MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Total Irish pork-products recall because of dioxins

A total pork-product recall from Ireland has been implemented after slaughterhouse tests confirmed high levels of a cancer-causing toxin in meat. The substance has come from contaminated feed and is a big blow to Ireland's domestic and export pig industry.

Irish pig producers are calling it an absolute disaster. An international warning has gone out, and all Irish pork items produced since September 1st are being recalled. The strict move followed the discovery of high levels of dioxins in routine meat samples. It is not known how the dixon-PCBs got into the pig feed in the first place, but it is a substance that has been banned in Ireland since the 1970s. "The levels in the pork itself were in the region of about 80 to 200 times above the safe limits," said Alan Reilly, the chief executive of the Irish Food and Safety Authority. It is believed that the known cancer-causing agent came from a single supplier of contaminated feed that was used on about 50 farms. In Ireland, grocery stores, pubs and restaurants are being asked to send all of their recent pork purchases back to their suppliers and the general public is being urged not to consume any of its domestic pork. Reilly, said investigations were still under way into how the contamination got in to the animal feed. "It's more than likely from the types of dioxins that we have that it looks like some kind of industrial oil or industrial contaminant and we're trying to find out where that came from." He added that culling of animals was likely in order to remove them from the food chain. The Irish Agriculture Minister Brendan Smith said an investigation involving the Irish police was now under way into how the contaminated feed was given to pigs. Mr Smith said the problem in the Republic was confined to 47 farms - including 38 beef farms. Irish Prime Minister Brian Cowen said action had to be taken to "reinforce" the public's confidence and allow the industry to "move on". Padraig Walshe, president of the Irish Farmers' Association, said it was vital to trace the origins of the contamination. He called the recall "a huge blow" and said the farmers were being punished despite buying their feed from a "licensed source". Ireland's pig industry is worth more than 600 million USD per year. Much of the product is exported to Europe and Asia. Last year, more than 113,000 tons of meat was shipped overseas. Irish Europe Minister Dick Roche says immediately pulling the product is a tough, but correct decision. "Our reaction to it has been instantaneous. We made certain that producers know of the problem. We made absolutely certain that customers and consumers know the problem. We take strong action to remove any possibly contaminated product from the shelves," said Roche. Experts say the danger of the contaminant would come from ingesting the tainted meat over a long period of time, but consumers are being urged to throw out any Irish pork they might have. About 7,000 people are employed in Ireland's pig industry. The country's major pork-producing international competitors include Brazil, the US and Canada.