December 10, 2008
EU wants UK explanation on dioxin-contamination issue
The UK has to inform EU food safety regulators on what it will do about pork coming from Northern Irish farms that bought tainted animal feed from Ireland, according to a EU official.
Compared to the Irish government, which has ordered the recall of all domestic pork products, the British authorities have not taken any action so far.
While it's a UK decision to take action, the EU has the power to enforce export and trade restrictions if EU food safety experts become concerned on any potential health risk, said the European Commission official.
Dioxins are byproducts of the chemical and pharmaceutical industries, and long-term exposure can cause cancer. So far, countries including China, Japan, South Korea and Singapore have banned imports of Irish pork.