NORTHERN IRELAND:FARMERS' ORGANISATIONS are expected to call for a review of the handling of the animal feed crisis by Stormont Government Departments.
Pork and beef producers were yesterday working to clear a backlog of livestock which had not been sent to slaughter because of the fear of dioxin contamination.
One key demand is likely to be the call for a timeline showing which Government Department knew what about the developing crisis and at what stage decisions were taken.
Both the Minister for Health and the Minister for Agriculture in the North continued to work closely with the Food Standards Agency and the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food in the Republic.
It has emerged that the two Stormont Ministers most closely involved in tackling the crisis knew at different stages over the weekend of the difficulty that had arisen earlier last week.
The PSNI was offering assistance to the Garda inquiry into "inappropriate" oil products which may have caused the dioxin scare.
The Co Carlow company at the centre of the controversy, Millstream Recycling, claimed it only used recognised suppliers of oil and sourced no supplies from Co Tyrone.
One line of police investigation is that recycled oil from electricity transformers found its way into the food chain. It is thought that fumes from this oil tainted bread crumbs which were used in pig and cattle feed.
Stormont Minister for Agriculture Michelle Gildernew said her department was confident no products, even from animals which may have been given contaminated feed, would enter the food chain. "All animals which received this feed have been highlighted on our APHIS system so they cannot enter the food chain without testing clear for any contaminant.
"Furthermore, tracings of animals from the herds which have gone to slaughter have been provided to the meat plants concerned so that they can identify any products which remain from these animals. At present we have no results from animals or feed."
Regarding the restrictions placed on beef and dairy herds, Minister for Health Michael McGimpsey insisted the public had nothing to fear from cattle produce. "FSA has also advised that it is safe to drink milk," he said.