Milk produced at two dairy farms in Northern Ireland has been blocked from entering the food chain, after tests found cancer-causing dioxin levels above legal limits, the UK’s Food Standards Agency said today (6 February).
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The contamination follows the discovery last December that feed supplied to Irish pig and cattle farmers was tainted with dioxins, news that led to a full recall of all products containing Irish pork.
Contamination of the milk is likely to be from dioxin residues in the fat of animals that had previously eaten contaminated feed, the FSA said.
However, the FSA has played down the discovery.
“Although breaching regulations, these levels of dioxin are much lower than those found in pork and beef affected by feed contamination last year. The risk to health from either drinking the affected milk or eating products made from the milk is extremely low,” the FSA said in a statement.
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By GlobalDataThe milk affected was distributed locally in Northern Ireland and also to the Republic of Ireland.
The FSA said that it was not calling for the withdrawal of any product, as milk from the affected farms is usually mixed with other milk before sale, meaning any finished product on the market is likely to be diluted and “well within” the legal limits for dioxins.
The agency is however monitoring milk at the two farms in order to prevent any further contaminated milk entering the food chain.
