Dioxins Fed to Some Irish Cattle

The UK Food Standards Agency can confirm that cattle on nine farms in Northern Ireland have also been affected. FSA is conducting its own tests to establish the level of chemicals that might be present in meat from affected herds in Northern Ireland.

10/12/08 Ireland’s Food Safety Authority (FSAI) has confirmed that feed contaminated with dioxins has been fed to some cattle in Ireland. FSAI has evaluated samples taken from affected herds and is satisfied that these samples raise no public health concern.

The UK Food Standards Agency can confirm that cattle on nine farms in Northern Ireland have also been affected. FSA is conducting its own tests to establish the level of chemicals that might be present in meat from affected herds in Northern Ireland.

As a precaution, stock and carcasses from affected Irish and Northern Irish herds is being held and is not allowed to enter the food chain.

Dr Andrew Wadge, FSA Chief Scientist, said: ‘We would expect that the risk from dioxin in beef is significantly lower than in pork. Cattle consume a wider variety of feeds and the way their bodies process the feed is different which makes the risk of contamination much lower. We're waiting for the results of the scientific tests to check for levels in Northern Ireland.

'The risk to UK consumers remains very low. This is because you would need to eat large quantities of the contaminant chemical over a long period of time for there to be any risk to your health. Because of this low risk to health, we’re taking a proportionate approach and therefore products are not being removed from the shelves.'