Recycling firm says oil not from north

THE animal feed company at the centre of the pork contamination scare has rejected suggestions that its production plant used inappropriate oil sourced from the north.

The Police Service of Northern Ireland, meanwhile, said it had not been asked by the gardaí to investigate the source of any contamination, despite reports that inquiries were focused on a depot in Co Tyrone within its jurisdiction.

Yet, both the gardaí and the PSNI confirmed they were assisting each other with inquiries into how potentially cancer-causing elements of the oil, known as dioxins, ended up in the feedstuffs produced by Millstream Power Recycling in Co Carlow for pig farms across the country.

The PSNI said it could not disclose the nature of its role in the inquiries, but it added: “We can confirm that currently we have not been asked to investigate the source of any contamination. We believe this will fall under the auspices of the Department of the Environment or the Department of Agriculture.”

Gardaí would not discuss what aspect of the investigation the PSNI was involved in either, citing operational reasons, but confirmed they had requested their northern counterparts’ assistance.

In a short statement yesterday, Millstream distanced itself from any activity in the North. It said: “Millstream Recycling wishes to state that the company has only ever purchased the oil from a legitimate supplier in the Republic of Ireland.”

While this may be found to be the case, questions are still being asked about the source of the oil provided by the as yet unnamed supplier — with some reports suggesting that it was waste oil from electricity transformers collected in Co Tyrone.

Questions also remain about the production methods used at the plant. Oil was needed to fuel machines that heated the various waste food products that were recycled into animal feed but if the oil was not of adequate quality and the temperature was not sufficient, dioxins in the oil would not have been destroyed.

It is not yet clear, however, how the potentially toxic substances would have transferred into the food mix. Millstream’s statement continued: “As An Garda Síochána and the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) are continuing with their investigations it is inappropriate to make any further comment at this stage.”