Irish pork back on the shelves
Thursday 11 December 2008
Measures are now in place to restore supplies of Irish pork and bacon to consumers. Pork from animals reared, slaughtered and processed in Northern Ireland remain unaffected by this incident. In the UK, 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 Irish authorities that the necessary controls have been established.
Food Standards Agency Chief Scientist Dr Andrew Wadge 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 food businesses and local authorities to make sure that the appropriate checks are being carried out.'
Background
Today’s advice follows last weekend’s announcement by the Irish Government that dioxins and PCBs had been found in slaughtered pigs 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 of them in food for 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 EFSA statement).
Today’s announcement (see Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food link below) from the Irish authorities confirmed that controls are in place to restore supplies of Irish pork and bacon to consumers.
In the Republic of Ireland, pork will carry a special label. Any pork on UK shelves will have been checked, whether it carries a special label or not.
Products such as pizza, sandwiches and meat sauces that contain less than 20% Irish pork do not have to be tested or withdrawn from sale.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% 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. The Food Standards Agency is issuing a Food Alert for Action today to local authorities laying out the actions they need to take.
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