NEWS RELEASE
Date: 29 May 2008
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Out of hours telephone 020 7270 8960
Feed contamination investigation completed
Animal Health has completed its investigation into an incident in which routine official sampling of a consignment of wheat feed revealed low-level contamination with material of animal origin.
An extensive tracing exercise has been carried out to establish the feed material's distribution. Temporary movement restrictions were imposed on cattle and sheep on farms which had received this material or feed products containing it.
Feed in which animal protein was detected has been detained, and it will not be allowed back into feed for farmed livestock.
Animal Health carried out detailed investigations to determine the origin of the material of animal origin. It established that this material was very low risk and present at very low levels. A total of 815 feed samples were collected and tested, of which 13 proved positive for low level contamination. The Food Standards Agency (FSA) also carried out tests which eliminated any possibility of other types of contamination.
Investigations by the local authority in liaison with Animal Health into potential offences under feed legislation associated with the original sale and supply are ongoing.
FSA advice is that meat from animals which may have eaten the relevant animal feed should pose minimal risk to public health, provided the statutory specified risk material (SRM) controls are fully adhered to when the animals are slaughtered. The FSA therefore sees no reason to exclude the animals placed under restriction as a result of this incident from the food supply on food safety grounds.
Animal Health’s veterinary risk assessment supported a decision to be made that it was safe to lift the precautionary animal movement restrictions.
In light of the test results, FSA advice and the veterinary risk assessment, the temporary movement restrictions imposed on cattle and sheep have now been lifted.
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Page published: 29 May 2008