The level of residues found in Irish food samples continued to drop last year, and fears that food from developing countries could contain residues were unfounded as no positive results were found, it was reported yesterday.
The National Residue Monitoring Plan results for 2003, published yesterday by the Department of Agriculture and Food, showed that in excess of 65,000 samples were tested that year for traces of banned substances.
Only 0.36 per cent or 238 samples were found to contain residues, according to the report.
This is in line with low levels found in recent years: 0.53 per cent in 2002 and 0.58 per cent in 2001.
Two samples of product, (egg powder) from France, tested positive for the presence of Nitrofurans, an antibiotic banned within the EU. In this case the product was recalled and destroyed, the report said.
Monitoring in this important area covered the main food producing species: cattle, pigs, sheep and poultry and also farmed deer, aquaculture and horses.
The Department said the absence of banned hormonal growth promoters in Irish beef and other meat is reassuring for consumers.
In the pig sector, where 48,200 screening tests were carried out for antibiotics, the level of positives, at 0.4 per cent in 2003, reflected a continuing downward trend. The figure was 0.5 per cent in 2002 and 0.7 per cent in 2001.
In the bovine sector, 14 out of 26 samples were found positive for antibiotics in the case of animals which were detained on suspicion by the Department's veterinary inspectors in slaughter plants.