MCADAM FOOD PRODUCTS has said it “had no awareness or knowledge whatsoever of any possibility of there being equine content in meat products” it imported or supplied.
It made the statement after it emerged that equine content was identified in products that were both imported and supplied through the Monaghan-based McAdam Foods, including to Silvercrest Foods.
Reputable
McAdam released a statement saying it “is a reputable and well run business and is compliant with all required food industry standards and regulations”.
The company, its management and staff are shocked and astonished to discover that equine content has been identified in products which have been imported and supplied through McAdam Foods.
The source of these products is Polish and McAdam Foods has identified the specific Polish supplier names to the Irish authorities.
McAdam Foods confirmed that any such products were bought and imported on the basis of their being ordered, documented, labelled and understood to be beef, and nothing else. The company has supplied all such labels and documentation to inspectors of the Department of Agriculture and the FSAI.
We are confident that the documentation and proof that we have provided to the authorities will fully exonerate our company and this is also the case in relation to the issue of equine DNA that was found in a Polish consignment sent in early January to our customer Rangeland Foods.
The matter is now being handled between the Irish Department of Agriculture and relevant Polish authorities and McAdam Foods is co-operating fully.
The company also confirmed that product of Polish origin was stored at Freeza Meats in Newry for McAdam Foods last year “on a goodwill basis”. This product had been supplied to McAdam from Poland by a UK meat trading company.
It was discovered that samples taken from a consignment at Freeza Meats in Newry came back positive for about 80 per cent horse meat.
McAdam Foods relinquished ownership of these goods and the UK meat trader agreed to take ownership and address relevant queries from the officer.
Silvercrest
Yesterday, ABP Food Group said that Silvercrest purchased Polish beef products from McAdam Food Service – circa 170 tonnes out of total beef purchases in 2012 of 18,000 tonnes. it said it purchased these beef products in good faith, but horse DNA originating in Poland was present in some of these products.
However, this morning McAdam Foods rejected this figure, and said it has checked its invoices to Silvercrest Foods, which shows that it supplied Silvercrest with 110 tonnes of Irish pork, leaving 60 tonnes of imported frozen Polish beef delivered.
If ABP bought 18,000 tonnes of beef in total in 2012 (as stated), the 60 tonnes of beef products supplied by McAdam Foods makes up 0.003 per cent of that volume.
It is our understanding that the policy and practice of the ABP Silvercrest plant is to use supplied products within 3 days.
The last delivery by McAdam Foods to Silvercrest was 13 November 2012.
Last night, the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Simon Coveney TD announced his Department has received a test result confirming 75 per cent equine DNA in a raw material ingredient at Rangeland Foods, Co Monaghan.
Production has been suspended at Rangeland Foods pending the outcome of the investigation into this.
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