-mentioned parties," reads the statement.
"The Chief Veterinarian Officer has ordered nationwide, immediate inspections to be carried out out by the veterinary bodies that report to him. The inspections will be carried out in a close cooperation with other services, especially the police, road traffic inspectorate and prosecutor's office".
The deputy to the GLW, Jacek Kucharski said that the statement only "confirms that there is a suspicion of criminal conduct, namely cruelty to animals". He added that "it is clear that the fundamental provisions of animal protection law have been violated".
"Police secured the evidence"
The spokesperson for the Chief of Police, Mariusz Ciarka told TVN24 that police officers "have very scrupulously, very meticulously secured all the evidence".
"It's already very extensive material. We have passed all of it on to the prosecutor's office, asking for an investogation to be launched. According to our initial assessment, we may be talking about putting people’s health and lives at risk, by putting contaminated substances or food products into circulation," said Ciarka.
Autor: gf / Źródło: TVN24 News in English, "Superwizjer" TVN
Źródło zdjęcia głównego: "Superwizjer" TVN