TESTS undertaken by the Department of Environment, Food and Agriculture have found no trace of horsemeat in locally-produced meat products.
The onset of the horsemeat scandal in the UK and Ireland led to the DEFA’s food safety sampling officer taking samples of products, such as sausages, mince and burgers, to ensure that they had not been contaminated.
All local producers had samples of various meat products taken and submitted to the government analyst for examination.
Results indicate that all products tested were free from horsemeat.
Brenda Cannell MHK, member for the Environment Directorate, said: ‘It is pleasing to get such positive results and know that we can rely on our local produce.’
To ensure accuracy of testing, the government analyst had to buy special testing kits, which have a limited shelf-life and are therefore not held in stock.
However, the sudden increase in demand for the kits led to a delay in manufacturers being able to supply them immediately. This has led to the delay in reporting the results