All M&S fresh pork is from Great Britain - from farms in the West Country and Scotland - so is not affected by the problems with Irish feed contamination. In the UK all M&S fresh beef is British. In Republic of Ireland all fresh beef is Irish and does not come from farms where cattle have tested positive for dioxins.

As a 100% own brand retailer, M&S has traceability of all its products and we know that none of the farms which we get our pork or fresh beef from in Ireland have used feed from the contaminated source.

FSA Position

The FSA has stated that in the case of pork ‘the risk to consumers is low. Dr Andrew Wadge, FSA Chief Scientist, said: “The risk to UK consumers is very low. This is because you would need to eat large quantities of the chemical over a long period of time for there to be any risk to your health “’

The FSA has also stated in regard to beef that ‘We would expect the risk of contaminants in beef to be significantly lower than in pork. Cattle consume a wider variety of feeds and the way their bodies process the feed is different which makes the risk of contamination much lower.’

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