The way the Dutch meat industry is regulated is to be ‘fundamentally overhauled’, health minister Edith Schippers said in the wake of a damning report on fraud and hygiene in the meat processing sector.

The report from the Dutch safety board accused the sector of putting profit before public safety but also said government regulation is lacking.

It is not yet clear how the new system will be set up or operate, the NRC says.

Three months ago the government pledged to increase the size of the food safety inspectorate by 160 jobs and to spend €33m more a year on improvements.