Pork incident update

Thursday 11 December 2008

Following the Food Standards Agency's recent announcement that Northern Ireland pork is not affected by contamination and remains unaffected by the contaminated feed incident, the Republic of Ireland authorities have now put in place measures to restore supplies of Irish pork and bacon.

In the UK and the rest of Europe, shops, manufacturers and caterers that can trace the origin of any pork, directly to a farm that is unaffected by contaminated feed, are able to continue selling their products. This follows confirmation from the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) that checks are in place.

Dr Andrew Wadge, FSA Chief Scientist, said: 'Consumers can be reassured that systems are in place, so we can buy pork from Northern Ireland and now the Republic of Ireland with confidence. We have worked together with industry and local authorities to make sure that the appropriate checks are being carried out.'

Today’s advice follows last weekend’s announcement by the Irish Government that dioxins and PCBs had been found in pigs slaughtered in the Republic of Ireland that had eaten contaminated feed.

Dioxins and PCBs are chemicals that get into food from the environment. They are associated with a range of health effects when people take in relatively high levels in food over a long period. However, a statement yesterday from the European Food Safety Authority offered reassurance to regular eaters of pork and pork products (see link below to statement).

In the Republic of Ireland pork will carry a special label. Any pork on UK shelves will have been approved for sale, whether it carries a special label or not.

Products like pizza, sandwiches and meat sauces that contain less than 20% of Irish pork do not have to be tested or withdrawn from sale.

Food businesses will be testing products like pork pies and sausages, which contain more than 20% of Irish pork from affected farms to make sure that they don’t contain illegal levels of dioxins. Food businesses need to satisfy themselves and demonstrate to local authorities that any pork on sale is unaffected.