The trial of those involved in the European horse meat scandal of the 2010s has commenced in France, with a group of Belgians among those facing prison sentences.
On Tuesday, 18 defendants were put on trial. They are accused of having permitted the slaughter and sale of animals unfit for consumption, by means of false documents.
The Belgian connection
According to the prosecution, the operation's ringleader is Belgian equine trader, Jean-Marc Decker.
The prosecution told the tribunal that he would deliver 40 to 50 horses per week to the horse meat company's laboratory in the south of France, with a quarter of those classed as 'fraudulent'. This meant that over 500 horses were wrongly slaughtered since they were unfit for consumption.
Several of Decker's suppliers are also among those accused, with their defence being that the complexity of European law as well as differing national interpretations on horse meat.
The prosecutor conceded that "loopholes and administrative failings had been knowingly exploited" to "maximise profits."
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The prosecution seeks to sentence Decker to five years in prison with a €100,00 fine. The Belgian national also faces being banned from working as an equine butcher or from entering France for up to five years.
Up to four years in prison were requested against the other seventeen defendants in this trial for "organised fraud and deception leading to a danger to human health." They are also accused of infringing European regulations in the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, France and Poland.
The lead prosecutor also recommended fines ranging from €15,000 to €75,000, as well as a €200,000. The trial is due to end on Friday, with a ruling expected in November.
