Dutch horsemeat trader Willy Selten has reportedly been sentenced to two-and-a-half years in jail for his part in Europe's horsemeat scandal.

Selten was arrested in May 2013 for selling 300 tonnes of horsemeat labelled as beef.

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According to local media he was found guilty of fraud for making false invoices and delivery notes. The court said his actions damaged the reputation of the Dutch meat industry at home and abroad.

Local publication Dutch News said Selten admitted making mistakes but denied he deliberately committed fraud by using horsemeat in order to earn more money.

The horsemeat scandal broke in January 2013 when it was found frozen burgers in several UK supermarkets contained horse DNA. It resulted in a recall of 50,000 tonnes of meat products across Europe.

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