A SLAUGHTERHOUSE boss from Todmorden has been fined for his role in the horsemeat scandal.

Peter Boddy, 65, who runs an abattoir in Hey Head Lane, was fined £8,000 after admitting two charges of failing to abide by rules covering traceability of meat.

MORE TOP STORIES:

His slaughterhouse manager David Moss, 53, formerly of Todmorden but now living in Higher Moss, admitted forging an invoice concerning the number of horses sold in a deal in February, 2013.

Moss was given a four-month suspended prison term, by Judge Alistair McCreath, when the pair appeared for sentence at Southwark Crown Court, London.

Judge McCreath said: “The traceability of food products is of critical importance in relation to public health.

“If meat causes ill health then it is important that those responsible for investigating the cause of it should quickly be able to discover where the meat came from and trace it backwards to find where the problem lies and prevent the problem escalating.”

But the judge said it was important to note the men were not being sentenced for being complicit in the supply of horsemeat into the human food chain.