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Irish pork health scare: 100,000 pigs to be killed
Monday, 8 December 2008
enlargeAn estimated 100,000 Irish pigs are to be culled in the wake of the country’s biggest food scare since BSE, it emerged today.
And Gardai in the Republic have now been called in to investigate how pigmeat came to be contaminated by potentially harmful dioxins, known as PCBs.
Nine farms in Northern Ireland have been identified as having used the contaminated pig feed.
However, it is understood that no pigs in Northern Ireland have yet tested positive for the dioxin and farmers are hoping the province could escape the worst of the crisis that has hit across the border.
Ulster Farmers Union Joe McDonald said: “As far as we understand, there have been no positive tests in any pigs in Northern Ireland. The only positive tests have been in the south and that is why they went for an immediate total recall.
“There is an industry meeting at 2.30pm and by then the Food Standards Agency may have chosen to take further action. At the moment the only advice is to avoid eating Northern Ireland pork and bacon until further notice, but eventually people will be given a final steer on what to do.”
It has been estimated that €125m worth of food products in Ireland and in export markets — taking in up to 25 countries worldwide — will have to be destroyed.
The dioxins were initially detected in a meat plant in the Republic, contained in feed supplied by a Co Carlow food recycling plant.
Millstream Power Recycling said officials are testing an oil which had never been added as an ingredient but which was used in a machine employed to dry feed.
“Millstream will be carrying out a full investigation to establish how the company’s strict health and safety procedures and the high quality standards could possibly have been breached,” a spokesman said.
On advice from the Food Standards Agency, supermarkets across Northern Ireland and Britain have withdrawn the Irish pork they had in stock, the British Retail Consortium said.
The Agency advised consumers not to eat pork or pork products from Ireland or Northern Ireland while it continues to investigate whether any products contaminated by dioxins have been distributed in the UK.
“People shouldn't be too concerned. It's not an immediate toxic risk,” an FSA spokesman said.
“With dioxins it's a problem when you have exposure at high levels over a long period of time. We are only talking about a problem since September.
“The Agency is continuing to monitor the situation and is in close contact with the Food Safety Authority of Ireland. If it is confirmed that any affected products have been distributed to the UK the Agency will take appropriate action to protect consumers.
“An urgent meeting of the UK food industry is being organised by the Agency as part of its investigation into possible distribution channels in this country.”
Agriculture Minister Michelle Gildernew said nine farms in Northern Ireland found to have used the feed had been restricted and contaminated on APHIS, the department’s electronic monitoring system.
“To date nine farms in the north have been identified as having used the contaminated feed.
“We are supplying the FSA with all the necessary information to allow them to take an informed decision,” she said.
The Minister said she would be ensuring that Health Minister Michael McGimpsey is fully briefed so that decisions can be taken and consumers can be kept informed. Officials are also in close contact with their counterparts in DAFF, 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,” Ms Gildernew said.
Traditional Unionist MEP Jim Allister called on the Minister to adopt a ‘Fortress Northern Ireland’ approach.
“I trust the FSA will be kept under constant review and at all times be proportionate. With only nine Northern Ireland farms potentially affected, we can’t see the whole sector plunged into a protracted curb on sales.
“Unaffected produce must still be got to the market,” he said.
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Comments
23 Comments
it must be christmas - time for another food scare. remember the scare about turkeys??
Posted by alister | 09.12.08, 01:21 GMT
Oink, Oink!!
The Danes must be rubbing their hands together as another excuse to sell their overpriced products to the UK and Ireland. Denmark and Germany are very good at covering up their problems and not letting the EU know. Is it only me, or does anyone else not wonder why these two large pork producing countries have never ever reported any instances to the EU?
Porkey
Posted by Porkey | 08.12.08, 17:38 GMT
It's not a matter of politics it's a matter of geography. When someone asks why meat that has UK stamped on the pack needs to be removed they have to be reminded that Northern Ireland is part of the UK. Political and geographically!
Posted by Andy | 08.12.08, 17:18 GMT
A good web site to look up is the National food residue database, it flags two levels.
0.12pg i-TEQ/g fat
0.17pg TEQ/g fat (WHO)
Posted by Boffin | 08.12.08, 16:56 GMT
Oh please! let's not have another debate about the UK and whether this is the North of Ireland or Northern Ireland!
Posted by shush! | 08.12.08, 16:31 GMT
Where is this "the north" referred to in the article? Donegal?
Posted by RS | 08.12.08, 16:08 GMT
Farmed Salmon has been found to contain high levels of PCBs also, buy wild Salmon if you can
Posted by foodie | 08.12.08, 15:56 GMT
To answer the question what is the risk, the FSA web site merely mentions the tolerable daily intake (TDI) without quoting recommended levels.
A more helpful web site is the Committee on Toxicity a series of case studies is presented however one needs to be a biostatistian to make headway. At the end there is quoted some target values based on body burden derivation assumptions: 90% dioxin will be located in body fat, 100% used in the publication. Body loads are quoted in pg/kg body weight, 1.8pgTEQ/kg bw/day average or 3.1pg TEQ/kg bw/day high level consumption.
Posted by boffin | 08.12.08, 15:48 GMT
Better to be safe than sorry with regards to the withdrawing of pork products. More people consume pork products than tobacco so it is right to withdraw them. The government would loose a major source of revenue if they were to ban tobacco not to mention the violation of individual choice.
Posted by bond | 08.12.08, 15:36 GMT
I think somebody is telling porkies!
Posted by Aaron | 08.12.08, 15:15 GMT
RB do you know which countries make up the UK? No seems you don't. Northern Ireland is part of the UK so when a packet says produced in UK that includes Northern Ireland, where 9 of our pig farms are unfortunately contaminated. I hope all the farmers in Northern Ireland will sue the company responsible and the Irish Government for not taking better measures to prevent this type of thing. It's not just the 9 farmers who are contaminated that will suffer it's all pig farmers. Pig prices are pathetic anyway but this could cause so many to go bust!
Posted by Andy | 08.12.08, 14:40 GMT
i thought michael's comment was pretty obvious, and indeed spot on
Posted by glenn | 08.12.08, 14:34 GMT
I think Michael is referring to the dichotomous attitude of the government. They remove all pork due to possibility it might have some chemicals in it that may harm you if enough is consumed. Whilst cigarettes that are definitely known to kill us, are readily sold everywhere. So if the government is so concerned about our health why don't they remove them off the shelves (12 billion in tax obvioulsy!!) Of course I'm only guessing and maybe Michael meant something else entirely!
Posted by bannside | 08.12.08, 14:19 GMT
Paul - one of these dodgy sausages may give one or two people a dicky stomach for a few days, yet every porker in ireland is going to be shot. Only saying no one seems to give a stuff about the fact you can buy smokes everywhere, which are directly linked to the deaths of thousands every year.
Posted by Michael | 08.12.08, 14:18 GMT
Paul, if their meat is produced in the UK then it could be coming from England, Scotland or Wales, so no reason for them to remove it. Maybe..just maybe..they don't stock Irish pork!
Posted by RB | 08.12.08, 14:14 GMT
Its not 100,000..its 99,999... I've got away thru the fence and you won't find me! Long live the piggies. Luv from Pinky xx
Posted by john smith | 08.12.08, 13:56 GMT
Is Michael commenting on the same topic as the rest of us?
Posted by paul | 08.12.08, 13:25 GMT
I heard an independant butcher tell another customer you need to be eating pork at last three times a day to have any possibility of contracting any side effect. Whilst most independant butchers and other shops like Spar have withdrawn all pork items dure to this scare, Sainsburys Forestside are happy to keep their supplies on the shelves, a lot of their packets state produced in the UK.
Posted by paul | 08.12.08, 13:22 GMT
yet i can buy cigarettes everywhere!
Posted by Michael | 08.12.08, 13:06 GMT
You would think that after BSE the lessons would have been learnt.
Consider. After BSE the practice of feeding pigs swill was banned even though pigs cannot get BSE.
Austrian minister Franz Fischler, stated that the EU pig industry wold not be viable using expensive formulated feeds.using protein concentrates.
A significant component of pig feed is derived from fish meal, specifically sand eels. Some years ago an EU commissioned report indicated hight levels of PCBs in sand eels and hence by association contaminating dioxins which are concentrated up the food chain. Dioxins are probably the most toxic chemical ever produced, remember agent orange in Vietnam.
The question is did the contamination arise from the processing of the feed, ie from the wrong oil used in the pellet drying process or did it actually arise from the fish meal component in the feed?
Perhaps return to swill feeding
Posted by Foodie | 08.12.08, 12:33 GMT
23 Comments