Probe after contaminant found in animal feed

A PROBE was under way last night into the source of a contaminant found in animal feed.

The Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food said it was investigating the find in close collaboration with the Food Safety Authority of Ireland.

A statement from the department said the investigation followed the discovery of the presence of marker PCBs in pork fat during routine monitoring of the food chain for a range of contaminants.

PCBs, or polychlorinated biphenyls, are persistent organic pollutants that are principally present in food as a result of industrial processes.

“As a precautionary measure, a small number of farms associated with the investigation have been placed under restriction by the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food.

“Animals from these farms will only be allowed to enter the food chain if they are shown to be free of the contaminant following laboratory testing,” it said.

Details of where the farms are located were not disclosed. It was confirmed, however, that a series of tests were being carried out in the department’s laboratory complex in Backweston, Co Kildare.

Additional samples have been sent to Britain for testing.

“The investigation is continuing and further information will be available as soon as laboratory results, which are due at the beginning of next week, are available,” the department said.