European Commission veterinarians have found irregularities in documents at slaughterhouses in Poland, but found no problems with the quality of beef produced there, the Polish Minister of Agriculture said.

An EU inspection took place last month after a private television station, TVN, reported that beef from lame or sick animals was exported from one Polish slaughterhouse to more than a dozen countries. Poland is a major exporter of beef, and the TVN report raised concerns throughout Europe. Many European countries quickly reduced their Polish beef imports and tightened import control. Polish authorities denied allegations that Polish meat was dangerous.

Minister of Agriculture Jan Krzysztof Ardanovsky said that checks at several slaughterhouses throughout Poland revealed many problems with the documentation that needed to be solved, but found that the meat was not dangerous for consumers.

“The meat coming from Polish slaughterhouses is safe,” Ardanovsky said at a press conference. But he admitted that, given the huge amount of beef, “deliberate or unintentional mistakes can occur." Also, the Minister said that the cases shown on TVN, were illegal. Prosecutors are investigating. Ardanski said he is meeting with EU Commissioner for Agriculture Phil Hogan on Monday to let him know how Poland is implementing the recommendations.