Contaminated milk not a threat to health

The Department of Agriculture today said that contaminated milk from two dairy farms in Northern Ireland, which was distributed…

The Department of Agriculture today said that contaminated milk from two dairy farms in Northern Ireland, which was distributed in the Republic, poses no threat to human health.

Milk from the two dairy farms was stopped from entering the food chain after test results showed dioxin levels which were above legal limits.

A statement from the department said that while some small quantities of milk from the affected farms were used in the manufacture of milk products in the Republic none was on sale to the general public.

In addition, any milk used in the manufacture of products was diluted with large quantities of other milk and was well within appropriate dioxin limits, the department said.

The advice from the FSAI after consultation with the European Commission is that there is no reason to carry out any action by way of withdrawal of product because there is no risk to public health.

In December pork products was removed from supermarket shelves after livestock was found to have consumed tainted feed from a centre in the Republic.

Health effects from eating the affected products are only likely if people are exposed to relatively high levels of this contamination for long periods.

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Charlie Taylor

Charlie Taylor

Charlie Taylor is a former Irish Times business journalist