Video: Horse meat scandal: products being tested for painkiller 'bute' If tests do detect traces of the drug in horse meat, Mr Hargreaves said the risk to consumers would be "very, very small," because the painkiller has also been used to treat humans. But, he added, contaminated meat would indicate that the tracing system was not working correctly and must have an effect on consumer confidence. "It may mean that somebody has used some old medication on a different horse that the vet didn't know anything about, and they didn't realise the significance of it," he said.