Hormone probe prompts animal-feed crackdown
An investigation by the EU has found that the hormones, which are banned as growth promoters in Europe because of fears that they cause infertility in humans, were fed to pigs in at least 11 of the 15 member states.
The hormones were said to have been found in waste containing coating from hormone replacement therapy tablets, from Co Kildare-based Wyeth Laboratories. This was then exported by the Dublin-based firm, Cara Environmental Technology, to a company in Belgium, Bioland, which in turn supplied Dutch feed manufacturers.
Health Commissioner David Byrne is working on regulations that will mean all feed producers in the EU will have to be licensed and feed will be tested to ensure it conforms to a new set of standards.
Mr Byrne said the latest incident highlighted how feed manufacturers need to become more aware of problems in the sector.
Representatives from the Irish Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reported on their investigations to a special meeting of the Food Chain Committee in Brussels yesterday.
The agency has banned the export of toxic waste from Ireland until its investigations are complete.
Cara Environmental Technology managing director Brendan Keane welcomed the EPA report but said his firm had concerns about it: “We believe there are a number of inaccuracies in the report. In addition, the EPA makes no reference to a report about Bioland, where the real incident occurred.”
Investigations in the past few weeks revealed the contaminated pig feed ended up in over 340 pig farms in the Netherlands, one of the biggest exporters of pork in the world.
The pig feed was also exported to 10 other EU countries.
