Statement from Health Minister on dioxins in pork products

Speaking in the Assembly, the Minister for Health, Michael McGimpsey said: “I firstly want to reassure the public that the risk to health from eating potentially contaminated pork and pork products from Northern Ireland or the Republic of Ireland is extremely low.

Since I was made aware of this matter over the weekend, I have had frequent discussions with the Agriculture Minister, Michelle Gildernew, the Chief Medical Officer, Dr Michael McBride and the Food Standards Agency (FSA).

The Food Standards Agency, has advised me that based on the information it currently has, any adverse effects to health would require high levels of exposure to these products for long periods of time. The FSA is an independent Government department which was set up to protect the public's health and consumer interests in relation to food.

The health of the public is a major priority for me and something which I take very seriously. I want to ensure that no-one has any concerns over the quality or safety of their food.

However, I realise that there has been a lack of clarity about advice on the consumption of pork and pork products. In the Republic of Ireland, all pork products which originated from the Republic and from Northern Ireland have been removed from shelves.

Yet, in Northern Ireland, initial advice from the FSA to the public here has been not to eat these products, but no formal recall notice has been sent to retailers. Despite this advice, a number of retailers have already taken the decision to remove product from their shelves until they are certain that none of them are contaminated.

I realise that the Agency and DARD are still continuing to investigate whether any of this product contaminated by dioxins has been distributed in the UK.

While I fully accept that the health risk to the public is low, I also feel that the public are confused about the messages they are receiving. Indeed, rather than take the risk of buying potentially contaminated pork, it is more likely they will be deterred from eating any pork products at all.

That is why I have requested the FSA to issue urgent advice that retailers should temporarily remove any pork or pork products processed in Northern Ireland from their shelves. As soon as the relevant agencies have determined which, if any, products are contaminated then these products can safely be returned to shelves.

This means that the public can have confidence that any pork products which are on shelves in our supermarkets and butchers are not contaminated.

By taking this step, I believe consumers will not be deterred from eating pork products and will be content to purchase pork from local producers when investigations are complete.

It is important the confidence in the pork industry is restored as quickly as possible, not just for consumers, but also for local farmers and producers. This is the busiest time of year for farmers and producers and both I and Michelle Gildernew, the Agriculture Minister, want to ensure that the impact on the industry is minimised.

I hope that these investigations will be completed as quickly as possible and local quality pork products will be back on our shelves as quickly as possible.”

Notes to editors:

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