As regards the disgraceful affair of the adulterated butter, known as the Flechard case, I would have preferred more plain speaking.

As the situation was clarified, it emerged that the adulterated butter was sold as butter, concentrated butter or used in the production of processed foods.

Further to a first wave of on-the-spot checks carried out in June 2000 by the District Antimafia Branch of the Naples Prosecutor's Office in association with the Italian Guardia di Finanza (Financial Police) and the competent Judicial Authorities of France and Belgium (see OLAF press release 07/2000 of 5 July 2000), the European Anti-fraud Office (OLAF) is actively collaborating in various national investigations aimed at detecting and prosecuting an organised criminal network responsible for manufacturing and distributing adulterated butter in the European market and defrauding the Community budget.

Update: The European Anti-fraud office (OLAF) continues its investigations together with various national authorities into a fraud involving adulterated butter

Following inquiries conducted in Member States it was discovered that a number of possibly adulterated shipments were also made to Germany prior to April 1999.

In the past few weeks about 70 searches have been carried out on business premises and at private homes in Italy, France and Belgium. The searches were coordinated at international level by Olaf.