Past News - Chilled Food Association

16/02/09

CFA Circular: CFA/26/09: FSA - FSA Food Safety Group restructure and activities (for info)

FSA have now publicised recent reorganisation of its science structure, which has resulted in the removal of a number of senior positions/personnel including Dr Judith Hilton (previously head of the Micro Safety Division), Mr Tim Foster (Head of Meat Hygiene Division) and Mr Nick Tomlinson (Head of Chemical Safety Division).

The following are the core teams in the FSA's new Food Safety Group's structure:

* Chief Scientist's Team - headed by Julie Norman and David Atkins (jobshare)

* Food Safety: Hygiene & Microbiology - Liz Redmond

* Food Safety: Contaminants - Alison Gleadle

* Food Safety: Implementation & Delivery - Sarah Appleby

* Incident Response Team - Liz McNulty

* Analysis & Research - Derrick Jones

Enclosed for your information is FSA Chief Scientist Dr Andrew Wadge's accountability report to the FSA Board last week, which covers activities in the above areas with the strategic aim of improving public health through reducing foodborne disease and reducing contaminants in the food supply.

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Restructuring of the Agency's Food Safety Group Monday 16 February 2009 http://www.food.gov.uk/news/newsarchive/2009/feb/fsg

At last week's open Board meeting, FSA Chief Scientist and Director of Food Safety, Andrew Wadge, spoke about the recent restructuring of the Food Safety Group. This organisational change brings together work on aspects of food safety that was previously spread across the Agency.

See the new structure in Annex 2 of FSA Board paper 09/02/04 at the link below.

The new structure brings together hygiene, microbiology, contaminants and other work that had previously been divided between two different groups – the Food Safety Group and the former Consumer Protection and Enforcement Group.

The merger of these two groups has provided the opportunity to better organise the Agency’s food safety work and align resources to the new strategic plan priorities to maximise impact in improving public health in relation to food safety.

New structure

=========

The new Food Safety Group has two divisions that address the two broad categories of agents that can cause food to become unsafe (namely microbiological and non-microbiological agents). It also has a cross-cutting division that deals with the implementation and delivery of effective controls on these two aspects of food safety. This division will work closely with the Veterinary and Technical Division in the Meat Hygiene Service, which performs a similar role in respect of MHS delivery, ensuring greater consistency of approach.

Alongside these is a division providing analytical support and advice across the whole of the Agency, as well as the Chief Scientist Team, which supports the Chief Scientist role for the whole of the Agency.

Last, but not least, is the Incident Response Team, which reports directly to the Director of Food Safety and recognises the strategic importance of responding effectively to food safety incidents.

The Agency will be writing to external stakeholders and delivery partners to explain the changes.

************

cfa_26_09_fsa_food_safety_group_structure_and_progress_report_fsa090204.pdf

11/02/09

CFA/EM/063/09: FROZEN VS FRESH - Guardian article regarding 'worrying message' with frozen food claims (for info)

Interesting to see an opposing view to the current general frozen promo in the media.

CFA's line is that not all food can be frozen or sold ambient (e.g. canned, dried), therefore there is a need for various presentations - CFA's statement on advantages of chilled foods is at: http://www.chilledfood.org/MEDIA/POSITION+STATEMENTS/advantages-of-chilled-foods.htm

Specifically, on reviewing chilled market data (TNS) it is apparent that no more than 25% of the chilled prepared products (by value) could be frozen.

This 'horses for courses' approach is mirrored in the 22 comments on the Guardian's website regarding the article.

Can frozen be better than fresh?

The retail industry is sending out a worrying message with its claims about frozen food Comments (22) Alex Renton guardian.co.uk, Tuesday 10 February 2009 13.03 GMT http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/wordofmouth/2009/feb/10/frozen-food-sales

Frozen food sales are up 5.8% on the year, according to retail industry survey company TNS, which fingers the recession as the cause: "Planning meals in advance is the best way to manage spending – and using frozen can be the easiest way to do this without compromising on taste, nutrition and convenience."

Anyone disagree with all three of the assertions in that sentence?

Frozen food is certainly back – sales were up 18% at Iceland at the end of last year, and the British Frozen Food Federation is calling it "the new ice age". In their view, frozen can be cheaper because there is less wastage than there is with "snobby" chilled food at Marks and Spencer (I'm not making this up, it was in the Guardian's business pages in December).

What was not mentioned was the hideous carbon cost of freezing food and then storing it - a cost the industry has never been asked to pay.

Iceland's CEO said in the same article: "Freezing is God's way of preserving food." Interesting. Weren't pillars of salt his usual method?

There is a worrying message in all these statements: They tell shoppers frozen is as good as, or better than fresh. And, historically, consumers end up believing the rubbish the food industry tells them – if it spends enough doing it.

After all, in the 60s many people believed tinned was better than fresh. I wrote a piece about the difficulties of promoting sustainable fish – and the interesting relationship fishmongers have with the truth when it comes to questions of provenance.

In a response the chief scientist for the industry group Seafish, said I was very wrong to accuse fishmongers of passing off frozen as fresh. Modern freezing techniques nowadays make frozen as good as fresh, he stated.

Can this be true? Certainly, if offered the choice between "fresh" cod that's lain on ice in a trawler's hold for 10 days and flash-frozen fish that's been super-chilled with jets of -30C (-22F) air - well, there may be a point. Frozen peas, indubitably, are as good as fresh (does anyone want to dubitate that?) But some things, like soft fruit, will never survive freezing, or, more important, thawing.

By the way, Product of the Year 2009, an event you might call the big food corporations' Oscars – was presented at the Royal Opera House by TV's Danny Wallace last week. The winners in the frozen foods category were Bernard Matthew's Big Tick Drummers, a turkey product, and Aunt Bessie's Large, Light and Crispy Yorkshire Puddings.

Is anyone brave enough to find out if these items are better frozen than fresh?

02/02/09

CFA welcomes clearer WRAP classification of food waste

CFA is actively involved in a range of waste minimisation initiatives including:

£750k SUSSLE (Sustainable Shelf Life Extension) research programme to better understand and explore the extension of the shelf life of chilled foods by using tailored reduced energy heat processes, enhancing quality without compromising safety;
Funding research at Sheffield Hallam University comparing energy usage and waste arising from domestic vs industrial production of lasagne;
Defra-funded projects at the Open University investigating attitudes towards organic waste-derived materials, and at Cranfield/IGD on the impact of trade relationships on waste;
WRAP projects on the usage of waste in agriculture - CFA's aim being to ensure that appropriate technical standards are in place to prevent the safety of crops being compromised.

02/02/09

ACTION: CFA/EM/050/09: 'FRESH' POULTRY - Proposed EU ban on chilled sale of previously frozen - request for impact data - Food Man coverage

Dear all,

Further to my 23 January meeting with Defra, CFA/EM/32/09 of 21 January,
CFA/159/08 of 17 December and text messages.

CFA has obtained coverage in Food Manufacture (see below) of the EU's proposals to ban the chilled sale of poultrymeat, preparations and potentially products containing previously frozen poultrymeat.

This would have a major impact on UK and Irish industries in particular, introducing massive cost.

The European Chilled Food Federation discussed the proposal as it stood in autumn 2006 and was opposed to it. However, despite repeated contact with ECFF and its membership the lack of response would appear to indicate that the matter is not of concern to its wider membership.

Defra is convening a further meeting with industry to explore impacts in advance of a key EC WG meeting later this month. I will be attending.

INFO NEEDED ASAP
-------------------------------
1. cost estimates to your business of a ban on selling previously
frozen poultrymeat in chilled foods
2. percentage of frozen vs poultrymeat your business handles in chilled
food manufacture

KG
*********
Defrosting rule changes threaten chilled poultry By Rod Addy - Published: 02 February, 2009
http://www.foodmanufacture.co.uk/news/fullstory.php/aid/7685

£1bn worth of chilled food could be hit by European Commission (EC) proposals to ban the sale of chilled poultry products containing defrosted meat.

There is confusion over whether the changes to the poultry meat marketing regulations apply purely to poultry products incorporating raw meat or also to those using cooked meat. The British Poultry Council (BPC) believes the proposal refers just to raw items, whereas the Chilled Food Association
(CFA) fears it could embrace cooked items.

CFA secretary general Kaarin Goodburn said: “Unless we and others have missed something I can’t see any exclusion for cooked poultry meat products in the proposal as it refers to ‘poultry meat preparations and products’ and ‘poultry offal preparations and products’.

“Including ‘products’ makes a very large difference to the scope indeed – an estimated £1bn of chilled prepared food in the UK may be impacted.” The cost per supplier could be as much as £15M, she said.

The BPC said the EC wanted to change the law to prevent consumers being misled into thinking defrosted, raw poultry meat was fresh.

Either way, the plans could see everything from ready meals and soups to sandwiches and items prepared for cooking scrapped or transferred to freezer cabinets. The CFA said its members alone claimed that 20,000t worth of product per year was threatened. “We want the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) and the EC to do an impact assessment,” said Goodburn.

Processors affected would be major suppliers of products containing defrosted poultry meat from sources such as turkeys, chickens, ducks or game birds. Manufacturers usually flag up defrosted meat on packs. Products supplied to major foodservice customers such as McDonald’s or KFC would also be hit, according to Goodburn.

The industry mainly follows a steady, all-year round production schedule, freezing meat in times of low demand for use in peak periods, such as Christmas or the barbecue season, and importing extra where needed. However, the proposals could dramatically alter this pattern.

Even if the BPC’s conservative understanding of the situation is right, it could still cost millions of pounds to overhaul the food chain. “There are very serious implications for supply of certain products at times when the consumer most demands them,” said BPC chief executive Peter Bradnock. “The British Retail Consortium (BRC) has done costings, helped by suppliers and I believe the overall figure is £100M.

“We and the BRC are asking the British government not to support the proposal, but to seek an alternative way of ensuring the Commission’s concerns are met,” said Bradnock. He suggested highlighting the presence of defrosted meat more prominently, possibly using front of pack labelling.

An additional worry is that most EU member states have a less developed chilled food industry than the UK and Ireland and so will be unsympathetic to their resistance to the proposals. DEFRA and trade representatives are meeting with EC officials in Brussels this month to debate the issue.

09/12/08

IRISH MEAT/DIOXINS - Food Alert + LIST of Irish & NI processors + cos in receipt of pork/products

Listing just received from FSA.

09/12/08

IRISH PORK/DIOXINS - FSA says still investigating NI pork so can't confirm that clear

Dear all,

Communication below just received from a new contact at FSA who is now leading on industry comms.

FSA cannot confirm that NI pork is clear from contamination.

I have stressed that this cuts across FSANI information and media reporting, and will no doubt result in confusion. I have reiterated the urgent need for farm listings for traceability to be acted on.

Will advise of any substantive response.,

-----Original Message-----
Sent: Tuesday, December 09, 2008 3:04 PM
Subject: Fw: Pork from Northern Ireland - Dioxin contamination

Dear Colleague

There have been many enquiries concerning the status of pork and pork product supplies from Northern Ireland.

Please note that the FSA is continuing with its investigations into the distribution of affected product and until our investigations are completed, the Agency cannot confirm whether or not product from Northern Ireland is clear from the contamination.

Further statements on the subject will be issued when our investigations are concluded.

For reference, I am now your contact point for trade information on this subject in place of Mark Ball so I would be grateful if you would supply any further information for my attention,

Yours sincerely

Philip Randles
Food Protection Division
www.food.gov.uk
T: +44 (0)207 276 8735
F: +44 (0)207 276 8446
E: philip.randles@foodstandards.gsi.gov.uk

09/12/08

IRISH PORK/DIOXINS - Ireland: positive PCB tests reported by Irish media, but no recall (for info)

No beef recall despite positive test
Tuesday, 9 December 2008 14:22
http://www.rte.ie/news/2008/1209/pork.html

It is understood that some results from tests on beef herds which ate contaminated animal feed have come back positive.

However the Government has stressed that the dioxins were not found at a level that poses any public health concern.

There will be no beef recall.

Out of 11 herds that were tested, three tested above legislative limits for PCBs in beef. The three that did come back positive were 'technically' non-complaint.

Minister for Agriculture Brendan Smith said any animals from those herds will be taken out of the food and feed chain.

Products from these herds will not be released on the market.

The following steps are being taken: Any animals in herds above legal limit will be taken out of the food and animal feed chain.

Any products from these animals will not be not released into the market.

The European Commission is being informed of the results.

Government sources say the blow will be softened by the fact that there is better traceability in the beef sector than the pork sector and isolating the affected meat will be easier.

The crisis in the pork sector and the knock on problems for beef will be centre stage when the Dáil sits this afternoon.

Taoiseach Brian Cowen is to take Dáil questions at 2.30pm. (Watch live: http://www.rte.ie/live/ ) .

Pork and bacon processors say they believe the scale of the problem facing their industry has yet to be properly quantified.

Hundreds of tonnes of meat returned by suppliers are now stockpiled in cold storage around the country, with no indication how it is going to be disposed of.

There has also been further job uncertainty.

As well as the 850 staff laid off yesterday at Rosderra factories, and more at other companies in Cavan, Clones and Callan, 260 workers at Dawn pork and bacon in Grannagh in south Kilkenny have been told there is no work for them at present.

Countrystyle meats nearby has also told around 60 staff it does not know when processing will recommence, but even if it happens this weekend, it is unlikely many consumers will have ham available for their Christmas dinners.

Around 2,000 employees at pig processing plants have been temporarily laid off as a result of the recall.

Compensation fears
================
Meat processors are seeking a multi-million euro compensation package for losses incurred as a result of the recall.

A spokesman for the EU Commission said that as things stand there would be no EU funding for the farming industry in Ireland affected by contamination of pork.

The EC said there was no specific funding available but under EU rules, the Government could compensate farmers up to €7,500 over three years, with processors and retailers getting up to €200,000 over the same period.

However, in exceptional circumstances the government could pay 100% compensation - that was the case in Belgium.

Plant owners say they will not re-open their factories until the Government gives compensation for any losses incurred.

Farmers are also seeking €8m compensation for 100,000 pigs which may have to be destroyed on farms which used contaminated feed.

A scheme to store pigmeat once slaughtering is resumed is also being sought until normal sales and exports are restored.

09/12/08

IRISH PORK/DIOXINS - NI pork processing 'set to resume', FSA Chief Scientist blog (for info)

I've no corroboration of the following BBC news story.

KG
**************

NI pork processing set to resume
Page last updated at 10:23 GMT, Tuesday, 9 December 2008 http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/7772963.stm
The NI pork industry can resume operations after investigations into whether dioxins were present in meat, the Food Standards Agency has said.

The 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."

Earlier, it emerged that 11 NI premises processed pork from the Republic and the meat was put on sale in Northern Ireland.

Pork products from the Republic were recalled over fears that pig feed at an animal meal plant was tainted with oil containing potentially harmful dioxins.

However, Ms Jennings said: "We are absolutely certain at this point in time that Northern Ireland pork is safe to eat. "We're quite happy for processors to start processing and filling our shelves with Northern Ireland pork and pork products."

In Northern Ireland, 26,000 pigs are processed every week but major firms halted slaughtering on Monday and a backlog has been building up on farms.

In the Republic, almost 1,400 pork processing workers have been laid off following the contamination scare. At the largest pig processor in the Republic, County Offaly-based Rosderra Meats, 850 workers have been laid off and a further 650 put on protective notice.

Twelve European Union countries and nine non-EU countries have been affected by the scare.

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Safety limits and health risks
Posted by Andrew Wadge on December 8th 2008 in Science, safety and health http://www.fsascience.net/2008/12/08/safety_limits_and_health_risks

As you might imagine, I've had a busy weekend trying to obtain information about dioxins in Irish pork. As always, our starting point is the science and so far the indications are that the level found of these contaminants will not affect your health. However, some of you might be wondering why we are saying that levels of dioxins that are reported to be 80-200 times ‘safety limits’ are a very low risk to consumers. This is because what have been called ‘safety limits’ are actually maximum levels defined in European Union (EU) law that have been set as part of a policy to reduce levels of contaminants in food. So when a legal maximum level is exceeded, it does not inevitably mean there is a risk to people’s health.

To decide if there is risk to health, we need information on the total amount of a contaminant that will be consumed from different foods, the length of time over which it is consumed, and the possible effects of the contaminant. For dioxins, expert committees of the UK, EU and the World Health Organization have all agreed on a ‘tolerable daily intake’ (TDI). This is the amount that can be consumed over a prolonged period without appreciable risks to health. These risks include looking at possible effects on a developing fetus and the risk of developing cancer.

Dioxins accumulate gradually in the body over a period of about 30 years, after which the rate of dioxin intake will be about the same as the rate the body gets rid of it. The total amount in your body will then be about 2000 times higher than the average daily intake. For example, an intake of 10 times the TDI on a single day would result in a 0.5% increase in the total amount in your body, which would not be sufficient to have any effect.

We do not yet have precise data on levels in the affected Irish pork. It is estimated that less than 10% of Irish pork is affected by the contamination problem and not all pork on the UK market is from Ireland. So even if you eat pork every day, you would not necessarily exceed the tolerable daily intake of dioxins every day. Averaged over a longer period, your total intake is likely to be even lower and the effect on your body insignificant.

The Committee on Toxicity (COT), one of the independent bodies of scientists which advise the Agency, concluded that occasionally taking in more than the tolerable daily intake would not result in harmful effects.

08/12/08

IRISH PORK/DIOXIN - FSA amends statement to allow foods' sale if they are 'not affected'

Dear all,

Further to my conversation with FSA's Chief Scientist, Dr Andrew Wadge, FSA have amended their current statement on their website to enable sale of foods where it can be demonstrated that they are "not affected by this incident".

The full revised statement appears below.

KG
***********

FSA reiterates advice on Irish pork: update Monday 8 December 2008 http://www.food.gov.uk/news/newsarchive/2008/dec/porkadvice

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) is today reiterating its advice on Irish pork products as a result of ongoing investigations.

The FSA is currently advising consumers not to eat pork, or products where pork is the main ingredient, that are labelled as being from the Irish Republic or Northern Ireland. This includes food such as sausages, bacon, salami and ham.

Following further enquiries by the Food Safety Authority Ireland (FSAI), it has been confirmed only ten pig farms in the Republic of Ireland were supplied with feed contaminated with dioxins. Pigs from these farms have been supplied to four processors.

Dr Andrew Wadge, FSA Chief Scientist, said: 'The risk to UK consumers is very low. This is because you would need to eat large quantities of the chemical over a long period of time for there to be any risk to your health.'

The FSA is currently advising:

* retailers and caterers to remove from sale pork products
manufactured from 1 September 2008 in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland
* manufacturers not to use pork from products manufactured from 1
September 2008 in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland

However, if shops and caterers can demonstrate their product is not affected by this incident, it can be sold.

The Agency is continuing to monitor the situation and is working closely with the relevant authorities in the Republic of Ireland.

08/12/08

IRISH PORK/DIOXINS - FSA update 3 - inclusion levels, traceability + potential approach

Dear all,

I have just put the following questions to Andrew Wadge (FSA Chief Scientist), whose responses appear below:

1. If products containing Irish/NI pork are made in the UK and are not labelled as produced in Ireland and contain a small percentage of pork (i.e. not the main ingredient) can they continue to be sold?

2. If the identity of the supplying farm or abattoir is known by a manufacturer and is not implicated, can they still continue to produce?

3. Is there a listing of the implicated ten farms or four processors with which companies can cross-check?

Andrew's response:

* The EC has asked EFSA to advise on composite products by Wed a.m.. He has asked the EC for views to be given based on various inclusion levels.

* He advised to hold production and sale until there is output from EFSA on this and the ID of farms affected is stated. Irish reportedly aim from Wed to be able to draw back from the blanket position and allow for use/sale of pork from all but affected farms.

It is not certain this will happen though.

I will be participating in the FSA meeting at 1030h tomorrow and will provide feedback.

FSA's latest communication appears below.

KG
*************
Your organisation has kindly provided information to the Agency today.
We continue to gather and assess information received and will provide further updates in due course.

The European Commission has requested that the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) urgently consider the issue of composite/compound products to inform the scope of control needed. EFSA are due to report on Wednesday morning of this week.

We recognise that many of you have questions and we will endeavour to respond to these as soon as we are in a position to do so.
In the meantime I would like to thank you for the rapid supply of information and the high level of cooperation received.

An update will be going on our website shortly:

FSA reiterates advice on Irish Pork

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) is today reiterating its advice on Irish pork products as a result of ongoing investigations. The FSA is advising consumers not to eat pork or products where pork is the main ingredient that are labelled as being from the Irish Republic or Northern Ireland. This includes food such as sausages, bacon, salami and ham. Following further enquiries by the Food Safety Authority Ireland (FSAI), it has been confirmed only ten pig farms in the Republic of Ireland were supplied with feed contaminated with dioxins. Pigs from these farms have been supplied to four processors. Dr Andrew Wadge, Chief Scientist, Food Standards Agency said: ‘The risk to UK consumers is very low. This is because you would need to eat large quantities of the chemical over a long period of time for there to be any risk to your health.’

The FSA is advising:

Retailers and caterers to remove pork products manufactured from 1 September 2008 in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland from sale. Manufacturers not to use pork from products manufactured from 1 September 2008 in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. The Agency is continuing to monitor the situation and is working closely with the relevant authorities in the Republic of Ireland.

08/12/08

IRISH PORK/DIOXIN - FSA statement on foods 'where pork is the main ingredient' + FSAI update (for action)

Dear all,

FSA has now issued its risk management approach in the statement below.

The key points are the sentences:

" The FSA is advising consumers not to eat pork, or products where pork is the main ingredient, that are labelled as being from the Irish Republic or Northern Ireland. This includes food such as sausages, bacon, salami and ham."

Also enclosed is the newest FSAI statement.

Please advise of issues.

KG
************
FSA reiterates advice on Irish pork
Monday 8 December 2008
http://www.food.gov.uk/news/newsarchive/2008/dec/porkadvice

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) is today reiterating its advice on Irish pork products as a result of ongoing investigations.

The FSA is advising consumers not to eat pork, or products where pork is the main ingredient, that are labelled as being from the Irish Republic or Northern Ireland. This includes food such as sausages, bacon, salami and ham.

The FSA is advising:

The Agency is continuing to monitor the situation

************

FSAI Provides Update on Irish Pork and Bacon Recall
08 December 2008
http://www.fsai.ie/news/press/pr_08/pr20081208.asp

The Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) today stated its opinion that the data in relation to health risks for people exposed to dioxins does not provide cause for concern. Its view, based on an assessment of international and national data, continues to be that a short term peak exposure to dioxins and PCBs does not result in adverse health effects.

The FSAI states that scientific data and evidence does not support concerns on health effects to people exposed to dioxins at a high level over a short period of time, such as the Belgian Dioxin incident. The FSAI confirms that, as part of its wide ranging deliberations on this aspect, its scientific experts have also consulted widely with scientific experts in the European Food Safety Authority; the World Health Organization as well as with counterpart health risk assessors in the Food Standards Agency (UK). In addition, Department of Health & Children has been in consultation with the Belgian authorities regarding their continued population health monitoring since their dioxin incident in 1999.

According to Mr Alan Reilly, Deputy Chief Executive, FSAI, data used to assess any health risk involves reviewing evidence that is available on incidents and exposure internationally. He stated that a number of factors mitigate and reduce the potential for any health risk in relation to this recall. He maintains that people should not be alarmed or concerned in relation to the potential risks from dioxins found in pork and bacon products.

“Firstly, the dioxins in relation to the pork and bacon recall would have been concentrated primarily in the fat element of the product – pork is considered a healthy lean meat product and only the visible fat element of the product would have potentially contained any contamination. Add this to the fact that only 10% of the product is suspected as being affected on the market and this reduces the potential exposure. Putting all this into perspective with the evidence of long term exposure information we have, there is a low level risk of ill health – and that means for today, tomorrow or 10, 20 years from now. There is no scientific robust evidence to support any other viewpoint in our opinion.”

The FSAI stated that there is nothing that stands out as concerning in relation to data from populations where there was a high exposure over a short period of time to dioxins such as in the case of the Seveso plant explosion in Italy in 1976. These people have been closely monitored for the last 30 years and the data here continues to show no significant evidence and there is nothing emerging in terms of adverse health implications.

“We know there was high exposure over short periods in Seveso and there is no data of real significance showing up in that population to indicate effects. Similar data in relation to the Belgium incident in 1999, which is somewhat similar to our pork incident is available. The Belgian population have been closely monitored for almost 10 years for signs of health effects in relation to their exposure to dioxins and again nothing of significance has shown up in health screenings,” continues Mr Reilly.

“This is very reassuring – effects have been researched in populations exposed for long periods to relatively low levels and high levels over short periods of time and it could be expected that there might be some effects – but there is no major indicators emerging. The body does deal with low levels of dioxin – it removes them itself over a period of time. Bearing in mind all the factors and data, the FSAI’s view even in any worst case scenario where someone may have been exposed to a lot of contaminated pork, the possibility for an ill health effect is very low. It is highly unlikely anyone in Ireland was continually exposed to large amounts of this pork given the pattern of pig production in Ireland,” concludes Mr Reilly.

Last updated: 08/12/2008

08/12/08

IRISH PORK/DIOXIN - FSA comment on news just now + Sci Media Centre risk quotes of 7/12 (for info)

Dear all,

FSA Chief Scientist Dr Andrew Wadge was just interviewed on BBC Radio 4’s PM prog, saying that

1. FSA have done a risk assessment and concluded that the risks are ‘very low’.

2. Animals on affected farms have been quarantined and will be slaughtered.

3. UK manufacturers and retailers have been advised not to put on sale any food made since 1 September that contains Irish pork.

4. 8 farms may have received the particular feed. A police investigation is taking place to determine what happened.

He was asked about the safety of Irish beef and stated that it is known that some of the feed has gone to cattle farms. Animals on those farms have been quarantined and meat has gone for testing.

No further information is yet available.

Below for your information is a press release put out by the Science Media Centre yesterday regarding risks.

If there are any levels data available I can put them across to SMC for their experts to comment on (privately).

08/12/08

PORK FARMS/DIOXIN - International scope (22 countries reported affected)

RTE (Ireland) news item:

850 pig plant workers warned of lay-offs (Ireland)
8 December 2008 13:02
http://www.rte.ie/news/2008/1208/pork.html
850 employees at Rosderra Meats in Co Offaly have been warned that they face layoffs due to the pigmeat recall. 'The company regrets having to make this decision but we have no alterative in light of the seriousness of the situation at national level and the uncertainty within the industry,' Rosderra Meats, a meat processor with four sites, said in a statement this lunchtime.

The trade union SIPTU has said up to 6,000 jobs in the pig industry are at risk as a result of the toxin contamination scare.

International impact
-----------------------------
The European Commission said today that 12 EU countries and nine non-EU countries have been affected by the contamination scare. EU countries affected include Italy, Germany, the Netherlands, Poland, Sweden, Denmark, Belgium, Estonia, the UK, France, Portugal and Cyprus. Additional countries that have been impacted include Japan, Russian, Singapore, the US, Canada, Switzerland, China, Hong Kong and Korea. The European Commissioner for Health Androulla Vassiliou has said that the 12 member states who have imported Irish pork and pork meat products are required to detain the products in order to check them for the presence of dioxins.

She added, however, that there was no need to take further action at the moment regarding the Irish dioxin scare.

This afternoon the European Food Safety Authority will hold a video conference meeting with the affected member states.

On Wednesday there will be a meeting of chief veterinary officers, and a meeting of the EU's standing committee on the food chain and animal health on Friday.

The Commission says it wants to share information and harmonise enforcement in order to ensure a high level of human health protection.

Domestic impact
--------------------------
Ireland's pig industry is worth €400m per year, with exports accounting for about €250m.

Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food Brendan Smith is holding talks with pigmeat processors today about getting Irish pork back on sale following the scare.

The processors have warned that they will not resume slaughtering of pigs until they get financial help from the Government towards the cost of the product recall.

Meanwhile, Bord Bia is preparing a campaign in a bid to restore consumer confidence in Irish pigmeat at home and abroad.

Speaking on Morning Ireland, its Chief Executive, Aidan Cotter, said it wants to restore confidence in Irish pigmeat at home and abroad.

When processing resumes, Irish pigmeat will carry a new label saying it was produced after 7 December, and therefore unaffected by the current product recall. Gardaí have been asked to investigate how pigs in the country came to be contaminated with the potentially harmful dioxins. The company at the centre of the pigfeed contamination, Millstream Power Recycling Limited which is located just outside Fenagh, Co Carlow, has denied that an industrial oil had been used in the animal feed. A spokesman said oil is used to power machinery that processes the feed, but he added that he did not know yet if this could be the source of the contamination.

Click here for our comprehensive guide on the recall: http://www.rte.ie/news/2008/1206/porkrecallinfo.html

08/12/08

IRISH PORK/DIOXINS - NI Minister statement on 9 confirmed affected NI farms

Statement from Minister Gildernew on contaminated pig feed
08 December 2008
http://www.northernireland.gov.uk/news/news-dard/news-dard-071208-statement -
from-minister.htm
Agriculture Minister Michelle Gildernew has confirmed that to date nine farms in the north have been identified as having used the dioxin contaminated pig feed.
The Minister said the farms have been restricted and identified on APHIS - the department's electronic monitoring system since this situation unfolded on Friday evening.

"To date nine farms in the north have been identified as having used the contaminated feed. We are supplying the FSA with all the necessary information to allow them to take an informed decision," she said.