Concerns that the foot-and-mouth crisis in Britain could pose risks for human health have been heightened by a Food Standards Agency warning that cancer-causing dioxins from giant pyres may have ended up in milk.
The FSA, the UK's independent food safety agency, said yesterday higher levels of potentially harmful dioxins may be present in dairy herds within 2km of pyres built to dispose of infected animals. But it stressed that tests had yet to confirm any increases.
The agency said fatty products in which dioxins are most commonly found, such as whole milk, cream, soft cheese and yoghurt, were most likely to be affected. Any potential risk could be avoided by switching to low-fat alternatives.