Sentences of up to two years in prison were handed down on Wednesday against fifteen French, Belgian and Dutch professionals in the horsemeat industry tried in Marseille for having introduced meat unfit for consumption into the human diet.

At the hearing, in June, 18 defendants had appeared before the Marseille criminal court, in particular for aggravated deception and fraud in an organized gang.

Based in Bastogne (Belgium), Jean-Marc Decker, 58, a Belgian horse trader who is one of the largest in Europe, was sentenced to four years in prison, two of which were suspended, and a fine of 100,000 euros.

He is also prohibited for five years from exercising any activity related to the equine industry.

Forged passport

Qualified by the prosecution as a "central element" of this vast fraud, he had slaughtered at the municipal slaughterhouse of Alès (Gard) half a thousand horses whose identification passport or drug treatment book had been falsified.

"This file revealed a structured organization which made it possible to sell (Editor's note: between 2010 and 2015) a large number of horses which were excluded from the food chain", insisted Céline Ballerini, president of the criminal court.

Stijn De Visscher, Dutch horse dealer, placed by the court “at a level of responsibility equivalent to Jean-Marc Decker”, was sentenced to the same sentence, only the fine being reduced, to 75,000 euros.

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