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Cattle given contaminated feed Cattle given contaminated feed
(about 2 hours later)
Eight cattle herds in Northern Ireland have been fed contaminated feed from the Irish Republic which has sparked a scare over pork products.Eight cattle herds in Northern Ireland have been fed contaminated feed from the Irish Republic which has sparked a scare over pork products.
Maria Jennings from the Food Standards Agency said all the farms concerned had been put under restriction, so no animals from them will go to slaughter. Maria Jennings from the Food Standards Agency said all the farms concerned had been put under restriction, so none of their animals would go to slaughter.
However, she said she "cannot rule out that beef from those herds has gone into the food chain". But she insisted beef on sale in Northern Ireland "was entirely safe".
But she insisted beef on sale in NI "was entirely safe". Earlier, the agency gave the NI pork industry the all clear and said it could resume operations.
She said the chance of contaminants in beef would be much lower than in pork. The agency said it was confident no pigs had been fed contaminated feed.
Speaking about the beef on Tuesday, Ms Jennings said she could not "rule out that beef from those herds has gone into the food chain".
However, she said the chance of contaminants in beef would be much lower than in pork.
Ms Jennings said cattle would be fed a variety of feeds as they are not as intensively reared as pigs and the way they break down food was different, making the risk of infection much lower.Ms Jennings said cattle would be fed a variety of feeds as they are not as intensively reared as pigs and the way they break down food was different, making the risk of infection much lower.