EU watches dioxin contamination in pork in Ireland

EU watches dioxin contamination in pork in Ireland

A Melton Mowbray pork pie is seen in a shop in Melton Mowbray, England in this undated handout photo. The European Commission is watching closely dioxin contamination of pork meat in Ireland, said the commission on Sunday. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo)

BRUSSELS, Dec. 7 (Xinhua) -- The European Commission is watching closely dioxin contamination of pork meat in Ireland, said the commission on Sunday.

Dioxin contamination was confirmed on Saturday and the use of contaminated animal feed was identified to be the source of the contamination.

Analytical results revealed the presence of very high levels of dioxins in pork meat, about 100 times the European Union (EU) maximum level, said the commission. Preliminary evidence indicates that the contamination problem is likely to have started in September 2008. All possibly contaminated feed has been blocked.

The contaminated feed was provided to 10 pig farms which are producing about 10 percent of the total supply of pigs in Ireland. Pigs from these farms were, after slaughter, processed by meat processing plants which are responsible for about 80 percent of the total supply of pork meat and pork meat products from Ireland.

Given the high levels found and that it is not possible to trace back the Irish pork meat and pork meat products to the farms affected by the dioxin contamination incident, the Irish authorities decided on Saturday to recall from the market all pork products produced from pigs slaughtered in Ireland.

Distribution details of possibly contaminated pork meat and pork meat products to other EU member states and third countries will be provided to the EU's Rapid Alert System for Feed and Food.

Besides pig farms, the contaminated feed was also delivered to some cattle farms. However no dairy farms are affected. The affected cattle farms are blocked and investigations are ongoing to determine if the bovine meat is contaminated at unacceptable levels.

The commission, the executive body of the EU, said it is closely watching this contamination incident. The commission will organize a meeting with the competent authorities from the affected member states to share information and to ensure a harmonized approach to this incident.