Police are investigating after hundreds of kilograms of Polish meat were found dumped in a field.
The bizarre discovery comes after the leaking of undercover footage taken in Poland appeared to show sick cows being used in the meat chain in an abattoir which exported meat to 12 other European Union (EU) countries.
The meat in the field that has been dumped in the wake of this scandal discovered in the town of Libiaz in Lesser Poland Voivodeship in southern Poland by one of the town’s inhabitants.
In the photos, piles of meat including pork, beef and poultry, as well as cooked products such as black pudding, sausages and smoked products can be seen strewn across the field.
Iwona Szelichiewicz, Chrzanow Police spokesperson, said: “An investigation has been launched to determine the meat’s origin and why it was scattered in the field. The meat was reportedly lying in wasteland behind the church of St. Barbara in Libiaz.”
Szelichiewicz said around 270-300 kilograms (595 – 661 lbs) of frozen meat was found in the field.
The local Veterinary Officer for Chrzanow, assisted by officials from the environmental department of the Municipal Office in Libiaz and policemen took samples of the meat for the investigation.
Monika Tokarczyk, a district veterinary surgeon, told local media: “The products had no labels, so we do not know where the meat comes from. The number of products, as well as their type, suggests that they are products from a butcher’s shop.”
The act is punishable by a prison sentence of between three months and five years. The investigation is ongoing and no arrests have been reported.
Polish meat has come under scrutiny after the undercover footage recorded by Patryk Szczepaniak at an abattoir in the central Polish region of Mazovia seemingly showed sick cows being slaughtered.
The EU sent out a rapid alert system after the footage was leaked.
Jacek Zarzecki, the CEO of the Polish Association of Cattle Breeders and Producers of Beef revealed: “After revealing the illegal slaughter of cows, beef prices began to fall. If this trend continues, the losses of farmers and breeders may reach 600 million PLN (121.7 million GBP) in 2019.”
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Story By: Bartosz Staszewski, Sub-Editor: Joseph Golder, Agency: Central European News
