Ireland recalls pork products after dioxin test

Shops and supermarkets in Ireland and elsewhere were clearing their shelves of bacon, sausages and ham Sunday after authorities announced some Irish pork products had been tainted with a chemical linked to cancer.

Ireland's departments of health and agriculture on Saturday announced the discovery of dioxins in pigs and pig feed at 80 to 200 times the safety limit. Health officials said the recall of all pig products produced since Sept. 1 was precautionary, but the farmers said it was a nightmare for the industry.

On Sunday the crisis spread to the U.K. as the government of Northern Ireland announced that nine farms in the province had used the same tainted pig feed.

"We're actually reeling in shock at the moment at the scale of this disaster," Tim Cullinan, an official with the Irish Farmers Association and a pig farmer told Irish state radio RTE.

He said he believed authorities had identified the source of the contamination and hoped to get fresh pork back on the shelves within days. Meanwhile, he said, the recall had dealt a body blow to pig farmers and processors.

"It couldn't have come at worse time, the weeks leading up to Christmas. ... It's a nightmare to be honest," he said.

Irish Europe Minister Dick Roche told Sky News television that the recall was necessary because "very high levels of dioxins were found in a number of samples," including one in France.

Dr. Tony Holohan, the Irish Department of Health's chief medical officer urged people not to purchase or consume pork products, but stressed that the move was precautionary.

"We're not anticipating significant health effects," he told RTE.

Ireland's farms produce more than 3 million pigs a year, nearly half of which are consumed within the Republic of Ireland. But Irish pork also is heavily exported to neighboring Northern Ireland and Britain _ and appears in grocery stores and processed meats through much of Europe and Asia.

Last year Ireland exported 113,000 tons of pig meat, nearly half of that to the United Kingdom. Ireland also shipped more than 500,000 live pigs to the U.K. for slaughter and processing there.

Tesco PLC, Britain's largest supermarket, said it didn't import fresh pork from Ireland but was going through its stock to see if any other products contained Irish pig products. Other British grocers said they were also checking their shelves.

Scientists said the recall was a good idea but the levels of dioxin were unlikely to be any immediate cause for concern.

"These compounds take a long time to accumulate in the body, so a relatively short period of exposure would have little impact on the total body burden," said toxicologist Alan Boobis at London's Imperial College. "One would have to be exposed to high levels for a long period of time before there would be a health risk."

European Union authorities said they were monitoring the situation and were working to pass details of the contaminated food products on to member states. Britain's Food Standards Agency said it was not too concerned that Britons' health would suffer from Irish pork products already consumed since September.

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On the Net:

Food Safety Authority of Ireland, http://www.fsai.ie/about/index.asp