October 22, 2004

Antibiotic Discovered in Northern Ireland Chicken

A top Northern Ireland farm today launched a probe to find out how a potentially cancer-causing drug was found in some of its chickens.

Moy Park is liaising with officials from the North's Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs after traces of the banned veterinary medicine nitrofuran was found in organic meat sold by leading supermarkets throughout Ireland and Britain.

Traces were discovered during routine checks at Moy Park's factory in Dungannon, Co Tyrone.

Even though the North's Food Standards Agency believed the risk from eating the chicken is low, up to 23 tons of the affected birds have been distributed.

Several major Irish retailers have all sold chickens containing the antibiotic.

Moy Park was unable to confirm how the infection had occurred, but the company pledged a major inquiry would be carried out.

All the produce, which has now passed its use-by dates, has been cleared off supermarket shelves.

Consumers with Moy Park frozen chicken from these batches were urged to throw it out or return it to the retailer.