FRANCE: ILLEGAL HALAL MEAT BUTCHER NETWORK UNCOVERED

PARIS, MAY 12 - An illegal network of Halal meat providers was found and dismantled in the French region of Toulon today. Several presumably involved persons have been detained for questioning, among them the alleged head of the ring, a 63 year old farmer and breeder. Various food dealers and intermediaries as well as religious Muslims who gave their consent for the sale of the Halal meat are amongst the detainees. The network, according to information from the investigation, had been active since July 2007, its total production equal almost 40 tonnes of meat. The slaughterhouse clients included private buyers, such as Kebab and Halal meat vendors. The unlicensed operation, where investigators found scattered animal remains, was discovered in the neighbourhood of Sollies-Pont, north of Toulon, equipped with refrigerated rooms and containers. The net was discovered during a judicial investigation, "regarding the slaughter of animals in illegal conditions... a general health hazard due to the absence of regulations security and attention by those involved".