Ireland in biggest food scare since 'mad cow' disease[fr][de] 

The European Commission announced yesterday (7 December) that it is closely monitoring dioxin contamination of Irish pork. 

It is estimated that food products worth €125 million, both in Ireland and in some 25 countries to which Irish pork is exported, will have to be destroyed. 

Investigations by the Irish authorities found contaminated pork with dioxin levels 80 to 200 times above the safety limit. The crisis began on 19 November, when a routine sample from a meat plant tested positive for dioxin contamination. 

It emerged that contamination had occurred after feeding the pigs with food tainted with industrial oil. The Irish press reported that dioxins were contained in feed supplied from a food recycling plant in Co. Carlow.

The Irish authorities warned the public to dump or return all pork products purchased after 1 September. Pork chops, sausages, bacon, black pudding, certain pizzas and other pork products are on the list of items to be avoided. 

Meanwhile, it emerged that Irish pork exports had reached as many as 25 countries since 1 September. "We believe it's in the order of 20 to 25 countries. It's certainly less than 30," Paddy Rogan, Ireland's chief veterinarian, was quoted as saying by the Irish media on Sunday. 

Distribution details of possibly contaminated Irish pork to other EU member states and third countries will be provided to the EU's Rapid Alert System for feed and food. The European Commission announced its intention to coordinate a harmonised approach to the incident across all the countries affected. 

Officials and experts say the dioxins would have to accumulate in the body over a period of time to pose a health risk to humans. Experts compared the effect of eating dioxin-tainted Irish pork to that of smoking a cigarette. 

Ireland is a major exporter of pork. Britain is by far its biggest market, followed by Germany, France, Russia and Japan. Other major export destinations include Hong Kong, China and the Netherlands. 

The term 'dioxin' describes a highly carcinogenic family of chemical compounds formed through combustion, chlorine bleaching and manufacturing processes. The combination of heat and chlorine creates dioxin. Although dioxin can occur naturally in animal fat and plant tissue, it is mostly created by human activity.