Health risk of bone meal found in feed 'negligible'

THE risk to animal or human health from the discovery of a consignment of contaminated maize gluten feed imported from the US is negligible, the Department of Agriculture and Food said yesterday.

It confirmed that the consignment was found on Thursday last to contain traces of animal bone. 4671 tonnes of the maize gluten, discharged in Ringaskiddy, Co Cork on November 12, has been detained by the department.

A spokesman for the department said yesterday that 350 tonnes of the maize gluten were delivered to seven manufacturing premises for use in animal feed, but were recalled.

The importer and manufacturers gave full cooperation, said the department.

While the recall outlined by Agriculture Minister Mary Coughlan has been successful, a small amount of the product remains in the public domain.

Given that there was a low level of contamination and an extensive recall of affected material, the minister said her department is satisfied that the danger to human and animal health is negligible in this case.

A similar incident was reported last month when two shipments of sugar beet pulp, which arrived from Germany on October 18 and 22 for use in animal feed products, were also tested and recalled.

Labour spokesperson Dr Mary Upton said Ireland has invested a great deal of money in ensuring that meat and bone meal is not used for animal feed.

Dr Upton said given that another consignment that tested positive for bone particles has arrived in this country, it is time to put in place definite and specific measures to deal with the problem. The agriculture industry is being compromised, through no fault of its own, as a result of imports, she said.