FSA Issues Contamination Warning over Irish Pork

Pork products originating from Northern Ireland or the Republic of Ireland should not be consumed because of contamination fears, the Food Standards Agency said today.

The Irish government has recalled all pork products processed in the Republic since September amid concerns that pigs were given feed contaminated by harmful toxins.

Nine farms in Northern Ireland have used the contaminated animal feed, it was confirmed today.

Michelle Gildernew, the North's agriculture minister, confirmed that restrictions had been placed on the farms, which were identified by her department's electronic monitoring system.

"To date, nine farms in the north have been identified as having used the contaminated feed," she said. "There is obviously a large amount of north-south movement of these products in Ireland and we need to carefully consider the way ahead."

The FSA said it was making precautionary recommendations while it continued to investigate whether any contaminated pork products had entered the UK market.

"The FSA is advising consumers not to eat pork or pork products, such as sausages, bacon, salami and ham, which are labelled as being from the Irish Republic or Northern Ireland, while it continues to investigate whether any products contaminated with dioxins have been distributed in the UK," the agency said in a statement.

"We do not believe there is significant risk to UK consumers as adverse health effects from eating the affected products are only likely if people are exposed to relatively high levels of this contaminant for long periods."

The Food Safety Authority Ireland (FSAI) insisted any health risks to the public were minimal and said the withdrawal was a precautionary measure.

The recall affects products sold across Ireland and the UK since September 1. Consumers and retailers are being encouraged to destroy all Irish pork and bacon products bought since that date.

Source: The Guardian