NORTHERN IRELAND:PIG PROCESSING has resumed in Northern Ireland and pork products sourced locally have been returned to supermarket shelves.
The Belfast office of the Food Standards Agency (FSA) said it was safe to do so late on Monday evening having established that no contaminated feed had been fed to pigs. However, it said the tainted feed had been given to up to eight herds of cattle.
A spokeswoman for the FSA said the agency was confident that the levels of toxins in beef products were much lower than those feared to be present in pork.
Maria Jennings said: “We are working very hard to resolve the beef situation and we have samples with the laboratories to try and quantify those levels. Over the next few days we should be able to say more about beef.”
She added: “We are absolutely certain at this point in time that Northern Ireland pork is safe to eat. We’re quite happy for processors to start processing and filling our shelves with Northern Ireland pork and pork products.”
The agency also found that some pork produced in the Republic had been purchased in the North by 11 processors and was sold on to supermarkets.
It is advising that anyone with products bought in either part of Ireland since the beginning of September either dispose of them or return them to their retailer for a refund.
Processing recommenced yesterday at the North’s largest processor, Grampian Country Pork in Cookstown in Co Tyrone.
Normal levels of production have been reached and farmers hope the backlog of unsold animals will be cleared by the end of the week.
Tesco supermarkets said they were happy to begin restocking their shelves with Northern Ireland pork products.
Tesco commercial manager Cliff Kells told the BBC: “We are delighted to get the all clear from the FSA and are restocking our shelves this morning with Tesco own-brand products sourced locally.” Sainsbury’s and Marks Spencer said most of their stocks came from Britain.
Stormont Minister for Agriculture Michelle Gildernew has told members of the Executive that the department is to consider measures to support farmers and producers affected by the pork scare.
Edwin Poots, a DUP member of the Stormont agriculture committee said: “This is welcome news for the pork industry in Northern Ireland. The restrictions announced by the [Minister for Health] on Northern Ireland-produced pork were extreme measures and I am glad that they have been lifted. If they had not been lifted promptly they had the ability to totally cripple the industry.
“We must now get Northern Ireland pork back on the shelves and take moves to restore confidence in the product. The FSA has a key role to play in reassuring the public that Northern Ireland pork is safe.”