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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| 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. |
| It is understood a further 38 cattle herds in the Republic given the feed have tested positive for dioxins. | |
| Maria Jennings from the Food Standards Agency said the eight NI farms had been put under restriction, so none of their animals would be processed. | |
| But she insisted beef on sale in Northern Ireland "was entirely safe". | But she insisted beef on sale in Northern Ireland "was entirely safe". |
| Earlier, the agency gave the NI pork industry the all-clear and said it could resume operations. | |
| The agency said it was confident no pigs had been fed contaminated feed. | 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". | 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. | 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. |
| Irish government sources said as there was better traceability for beef than the pork sector, isolating the cattle affected would be easier. | |
| The herds will now be slaughtered. |