After three horse carcasses, of six recently flagged for testing in the UK as the result of the European horsemeat scandal, tested positive for trace amounts of phenylbutazone (bute), British Food Standards Agency testing protocols have been changed. From now on, horsemeat can only be shipped out of abattoirs after it has been proven to be clear of bute.
While bute is said to be carcinogenic if ingested by humans, French Agriculture Minister Stephane Le Foll, has stated that the low levels of the drug found in these carcasses does not pose a health risk.
The tainted meat was obtained from horses legally slaughtered in Britain.