Inspectors have found an illegal horse and cattle slaughterhouse at a property in Ikhtiman after a tip-off, Bulgaria's food safety agency said. They seized 100 kg of meat and 80 kg of offal, which will be destroyed.

Inspectors from the food safety directorate in Sofia region and police checked the property together. They found a place where animals were slaughtered that was not registered as a livestock farm. They also found signs of slaughter and dumped animal by-products.

A cold room held meat, heads and offal from cattle and horses, with no papers showing where they came from. The site did not meet hygiene rules and was not registered under the Food Act. The owners said the meat went into meat products sold in the neighbourhood.

Inspectors found 16 horses and one head of cattle on the property. None had been identified as the rules require. Eight of the horses had been loaded into a vehicle that was not registered to carry live animals.

The animals cannot be moved until the results of health tests come in. Officials have taken administrative action over the violations.

A few days ago, the food safety directorate in Haskovo found another illegal slaughterhouse on private property in Simeonovgrad. Inspectors there found nearly 500 kg of carcass meat and animal by-products.