David Cameron pledges legal action against those involved in horsemeat scandal (VIDEO)

Feb 13 2013 By Cheryl Mullin

DAVID Cameron has promised anyone involved in passing off horsemeat as beef would face the full force of the law today after two British plants were raided and shut down.

The Prime Minister defended the Government’s response to the growing scandal, saying it was insisting on “meaningful” tests of products by retailers and suppliers.

“If there has been criminal activity there should be the full intervention of the law,” he said.

The comments came after the Peter Boddy slaughterhouse in Todmorden, West Yorkshire, and meat processing plant Farmbox Meats at Llandre in Aberystwyth, west Wales, had records seized by the Food Standards Agency (FSA) and were temporarily shut down amid claims they supplied and used horse carcasses in burgers and kebabs.

Mr Cameron said it was “appalling'' and “completely unacceptable'' that consumers were buying beef products that turned out to contain horsemeat.

He said many of the current issues had come to light due to tougher tests that had been ordered by ministers, and pledged that in future results would be made public.

“We have also asked for meaningful tests from retailers and producers and they will be published in full,” he added.

Earlier, FSA director of operations Andrew Rhodes said its probe had discovered “blatant misleading of consumers” and would continue until there was “nothing left to find”.