“Northern Ireland pork is safe to eat..”
There is, finally, some clarity emerging on question over whether Northern Irish pork is contaminated in the Irish pork dioxins alert. According to the BBC report,
The [UKs Food Standards Agency] said it was confident no pigs had been fed contaminated feed. “We are quite happy that Northern Ireland pigs are free from the contamination,” the FSA’s Maria Jennings said. “We’re quite happy for processors to start processing as soon as they possibly can.”
Although the report also notes that 11 Northern Ireland premises processed pork from the Republic of Ireland and the meat was put on sale here. What then of the 6 herds on which restrictions were placed by the Agriculture Minister? The Minister wasn’t able to answer questions on those in the Assembly yesterday – waiting for the results of tests on the feed. And, according to another BBC report, 8 Northern Irish beef cattle herds have been fed contaminated feed, although it is very unlikely that any dioxins would be in the processed meat [or milk]. All of which adds to the questions about the weekend breakdown in communication north, south, east and west.
Amazingly after all the hype on Nolan and other places that the scare over NI pork is over!! the FSA website, the DHSSPS website and the DARD websites haven’t changed their advice from yesterday!
ex tech
The advice remains the same because pork from the Republic of Ireland has been processed here.
As the Belfast Telegraph report notes
Pete,
after the BSE crisis hundreds of hours and equal amounts of money were spent to ensure that traceability schemes were in lpace for just this eventuality, all processors should by now have identified suspect product and recalled it. Unaffected product should have restocked the shelves and the FSA should be giving clear guidance.
This issue first reared its head in the ROI early last week, it was headline news on Saturday, apparently our Health Minister didn’t find out until Sunday evening – if the European alerts and the N/S cooperation had been working this level of mess and confusion could and should have been avoided.
Agriculture Minister: [i]“On Friday 5 December 2008, the authorities in the South advised us that potentially contaminated animal-feed material had been exported to nine premises in the North.”[/i]
This is not a failure of co-operation between N+S, it’s a matter of providing false information. The authority from the south who passed on this damaging information should be severely dealt with.
How many cattle farms in the Republic have used this suspect feed?
Iluvni,
the feed went to 28 farms, eight of which were in Northern Ireland so we will all sink together.
Tests are being carried out at the moment.
Disaster… Irish beef contaminated…
http://www.rte.ie/news/2008/1209/pork.html
Mind you, this probably explains a lot of the delusion posts on the various David Cameron threads.
I’ll get my coat.
Any word from the Agriculture Minister on the effect on pig smuggling in the Louth-South Armagh area during the present crisis.
Still ain’t Kosher!
Pete
When you hear the excuses for the communications ‘breakdown’ tomorrow, you’ll laugh.
This is one seriously Mickey Mouse government.
Gonzo
“When you hear the excuses for the communications ‘breakdown’ tomorrow, you’ll laugh.”
Somehow, I doubt it..
I just got a glimpse of a news report on RTE that the oil used to contaminate the feed in Co. Carlow was brought in from Co. Tyrone.
“I just got a glimpse of a news report on RTE that the oil used to contaminate the feed in Co. Carlow was brought in from Co. Tyrone.”
Doh!
More cross border shennanigans!