Suspect meat enters food chain admits Dept

Suspect pig meat from a Waterford farm under investigation has ended up in shops and has already been consumed.

Suspect pig meat from a Waterford farm under investigation has ended up in shops and has already been consumed.

The farm, which had a restriction order placed on it last Apirl, was under investigation for the alleged use of the growth promoter Carbadox. Carbadox was banned by the EU three years ago for its potential effects on humans.

In late June the Department of Agriculture said that 1,500 pigs were moved from the farm. The Department’s Special Investigations Unit managed to trace over a third of those and issued a product recall but they can confirm that some of the carcasses entered the food chain.

Fine Gael spokesperson on agriculture and food, Mr Billy Timmins called on the Minister for Agriculture, Mr Walsh, to clarify the issue saying "there is something radically wrong with a system of investigation and monitoring which allows this to happen and it is imperative that Minister Walsh outlines how it occured."

Luke Cassidy

Luke Cassidy

Luke Cassidy is Digital Production Editor of The Irish Times